Betty's Pizza, Coming Back 11 Years Later

I haven't wrote in over a year, but slowly it's coming back after almost a decade of writing on and off, as well with other hobbies that were inactive because mental health wasn't at the best point.

This is not a recipe, and somewhat of a restaurant review but also is a way to say I am back to write, at least one entry per month since I am achieving my professional goals at almost my 40th birthday.

The first time I went to Betty's Pizza was around 11 years on of the times I came to the area of Alachua County to visit for the day who was my boyfriend and eventually domestic partner since he worked near, and I was hungry.

I stopped because I wanted pizza, there was no other motif; but 11 years I decided to come back when we moved to the area and my surprised is that the placed hasn't changed a bit in the last decade, is essentially the same, but most importantly the flavor is exactly the same as I remember with the pizza.

Betty's Pizza is in the middle of the country side of North Florida, the area hasn't changed that much either, there are some roadworks but overall the area is almost unchanged minus some new houses and a few new stores.

It's just pretty around it because it's surrounded by trees and lakes, it gives such a different approach to eat outside as it gives some peace and quiet while you are outside. I have to say the service is super great and casual, it has that old style country hospitality that is not common to see in metropolis and it gives an extra charm to the place.

 The atmosphere is super casual, super comfortable, it's such a charming little place with a big personality and it gives peace of mind while eating or just waiting, and is not far either from the main street of Melrose, Florida; the town itself is super gorgeous and it has that rustic charm, there are some small farmer stalls around it on the wekeends and is not far away from farms that sell their products on the road as well, the experience of visiting Betty's Pizza is just a trip to rural America that is not common to see in major tourists destinations.

Albeit what is amazing is just to remember how flavorful the pizza was as well how the recipe keeps consistency over the years. The sauce is just delicious, the crust is just such a beautiful piece that gives harmony to the sauce and perfectly blends with the cheeses.

Whenever you go to a pizzeria you have to think how three basic ingredients mix in perfect harmony, feel the sauce and the texture of the dough and you know how to appreciate a pizza, the sauce can give the guests a beautiful and magnificent experience at the moment of eating a pizza, everything has to be flavored in perfect harmony.

The memories of 11 years ago that got in my head and let me remember with perfection that beautiful mix of tartness and sweet accompanied with the sweet pizza crust, the cheese and the herbs is what makes a pizza such a beautiful and heavenly experience.

My memories are usually associated with food, happy and sad, eating has become a ritual for me over the years because I went from having nothing to start having stability with my life and going back to a place that bring me  happiness it's just associate with a proper primal reaction but I am not going to further with sensory rewards because I am not an academic writer.

I want to say if you have the chance to go to Alachua County, take a detour outside the University of Florida and find your way to Melrose on the east side and pay a visit to Betty's as is one of those gems that is not well known by people who are from outside the area.

Ellianos Coffee Shop Review

So, I haven't write in a while; depression mixed with suicide attempts destroyed my creativity for a long time and it wasn't until not long ago that the spark started to come back again as well to go out (yes, I take precautions with this pandemic and I been minimizing my contact with people)

So, I love traveling and I enjoy eating, I enjoy discovering little gems around everywhere but also ordering products that get my attention, it can be antyhing that I find adorable, cool and tasty; so since going to a new place, the husband introduced me to a new coffee chain that has been on his hometown for a while is called Elliano's and it has been there for a while but I never had the chance to try it.

I love it, the flavor is amazing and I am enchanted with their chocolate mint coffee freezer, is superb, for the first time I can't review the enviroment because the chain is essentially a drive-through and parking lot is also minimal, so in this case I am reviewing the customer service.

The customer service is amazing, why is amazing? Because little things like saying please and thank you are words that aren't common on customer service anymore, as well references to hope to see you soon, which is good and great a the same time, the little bit I saw from the inside the production area looks super clean and everything is organized, but on the premises my only complain for newcomers like me is difficult to know where to go to pay as well if there are two windows to complete the transaction.

The coffee menu is small but is so complete, it offers flavor and consistency which is what products like coffee should have. I been there twice, and I rarely write a review so early as I tend to go for a month before making any judgment but I am super pleased with the coffee and their sales prices as they are cheaper than Starbucks.

The one I ordered was a Cookies and Creeme Freezer which was so rich and creamy but also the body of the coffee was firm and delicious, I have no words to express the happiness to see the foam and how the whip cream separated perfectly from the coffee drink itself making it an absolute perfect blend.

I recommend going to Ellianos, is just perfect, and also they serve breakfast and bagels which they honestly got me as a customer now.

Humanitea Simply Refreshing

(7/31/2017) --- I love this line of product, I essentially enjoy tea but Humanitea (1) scent is just quite amazing, is almost as it was made the same day that you purchase the bottle. The flavors are tea Mango + Melon, Passion Fruit and Kiwi and Lemonade + Coconut.

I've discovered this little brand at Sprouts when it was on sale a couple of weeks ago, at first, I was wanting to try something new and with sweet drinks I am always a sucker for it. The first one I tried was the passion fruit and kiwi and is quite tasty.

A couple of weeks later, the flavor was still roaming my senses and I wanted to try others that I found at Sprouts Supermarket; I was surprised as the other teas were equally tasty, even the lemonade with coconut was refreshing and I usually don't enjoy products with coconut that much, but I truly can make an exception

I totally enjoy it, and I won't deny it I had bought it on occasions and take it to work because I find it refreshing and is quite nice with a small snack. If I should choose a favorite flavor I would chose the mango and melon black tea as it was really sweet. I would totally recommend any of the flavors as they are quite soft for the plate and they are refreshing.

Regards,

Gustavo

Reference:

• http://www.humaniteaco.com/
• https://www.sprouts.com/

Creating a Profit with Novelty Drinks

Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccino by Bustle.com

(7/11/2017) --- Let's face it, all of us we had tried these novelty drinks at a certain point of lives; we even get involved whenever there is a new novelty item at your favorite fast food join. I got obsessed with the steak doubledillas at Taco Bell and eventually later they became an item in the regular menu; albeit, their breakfast menu sucks a lot.

Everyone remembers the craze that happened earlier this year with the Unicorn Frapuccino (1) that Starbucks released for an extremely short time, that was the preamble of what the summer drinks would become. It seems almost every year, developers at chains develop more crazy concoctions that anyone can ever imagine but at the end these things have one element in common to bring more revenue to the different companies.

There are some interesting aspects about these beverages, from different marketing and commercial perspectives that involves a hybrid use of product placement and social media, by executing some free publicity with some crazy hashtag that will bring more customers in to their different locations. Of course, there is a minor backlash, that it can also bring some negative publicity if an influencer doesn’t like the product.

These hand-crafted beverages bring customers who want to quench their thirst or try something new, but how this drinks that involve sweetness and creaminess often bring sentiments of nostalgia of the childhood in which people enjoyed their summers in a carefree manner; it is imperative to know even in this era where the sales are in a decline (2)

The offers are wide varied in names and product, such as the unicorns, Lucky Charms to Mango Iced Teas, in which the struggle to bring more people and spend on their services has become difficult (3). Imagine you go to any commercial plaza, there is a Best Buy or your favorite supermarket and around it there are plenty of other business. Each business is competing with each other, and the customer is the one who has the ultimate choice.

This is a mere offer and demand game, mixed with some ideologies that borderline into the pseudo-scientific side that consumers can reach with one click in Facebook which can also affect the restaurants and fast food chains revenues. Some people would say there is nothing wrong with an informed consumer but in reality, an informed consumer can be as ignorant as any other consumer that is moved by trends in the market.

Yes, there is nothing healthy within these drinks but with moderation and if you don't have any gastrointestinal or neurological issues, you can still enjoy eating outside. As anything packed with lots of sugar, calories and coloring's, constant consuming of this items of course will bring some consequences to the body.

The game play of this drinks is a mere mechanic to make the customers, regular customers and try to "hook them" into purchasing more than a drink. Think how many times you go inside a restaurant or any franchise location, you ended up seeing a novelty drink and then you think what can goes good with it? Maybe you buy a bagel or something sweet as a slice of cake that surely the place made there or in the case of the franchise it's promoting a local business by offering their products over the counter.

The drinks themselves should be very unique, follow a pattern that it will appeal to the consumers really quickly and they will promote it on social media, as is the niche for a much bigger marketing and advertising field. The creation of this drinks is almost as a piece of visual art, they must be colorful and catchy, they have to conquer the eye first before going straight to the stomach but also on the branding, the companies have to put the time frame on a limited time to influx the people into a frenzy.

Reference:

1. https://www.starbucks.com/menu/drinks/frappuccino-blended-beverages/unicorn-frappuccino-blended-cr%C3%A8me
2. http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-the-slow-decline-of-fast-food-in-america-2014-11
3. https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2017/01/20/many-restaurant-chains-still-strugglng/96840038/

Zambia Smokehouse Amazing Place at Busch Gardens

Zambia Smokehouse

(317/2017) --- OMG! I need to try much of the menu of this place in Busch Gardens, is probably one of the best ones in the park. It is just nice to enjoy some smoke meat around the rides and just watch people have fun.

One aspect whenever you live in an area where you can find theme parks and you don't go as a tourist, you have enough time to go and explore every single little detail of each theme park. I guess my next goal when I am more in depth with Busch Gardens Tampa, is to go and finally explore the main parks of Walt Disney World.

Many years ago, I had an idea into creating a blog, where not only I would talk about the rides or the theme park events, but also about the food you can find. Yes, theme park food has a fame of being "bland" or bad, but whenever you have the time to try the menu's you can find some fascinating stuff as well different options to enjoy while you visit the parks.

Another aspect that I always find fascinating is that whenever you go to the theme parks as a local, you can enjoy and see what people are doing. Is kind of odd to say it, but to sit down while enjoying a coffee, snack or something to eat is just fascinating to see what people are doing. I enjoy watching the large groups of tourist or the families that go and spend the day in one section of the park, the teenagers who are riding the coasters for a first time or the elderly who sit and enjoy.

Beverage Menu

Is such a different feeling to go as someone who has no limited set amount of time to know the park in depth. The Zambia Smokehouse, is one of those places that is worth when you live in the area and you like theme parks, to go and eat different items of the menu.

Zambia, offers some of the stuff that can be found around the park such as the pudding's and other sweets, but is the only place in Bush Gardens that offers a smoke option to the food. The brisket from what I heard I know is nice, but I went for the smoked chicken, it was one of those situations I wanted to play safe.

Smoked Chicken with Fries and Bun

The smoked chicken wasn't bad, but I feel it was finished cook on the oven rather than to be smoked; but I won't deny the next time I go I will try the brisket because it looked amazing when I was in line but I already made my mind.

One of the things I enjoy about eating outside is to see the different options, but I do not enjoy where there are some misleading product placement and people are "hooked" into the restaurant by observing an idea that doesn't probably apply fully, in this case having some smoked products outside which they look amazing but the real deal fails on some extent.

Entrees 

The kid menu doesn't seem that bad, it offer some nuggets and smoked turkey, which it doesn't sound bad to try it also. If you go, try to find the meal program that you pay US$20 (aprox) per person and you can eat all day, is per person but is not bad if you are in large groups, but if you are by yourself and spending an afternoon is not worth it, mostly if you are going to eat lunch or dinner without no one else.

Peanut Butter vs. Hazelnut Butter

Justin's

(03/06/2017) --- I probably like hazelnut better than peanut butter, I always enjoy the flavor of something sweeter, while a good friend of mine that we know each other for a long time and my hubby, just to name two of many people they enjoy peanut butter better than hazelnut, I even scream at people the word "Infidels" whenever they say to me they enjoy P.B. better that Nutella or any of the spin-off that are in the hazelnut butter spreads market.

Yet, some other people had called me a heretic for not having the soul of enjoying peanut butter, but to be honest I can't, is just dry, dry as the love my mother had to me. I do enjoy eating, I won't deny that but sometimes certain products are just way too expensive because of the labels they contain, albeit not for the nutritional value they "supposedly contain" because if we analyze it, "organic", "fair trade" "humanly raised" etc... are just labels that rise the price of the product and they don't contain anything that concrete about the product itself, it just gives the idea that is better for the consumers.

I won't deny, the flavor from Justin's is actually quite decent, even if it contains some of the pseudo-scientific elements that I hate seeing in food, such as fear mongering on biotechnology, but then if a small squeeze bag is on sale I would give it a go; and is probably one of the reasons I know the flavor of the Justin's brand because to be honest I am not paying US$15 for a jar peanut or hazelnut butter, is just way too much and coming from a brand that the parent company is Hormel, which sells products less than a dollar each.

Once Again

I love the logo and the typography from Once Again, is just cute, really adorable. Also I fear raccoons in real life and I wouldn't feel tempted to get close to any trash panda if I see one, I won't deny it I do love them on illustrations as I think they are cute like fluffy kittens.

I am going to do a marketing analysis about this brand on my other site guscalvo.com because it's odd to see a gorgeous logo that emulates children books' illustrations. I wasn't to keen of the flavor, but I will say it was quite crunchy and that is always a winner with me; even when I contacted their customer service online, they replied really quickly (within a 12 hour margin) and they explain what other products they sell and where to find them.

As a marketer, I always appreciate when a company takes their time to reply inquiries, especially with mobile media as I send my questions through Instagram. They replied that on Florida their products can be found on Whole Foods, Richard's Emporium and the Fresh Market; besides, obviously online.

Some of their other products involve peanut butter, sunflower seed butter, tahini and cashew butter. Tahini, has been in my head lately, I feel that I need to go out and find one brand I enjoy, maybe next weekend.

Thank you for reading me,

References:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin's
2. https://www.onceagainnutbutter.com/ 

Chia Pods Product Review

Chia Pods

(03-06-17) --- OMG! This things are actually quite interesting, I have to confess I never had one of these things until last week and now I have a small obsession that  I consume at least twice per week.

I get this little things on the supermarket that I work at, of course I am not going to make a reference because I have no contractual obligations to mention them in any of my blogs. Yet, is quite refreshing to find some novelty products here and there in Florida, because as a consumer there is not too much variety for products here in this State.

Chia Pods, where I work and purchase them on some occasions they cost US$2.99 plus taxes which is not bad, because I've seen some other "snacks" that cost twice the most and have more sugar than Oreo Cookies filled with cocaine; but, still the Pod's can be quite fulfilling and flavor wise they aren't that bad.

On a cooking group that I am a member, as well is run by family, I posted the photo that I am using over here on this this entry, and a member said the most amazing way to describe chia seeds covered in gel "I feel I am eating tadpoles" and is not far away from having an overactive imagination. As, after I ate the chocolate one, I started to gaze at the vanilla pod and thought "OMG, she was right, this looks like little tadpoles" probably, at this moment that's what I would think whenever I see chia seeds everywhere.

The company that produces this little cool snacks is located in Australia, it was founded in 2003 by a wheat farmer named John Foss, who wanted to introduce chia into a more commercial enviroment. What is cool about the Chia Pods as a product is that is vegan, kosher and low in sugar and it has different flavors such as the ones you seen on the photo which are vanilla and dark cacao, there are also apple, banana (which is the other flavor I'd seen in real life), coconut and mango.

There are more products which they seem to be quite interesting albeit I haven't seen them here in Florida but I wouldn't hesitate to try them, is something about food if I know I am not allergic too (only things I am allergic are fishes, craw-fish, shrimps, lobsters, you just name it is all the delicacies of the sea).

I would totally recommend this product, it was such an interesting experience and I enjoy it, also it was cheap which is something that I would recommend even more, because it's budget friendly.

References:

1. The Chia Co (03/06/2017) - Products: https://thechiaco.com/au/products/