I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area from 2000 to 2007 while working as a Business Systems Analyst for Genentech, a biotechnology company. While residing in the region, I enjoyed the opportunity to try some of the best restaurants in the country. I recently looked at the San Francisco Chronicle Magazine’s Top 100 Restaurants list to see which eateries and fine dining establishments now appear in the rankings. If you visit the Bay Area, I recommend that you try these five restaurants. 1. Chez Panisse (Berkeley): Included among the Top 100 since 2001, Alice Waters founded the dining establishment in 1971. The downstairs comprises a formal restaurant whose menu changes daily and the upstairs accommodates a café. Specializing in fresh, organic cuisine, Alice Waters focused on this philosophy long before the general public became aware of the idea. Chefs Jean-Pierre Moulle and David Tanis each spend six months of the year overseeing the renowned kitchen, which specializes in California-Mediterranean cuisine. 2. Flour + Water (San Francisco): The establishment received a nomination for a James Beard Best New Restaurant of 2010 Award. Specializing in Italian fare, including wood-fired pizzas and a warm lamb’s tongue salad with poached egg, Chef Thomas McNaughton changes the menu on a daily basis. The acclaimed eatery offers entrees ranging in price from $15 to $23. 3. Yank Sing (San Francisco): Located in the world-famous Chinatown, this restaurant ranks among the city's best for Chinese cuisine. Renowned for its dim sum and Peking duck, this establishment offers more than 80 items on the carts that circle the dining room. The Chronicle mentioned that Yank Sing costs more than some similar eateries, but the food quality also remains higher. 4. Hog Island Oyster Co. (San Francisco): Located in the Ferry Building, the establishment serves seafood enthusiasts in the Bay Area and ships first-quality oysters to restaurants around the United States. Served on ice, oysters arrive at the table in sets of 6 or 12 and cost as much as $30. The menu also includes salads and other types of seafood and visitors can watch the ferries come in from the dining room. 5. The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton (San Francisco): For diners seeking French cuisine, this restaurant does not disappoint. The chef combines French and Japanese influences to create exquisite dishes featuring fish and other seafood. In addition to the appealing menu, patrons enjoy fantastic service. The prix fixe offerings range in price from $74 to $120.
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A longtime musician and fan of music in many genres, I enjoy many American musical artists, including Ray Charles and Ray LaMontagne. I play rhythm guitar for worship events at the Grace Chapel in Lexington, Massachusetts. Last year I received an invitation to perform at a weekend retreat for high school students at Camp Berea in Hebron, New Hampshire. Playing songs by Christian recording artists Lincoln Brewster, Matt Redman, and Hillsong UNITED of Hillsong Church, I reinforced the retreat’s goal of engaging students with God and the teachings of Jesus Christ. Born in 1971, Lincoln Brewster inspires many younger Christians. He not only serves as a Pastor, but also as a highly respected multi-instrumentalist who gained a reputation over the past two decades for his excellent guitar recordings. As a child growing up in Homer, a seaside Alaskan town of 5,400 residents, Brewster played mandolin alongside his mother as cruise ship passengers disembarked. As a teen, Brewster moved to Modesto, California, and joined marching and jazz bands, playing guitar and the snare drum. An accomplished guitarist by the age of 19, Brewster received recording offers and promises of a lucrative career from producers in Los Angeles. Feeling empty inside, Brewster turned to God through the encouragement of a girlfriend. During the early 1990s, Brewster recorded music and toured with Steve Perry, former Lead Vocalist of the band Journey, before returning to Modesto and working with youth as a Worship Leader and Associate Music Director at the church he attended. In 1997, Brewster moved to Nashville, where he worked with veteran Christian musicians and broadened his expertise in music. Moving back to California in 2001, Brewster serves as Worship Arts Pastor for Bayside Church in Granite Bay, near Sacramento. I appreciate the upbeat energy of Brewster’s contemporary Christian sound, as do younger generations of believers who have made his music popular in recent years. An avid guitar player, I enjoy the opportunity to share music and God's Word through worship at Grace Chapel in Lexington, Massachusetts. As a volunteer in the Worship Arts Ministry at Grace Chapel, I dedicate my music to my brothers and sisters in Christ. In a community of people who live passionately to serve and worship the Lord, I seek to establish an environment that encourages others to build close, vital relationships with God.
The Worship Arts Ministry allows those of us with creative interests to bring attention to Jesus in any way we can. In addition to Grace Choir, Grace Orchestra, contemporary praise bands, and vocal teams, which lead worship for morning services at Grace Chapel, the Worship Arts Ministry includes diverse opportunities for individuals who want to contribute their talents to worshipping God. Those with experience or an interest in running the technical aspects of worship, including sound, light, and video, possess the opportunity to serve in the Technology Ministry. Actors and other stage specialists can contribute to the Drama Ministry, which includes ongoing troupes, as well as seasonal productions. Finally, the Worship Arts Ministry strives to establish the worship of God as not only passionate, but also accessible through the Media Ministry, which produces weekly recordings of services, and the Signing Ministry, which expresses worship through the art of signing for the hearing impaired. In addition to volunteering at Grace Chapel, I played rhythm guitar with a few friends at a weekend retreat in New Hampshire for high school students. I helped lead worship with music from contemporary Christian artists, such as Hillsong United, Matt Redman, and Lincoln Brewster. The experience proved enjoyable for the kids and ourselves. |
AuthorServing as an Information Systems Quality Analyst, Anthony Freddura held responsibility for testing and supporting a client/server transaction processing system. Archives
September 2021
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