Charlotte Eats: Siano Mozzarella Demo at Zia Pia Imports!

 {image via The Charlotte Agenda}

If you are local to Charlotte and if you love good food (fresh mozzarella, anyone!?), you are going to want to check out this event tomorrow night, July 20, at one of my favorite local spots! Zia Pia Imports, located in the 7th Street Public Market uptown, is featuring a fresh mozzarella demo that is sure to be as entertaining as it is delicious.

"Watch as Siano Mozzarella demonstrates how they make their delicious, locally made mozzarella di bufala, burrata and stracciatella! For those of you who don't know stracciatella, your life is about to change. Nada's Italy will present this impressive region whose sites include Mt. Vesuvius, the Amalfi Coast, Capri, ancient Greek temples and one of the most breathtakingly picturesque coastlines in the world, with towering cliffs. Check out this amazing Nada's Italy tour to Campania. Rosa, Alfonso's mother, will perform a cooking demo with their freshly made stracciatella!"

{image via Siano Mozzarella}

Thursday, July 20, 5pm

Free to attend :: $25 to eat

Three courses include:

Antipasto featuring Siano's fresh mozzarella di bufala 

Pasta from Gragnano with Stracciatella, cherry tomato and fresh basil

Dessert of Burrata freshly made on site as you watch!

Check out each of these local Italian companies and make sure you like them on Facebook!

Zia Pia Imports

Nada's Italy

Siano Mozzarella

Christmas in Charlotte

We took a trip to our locally owned Hardware store yesterday. Blackhawk has the most magical tree display and is one of my favorite places in Charlotte to shop for Christmas ornaments. Will loved walking through the forest of decorated trees and looking at all of the ornaments on each one. It was a fun little outing that ended with a free bag of popcorn from the old fashioned popcorn machine at the store! I love that place at Christmastime and always look forward to taking Will, and now Kate, there to see the beautiful trees! 

Christmastime is is just the most magical. There is so much that our city has to offer at this time of year and with a little over a week to go before the big day, I'm rounding up some of my favorites!

Blackhawk Hardware- A beautiful display of trees and TONS of ornament shopping in here. It's been locally owned since 1977 and is just the neatest store! You'll find lots of odds and ends here and don't forget to grab a bag of complimentary popcorn on the way out! 

Leonard Bearstein's Singing Orchestra- The singing bears are a must! A little creepy though you can't help but love them. Shows start on the hour, from 10am-8pm. While you're uptown, walk around and check out the decorations! This is on our list for next week!

7323 Sherwood Forest Drive (off Colony Road)- This is my favorite Christmas lights display in all of Charlotte! We've been driving by here since I was a kid and I just love it. Santa is usually outside from 6-10pm handing out candy canes. Most of this street is decked out and this house is the star. 

Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens- Holidays at the Garden is the best! This is where Mark and I got engaged (at Christmastime) so it's extra special to us. Another thing I'm hoping to squeeze in next week with our little ones. It will be so much fun to take them back! 

McAdenville, Christmastown USA- Another Christmas lights spectacular! This is about a 30 minute drive outside of Charlotte but so festive and fun! Roll through the Starbucks drive thru on the way for a peppermint mocha to enjoy while you drive through the twinkling town. You can park your car and get out and walk now, too!

Holly Jolly fa la la! 

Charlotte Eats: YAFO Kitchen

I have found my new favorite fast casual restaurant and we can practically walk there from our house! I LOVE all of Frank Scibelli's restaurants, so it was no surprise that I fell in love with YAFO as soon as I had my first bite. The food is so fresh and I cannot get over the all of the flavor! There's truly something for everyone on the menu- seriously, I could eat here every day! If you follow me on Instagram, you know I'm obsessed with this place! 

Mark and I both enjoyed grain bowls during our first visit and they were amazing. We had half cous cous, half rice and loaded on the veggies with our chicken and lamb. The bowls come with this amazing jalapeno cilantro sauce on the side and I could have eaten it with a spoon! The meat was so juicy and full of flavor. If you're not sure if you like lamb, this would be a great place to try it as the spices mask the strong-ish flavor that lamb tends to have. We opted for Hummus Bowls on our most recent visit and these were even better! 

The mezze plates are another great way to try several items on the menu. These items switch up daily and include things like tabbouleh, baba gannoush, falafel, roasted chick peas, and hummus. This is a great option for kids if you don't want to go the kids menu route. Will had some hummus, roasted potatoes, laffa bread and shared a few bites of my chicken. The hummus is so smooth and one of the best I've had at a restaurant out. 

The portions are huge and really could be shared if you don't want to take the other half home for lunch the next day. SO MUCH FOOD.

We are loving this new South Park spot and can't wait to go back!