Contemporary Advances in Food Tourism is a forthcoming academic book that is going to be published by Routledge.
I was asked to be one of the contributing writers and this past few days I have had my head down working feverishly finishing up my section.
Today – June 8, 2022 I hit the send button on my portion of the manuscript!
Routledge has published the writings of Authors like Einstein, Jung, and Sartre. Now they can add Shomler to that list. Ha!
One of my goals for 2022 is for me to have 4 books written & submitted to their respective publishers. Those 4 books will be published later this year and next year.
That will give me a total of 6 books on my Amazon Author page. Writing books and being an Author is a long-held dream come true for me!
Now I need to get on the ball and do my part to complete the awesome business book that Sam Holloway and I are co-authoring.
If you have a long-held dream – go after it, and you need help with knowing how to battle for your long-held dream – reach out. I would be delighted to help you!
Lastly – this is not the actual cover to Contemporary Advances in Food Tourism. That is an image I made for this article. When I get the real cover later this year, I will be sure to share it.
Arthur has started a brand-new music centric podcast called – The Melodology Podcast. This podcast is all about melodies and the tagline is “Celebrating the Unsung Excellence of Melody Makers!”.
I was honored to be Arthur’s guest for episode zero! In this episode we talk about what his new podcast will be about.
If you love music this podcast is for you!
To Listen to The Melodology Podcast Episode Zero right here on this website click the play button here —
Fermented Wisdom: Business Lessons from the Craft Beer World
I am so excited about the incredible book that Dr. Sam Holloway and I are writing! Details about this book are below.
Cheers!
Steven
The Fermented Wisdom 411
Fermented Wisdom: Business Lessons from the Craft Beer World is a forthcoming book by Dr. Sam Holloway and Steven Shomler
Remember when business used to be fun?
Fermented Wisdom has 11 insightful business lessons drawn directly from challenges faced by 11 different craft breweries. This book that will equip you to bring joy back to your business journey.
Topics in Fermented Wisdom include “Overcoming Your Beloved Outdated Strategy” “Four Uncomfortable Truths About Scale”, “How to Enchant and Delight Your Customers”, “Why You Need to Redefine What Winning Means” and more.
Each of the 11 business lessons in this book are augmented by the story of a local brewery that has successfully addressed that specific topic.
If I think that that you are “Tookish Hearted” or that you have a “Tookish Heart” I mean that as a great compliment.
The term Tookish comes from the extraordinary book The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien. I highly encourage you to read that book, or if nothing else watch Peter Jackson’s excellent movie The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
I first read The Hobbit as a young child and the uplifting themes in it were very helpful & inspiring to me as I navigated a very dark childhood.
Bilbo Baggins Had Both Took and Baggins Ancestry
Bilbo Baggins is one of the main characters in the Hobbit and Bilbo’s ancestry is a very important element early on in that story.
Belladonna Took was Bilbo Baggins’ Mother. She was from the “Took” family and when she was young, she married Bungo Baggins. Bungo was of course from the “Baggins” family.
Bilbo ended with up bothTookandBaggins ancestry.
Tooks in a nutshell were looked down on by the Bagginses because they did very inappropriate things like go on adventures.
Bagginses on the other hand were seen as well to do and respectable, as well as very predictable. Generally speaking, they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected.
I am Looking For Someone to Share in an Adventure
One day Bilbo ran into Gandalf who told him “I am looking for someone to share in an adventure that I am arranging, and it’s very difficult to find anyone.”
Prior to that fateful day Bilbo was considered a very proper and respectable Baggins for his polite disposition and aversion to anything out of the ordinary. In the eyes of his neighbors, he originally seemed just like his father, a solid, sensible, unadventurous, and respectable Baggins.
“…it’s very difficult to find anyone.” – Gandalf
Bilbo’s reply to Gandalf was:
“I should think so—in these parts! We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! I can’t think what anybody sees in them …”
Later that very evening Bilbo ends up having quite an amazing and upsetting dinner with Gandalf and 13 dwarves.
Bilbo Has a Struggle That Many of us Have
As I mentioned – for Bagginses it was considered taboo to seek out adventures and excitement. Predictability and routine were the celebrated expectation. Bilbo had until now lived up to that expectation.
However – likely due to his Tookish ancestry Bilbo also enjoys reading stories about elves and far off lands. As a young hobbit he was very imaginative and he loved Gandalf’s fireworks.
Bilbo’s struggle – will he do the “right” thing and say no this the dangerous adventure he has been invited to be a part of, or will he break the rules per say and say “Yes!” and leave both his home and the comfortable, boring life he has known so far.
This struggle is a recurring theme throughout the both the book and the movie.
It is also a struggle that many of us – myself included – have had.
The Next Morning
The morning following that upsetting dinner Bilbo wakes up to find that the dwarves have already headed out on their quest.
Bilbo is relieved at first but as he sits in the quiet and ponders to himself, he realizes that he can’t pass up this opportunity to go have an adventure of his own.
As it says in The Hobbit “Then something Tookish woke up inside him, and he wished to go and see the great mountains, and hear the pine-trees and the waterfalls, and explore the caves, and wear a sword instead of a walking-stick.”
All my life I have run into many people who sadly seem to only have Baggins ancestry.
A small number of us – have both TookandBaggins ancestry.
I have found that those who ride shotgun with me and follow my adventures have been listening to their Tookish heart just like Bilbo did.
I very much enjoy the community of people who follow along the adventures I have as I continue the epic journey I am on. You won’t find Baggins hearted people in this community, just us Tookish hearted people.
By the way – During the dinner that Bilbo, Gandalf, and the Dwarves have at the beginning of the Hobbit Gandalf gets challenged about whether or not Bilbo is a suitable candidate for the adventure that they are about to embark on.
Gandalf says this about Bilbo – “There is a lot more in him than you guess, and a deal more than he has any idea about himself.”
That is true about all of us who have Tookish hearts.
You will never be whole. Those who are trying to be whole are often miserable. They usually don’t feel like they are quite good enough yet. I suggest that the pursuit of wholerness is way better than the pursuit of wholeness.
Loved and Wonderful
Please know this – you are loved and wonderful just as you are.
Let me say that again – you are loved and wonderful just as you are.
Don’t attempt to become whole – instead pursue wholerness.
To be abundantly clear – Can you become whole? NOPE. You can however peacefully and persistently pursue wholerness.
Will you be more loved if you get wholer? – NOPE!
Will you be more wonderful if you get wholer? – NOPE!
Will your life get better the wholer you become? – YEP!
#3 Make A Difference
You have to make a difference. One very doable way you can make a difference is to Cheer Others On.
The Four Treasures – Pinnacle 9 Ethos Elements Four through Seven
#4 Joy
#5 Adventure
#6 Serenity
#7 Fulfillment
Joy – “The emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation” Dictionary .com
What delights you? What brings you joy?
Adventure – “Participation in exciting undertakings or enterprises” Dictionary .com
What kind of endeavors excite you?
Serenity – “The state or quality of being serene, calm, or tranquil; sereneness” Dictionary .com
Fulfillment – “People who experience fulfillment are deeply satisfied. A fulfilling personal relationship is deeply satisfying. If you are fulfilled professionally – you find your work to be deeply satisfying. Fulfilled people have their desires fulfilled” Steven Shomler
Satisfy – “To fulfill the desires, expectations, needs, or demands of (a person, the mind, etc.); to give full contentment: the hearty meal satisfied him.” Dictionary .com
Those are The Four Treasures. Life is too short and too precious to live a life where you don’t experience those four treasures on an ongoing basis.
#8 Savor
Savor takes enjoyment joy to a deeper level. When you savor something, you really lean into it, and you really enjoy it.
#9 Intentionally Create a Positive & Powerful Legacy
When you are gone your legacy will be the impact your life had. A powerful legacy continues long after you are gone. A powerful legacy serves overs.
One example – A caring and nurturing grandmother can leave a positive & powerful legacy that impacts many generations.
The Pinnacle 9 Ethos Explained
There are 9 values/principles (elements) that shape the architectexture of my life.
These 9 elements greatly impact the structure of my life and how my life feels.
When you put all 9 of these elements together you have what I call the Pinnacle 9 Ethos.
Pinnacle – “1 A lofty peak 2 The highest or culminating point, as of success, power, fame, etc.: the pinnacle of one’s career” – Dictionary.com
Pinnacle “1 A high mountain top ~ a lofty pinnacle 2 The best or most important part of something: the point of greatest success or achievement” Merriam Webster Online Dictionary
Ethos – “the fundamental character or spirit of a culture; the underlying sentiment that informs the beliefs, customs, or practices of a group or society; dominant assumptions of a people or period” Dictionary.com
Ethos– “the guiding beliefs of a person, group, or organization” Merriam Webster Online Dictionary
Transcendent – “1 a: exceeding usual limits: SURPASSING 1 b: extending or lying beyond the limits of ordinary experience” Merriam Webster Online Dictionary
Live a Transcendent Life
Implementing the Pinnacle 9 Ethos into your life will equip you to you live a transcendent life – a life that that is way beyond the ordinary experience people usually have.
The Extraordinary Upgrade: The Good Better Best Life
One of the paradigms I teach at Spark to Bonfire is The Extraordinary Upgrade. This a doable stair-step process that equips you to begin living the good life, and then the better life, and then the best life.
To live the good life, you need the first three Pinnacle 9 Ethos Elements. FYI – Life Change Starts Here with these three elements.
To live the better life, you need Pinnacle 9 Ethos Elements four through seven (i.e.- The Four Treasures), and to live the best life you need Pinnacle 9 Ethos Elements eight and nine.
Once you have embraced and implemented all of the Pinnacle 9 Ethos Elements into you journey you are living a transcendent life – a life that that is way beyond the ordinary experience people usually have.
When you put all 9 of these elements together you have what I call the Pinnacle 9 Ethos.
Pinnacle – “1 A lofty peak 2 The highest or culminating point, as of success, power, fame, etc.: the pinnacle of one’s career” – Dictionary.com
Pinnacle “1 A high mountain top ~ a lofty pinnacle 2 The best or most important part of something: the point of greatest success or achievement” Merriam Webster Online Dictionary
Ethos – “the fundamental character or spirit of a culture; the underlying sentiment that informs the beliefs, customs, or practices of a group or society; dominant assumptions of a people or period” Dictionary.com
Ethos– “the guiding beliefs of a person, group, or organization” Merriam Webster Online Dictionary
Transcendent – “1 a: exceeding usual limits: SURPASSING 1 b: extending or lying beyond the limits of ordinary experience” Merriam Webster Online Dictionary
Live a Transcendent Life
Implementing the Pinnacle 9 Ethos into your life will equip you to you live a transcendent life – a life that that is way beyond the ordinary experience people usually have.
The Extraordinary Upgrade: The Good Better Best Life
One of the paradigms I teach at Spark to Bonfire is The Extraordinary Upgrade. This a doable stair-step process that equips you to begin living the good life, and then the better life, and then the best life.
To live the good life, you need the first three Pinnacle 9 Ethos Elements. FYI – Life Change Starts Here with these three elements.
To live the better life, you need Pinnacle 9 Ethos Elements four through seven (i.e.- The Four Treasures), and to live the best life you need Pinnacle 9 Ethos Elements eight and nine.
Once you have embraced and implemented all of the Pinnacle 9 Ethos Elements into you journey you are living a transcendent life – a life that that is way beyond the ordinary experience people usually have.
You will never be whole. Those who are trying to be whole are often miserable. They usually don’t feel like they are quite good enough yet. I suggest that the pursuit of wholerness is way better than the pursuit of wholeness.
Loved and Wonderful
Please know this – you are loved and wonderful just as you are. Let me say that again – you are loved and wonderful just as you are.
Don’t attempt to become whole – instead pursue wholerness.
To be abundantly clear – Can you become whole? NOPE. You can however peacefully and persistently pursue wholerness.
Will you be more loved if you get wholer? – NOPE!
Will you be more wonderful if you get wholer? – NOPE!
Will your life get better the wholer you become? – YEP!
#3 Make A Difference
You have to make a difference. One very doable way you can make a difference is to Cheer Others On.
The Four Treasures – Pinnacle 9 Ethos Elements Four through Seven
#4 Joy
#5 Adventure
#6 Serenity
#7 Fulfillment
Joy – “The emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation” Dictionary .com
What delights you? What brings you joy?
Adventure – “Participation in exciting undertakings or enterprises” Dictionary .com
What kind of endeavors excite you?
Serenity – “The state or quality of being serene, calm, or tranquil; sereneness” Dictionary .com
Fulfillment – “People who experience fulfillment are deeply satisfied. A fulfilling personal relationship is deeply satisfying. If you are fulfilled professionally – you find your work to be deeply satisfying. Fulfilled people have their desires fulfilled” Steven Shomler
Satisfy – “To fulfill the desires, expectations, needs, or demands of (a person, the mind, etc.); to give full contentment: the hearty meal satisfied him.” Dictionary .com
Those are The Four Treasures. Life is too short and too precious to live a life where you don’t experience those four treasures on an ongoing basis.
#8 Savor
Savor takes enjoyment joy to a deeper level. When you savor something, you really lean into it, and you really enjoy it.
#9 Intentionally Create a Positive & Powerful Legacy
When you are gone your legacy will be the impact your life had. A powerful legacy continues long after you are gone. A powerful legacy serves overs.
One example – A caring and nurturing grandmother can leave a positive & powerful legacy that impacts many generations.
October 2021 is here and 2022 is just around the corner.
I am so grateful to be living in the Pacific Northwest. Fall is my favorite season here. The chill in the air, the leaves turning a bright gold and a rich bronze, the early morning fog. I could go on.
I make a point to take time to savor all that makes fall special for me.
In the past – fall was also when my mind began to drift toward the upcoming year and I would unhelpfully fret about what the next year would bring.
I would have this underlying unease because my heart longed for a life that was more fulfilling, and more joyful than the one I was living. My heart yearned for more adventure and for more serenity.
I am so grateful that now I have those Four Treasures – Fulfillment, Joy, Adventure, and Serenity,
I am also grateful that each fall when my mind drifts toward the next year I am sooo excited because of all of the awesomeness that is already on the calendar!
My question for you is this –
What Life Do You Want in 2022 or 2023?
Know this – Life Change Can Happen. You really can change your life.
Celebrating Mezcal at Mixteca Portland, Oregon Tuesday Evening July 13, 2021 6 PM – 9 PM
I recently ran into my friend Gaudencio Felipe and he asked me if I would help him promote a fun monthly event he was going to be starting up at Mixteca – the awesome restaurant his family runs.
Gaudencio went on to tell me about the monthly “Celebrating Mezcal” event he is going to have the 2nd Tuesday of every month at Mixteca. During this event they will feature a specific Mezcal and offer both a taster shot of that mezcal, as well as a special cocktail made that month’s mezcal.
I told Gaudencio that I would be happy to donate my time to help him get the word out and that I would be delighted to host their first “Celebrating Mezcal” event.
I invite you to join me Tuesday July 13, 2021, from 6 PM to 9 PM at Mixteca – we are going to have lots of fun!
To watch this video hit the play button in the center of the image below
Los Nahuales Reposado
The mezcal being featured Tuesday evening July 13 is Los Nahuales Reposado. This mezcal has light caramel undertones with a subtle mesquite smokiness and a sustained finish coming from the oak barrels (66% French Oak, 33% American White Oak) this mezcal is aged in. Los Nahuales Reposado is vivid, complex, and very well structured.
The Smoke is my Spirit Animal Margarita
Once you finish savoring your taster of Los Nahuales Reposado I encourage you to order the special cocktail that Gaudencio has come up with. I have had this cocktail and it is stellar!
Squash Blossom Quesadilla
Not to be out done, Mixteca Chef Paula Asunción has come up with a wonderful special that will be served Tuesday evening – the Squash Blossom Quesadilla.
This quesadilla is made with an organic corn masa tortilla, quesillo AKA Oaxaca cheese, and a squash blossom.
This is a really good quesadilla!
Quesillo AKA Oaxaca Cheese
*Quesillo is a white, semi hard cheese that was first made in the Southern Mexico state of Oaxaca. Quesillo is made with a complicated production process known as pasta filata. Another cheese made with this method is mozzarella.
The pasta filata process for making cheese is originally from Italy and it was brought to Mexico by Dominican friars who settled in Oaxaca. Water buffalo milk was unavailable, so they used cow’s milk and thus quesillo AKA Oaxaca cheese was born!
Today is Jan 6,2021 and I had planned to celebrate however, given the despicable & treasonous attack on our republic and capitol, today is too sobering a day for a celebration.
That being said – today is a special day for me and I want to acknowledge the reason why.
In the summer of 2011, I decided to build a whole new career out of thin air.
I had some opinions about branding, marketing, social media, and achievement. I was convinced that if applied those ideas to my own journey that I could become self-employed.
I started my journey developing what I call my “Big Time Side Hustle” on January 1, 2012 and three years & six days later on January 6, 2015 that spark of dream had grown into a bonfire and I ditched my day job, and I became self-employed!
It has not always been easy, and along the way there has been some really tough times, that being said – I have no regrets and I absolutely LOVE being self-employed!
So many things thrill me about being self-employed. Here are a few things that come to mind — not having to go to mindless Account Executive meeting Monday mornings at 8 AM, not having to work on Monday mornings unless I want to, not having to check with anyone about when I will schedule my vacations, not having to stay at my desk until 5 PM the day before Thanksgiving (such colossal a waste of time), not having to work Christmas Eve Day, and NO Corporate Bullshit.
If you have a *dream to pursue a Big Time Side Hustle and build a brand or a business so you can someday Ditch Your Day Job, I encourage you to go for it! If I can do it – you can do it!!!
Lastly – many, many thanks to Kevin Brusett, Ken Wilson, Zayne Shomler, and Arthur Breur. During those first three years — Jan 1, 2012 to Jan 6, 2015 each of you, in different ways stood in the gap for me and helped reach my goal of becoming self-employed!
Steven Shomler
#SparkToBonfire #GoLiveTheLifeYouImagine
* “When you’re alone you ask yourself What are you searching for Deep in the night a dream is born One that you can’t ignore If you think you can find the passion And you’re ready to take a chance If you really believe you can make it Then the power is in your own hands”
Steven Shomler has two professional titles – “Culinary Storyteller” and “LifeStory Alchemist.”
In this video Steven answer the question “what is a culinary storyteller?”.
He shares a little of the journey that led to this career path, and Steven closes out this video by laying out what it is that he does when he is wearing his culinary storyteller hat.
To watch this video simply hit the play button in the center of the image immediately below –
That Darn Imposter Syndrome – From The Backyard Episode 12
In this video Steven Shomler talks about how that darn imposter syndrome has, over the past few months, painfully hindered both his journey, and his ability to effective film videos for the Spark to Bonfire channel/website & the Steven Shomler channel/website.
Click the play button in the center of the image below to watch this video
To See More Life Changing videos that will inspire and equip you to Go Live The Life You Imagine go to – www.sparktobonfire.com
It was in that third video – Enjoying Your Life During a Pandemic at the 16:23 mark that I talked about Paul Feig, and the incredibly encouraging daily resource he and his lovely wife Laurie Aka Tipsy Faunt provides.
Hope and Encouragement Each Evening at 5 PM
Each evening at 5 PM Pacific Time Paul does a nightly live video on his Instagram channel to encourage all of us as we find our way through this dark time. As of the date of the publishing of this article Paul has released 54 episodes!
It was 5 PM on Thursday evening April 2nd that my sweetheart introduced me to Paul as he shared Quarantine Cocktail Time Episode #16 – Celebration!
As I watched & listened to this crazy man dancing around while wearing a purple tuxedo I was moved to tears – good tears.
The hope and encouragement that Paul was sharing that evening (and every evening) was exactly what I needed to hear!
During this video Steven Shomler shares 7 tips you can use in your daily life to help you successfully navigate the challenges that the global pandemic is bringing to our doorsteps.
During this video Steven Shomler shares his thoughts on getting through tough times, and tells about some of his journey through rough waters in the hopes that you will be encouraged as you make your way through the pandemic currently engulfing our world.
How Mamma Mia Broke Me and Inspired Me To Go Learn How To Enjoy My Life!
This is the first of 5 videos in Steven Shomler’s “How To Enjoy Your Life” teaching series.
See below for links to the rest of the videos in this series.
Ecclesiastes 9:7-10 The Message
“Seize life! Eat bread with gusto, Drink wine with a robust heart. Oh yes—God takes pleasure in your pleasure! Dress festively every morning. Don’t skimp on colors and scarves. Relish life with the spouse you love Each and every day of your precarious life. Each day is God’s gift. It’s all you get in exchange For the hard work of staying alive. Make the most of each one! Whatever turns up, grab it and do it. And heartily! This is your last and only chance at it, For there’s neither work to do nor thoughts to think In the company of the dead, where you’re most certainly headed.”
Adventures in Greece + Make Your Story Extraordinary
In this video I share some of the details about my upcoming latest adventure, and I ask you to think about where you want to go, & begin dreaming about what adventures you want to have
I am Steven Shomler and I believe in the beauty of your dream!
Go Live The Life You Imagine and Make Your Story Extraordinary!
Fermented Wisdom: Business Lessons from the Craft Beer World
Quesillo AKA Oaxaca Cheese
Commemorating Six Years of Self-employment
