Top Chef alum – and mom to one-year-old Jax -  Nikki Cascone has never fed her baby anything from a pouch or a jar. And she sees no reason for your baby to either. Cascone, who won fans during Top Chef’s heated fourth season in Chicago – runs her own culinary and hospitality business and has expanded her menu to include baby food. Lil Urban Food Co. is her home delivery company that focuses on bringing fresh, organic baby food right to your door. That means no more gray peas or orange tinted bananas. Nope. You’re little one will be dining on the good stuff: think fresh herbs and spices (all dr. approved by baby’s age) mixed in with seasonal and organic fruit, veggies, rice and pastas.

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along with the promise of grilled meats, you’ll find other offerings by exec chef brad farmerie. think dry-aged angus burgers with pennsylvania havarti and maple bacon, whole-roasted and stuffed branzino, PEI mussels and guinness-glazed short ribs. if you’re in need of a night cap, head to madame reneva (the adjacent gin joint and relic of the double crown days). as for saxon? another prize-winning racehorse.

saxon & parole. 316 bowery. at bleeker. 212.254.0350. now open.www.saxonandparole.com

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The Empire Hotel

Some may call the Empire Hotel Fashion Week’s unofficial headquarters. It’s located just steps away from Lincoln Center where all the shows are taking place and fashion brands like Victoria’s Secret, Spanx, Lia Sophia and others have all set up shop at the iconic hotel. And with couture cocktails created especially for the week long event, can you blame them? First up is the fan favorite Don’t Feed the Models. Made with Organic cucumber  vodka and sweet mint, it’s a low cal cocktail, perfect for making sure you can zip up your dress for the after party. Craving Some Couture is another of the hotel’s creations. This is made with gin, Fresh Ruby Red Grapefruit & fresh Lemon. And in honor of Moises De La Renta – who has designed a signature dress to be worn by the hotel’s Fashion Week Ambassadors – there is the Moises Fashion Fix. But to get that recipe, you have to head over to the lobby bar. And just in case you are having too much fun to actually make it over to Lincoln Center, a live feed of all the shows will be streaming at the hotel’s entrance.

Elle Style 360

You can visit elle.com to get a 360 degree look at the making of a fashion show and to check out the winner of the Fashion Forward Originals contest. But we can tell you what the VIPs will be drinking at the 360 after parties. Stoli Chocolat Razberi, of course. The spirit will be released for sale later this month, but attendees of the Sachika fashion show on September 13 will get first sip of Stoli’s decadent new spirit that combines the rich taste of chocolate with the fruity zing of raspberry.  Mix it with peach nectar for their Choco Raz Nectar or with mango juice and seltzer for the Chocolate Raz Mango Fizz. For a true treat, mix it with pomegranate juice for the Chocolate Raz Pome Twist (recipe below).

Trump SoHo

You didn’t think the Donald would pass up an opportunity to fill his Trump SoHo lounge and rooftop with models, did you? Here, they are pouring Consider the Catwalk – a mix of pear vodka, lemon juice, cranberry juice and a splash of Champagne. Not sparkling wine, but Champagne. This is a Trump property, after all.  The Sweet Velvet is another of the lounge’s specialties. This made with Zacapa rum, velvet falernum, grapefruit juice and a hint of lime juice. And since men have to drink too,  the Bowtie (recipe below) is a classic bourbon daisy dressed up with blackberries and mint as garnish. As an added bonus, guests who check in with FourSquare get 15% off their order.

Signature Cocktail: Stoli Chocolat Raz Pomegranate Twist

Created by Charlotte Voisey, Portfolio Ambassador, William Grant & Sons

2 parts Stoli Chocolat Razberi Vodka

1 parts Promegranate Juice

1 Squeeze of Lemon

Shake with ice and strain into martini glass

Garnish with lemon slice

The Bowtie

(served at Trump SoHo)

         2 parts Bourbon

         1 part Simple Syrup

         1/2 parts Fresh Lemon Juice

         4 Blackberries

         Mint Sprig

Combine bourbon, simple syrup and lemon juice in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with mint and blackberries.

Here are a few of my favorite kinds of honey.

Clover Honey

Clover honey is among the most popular honey varieties available in the United States and is most commonly sold in bear shaped containers.  Clover is a creeping plant that  produces large amounts of nectar, so bees visit these blossoms often. The plants grow in the US, New Zealand and Canada, which are all high yield honey producers.  Clover honey is pleasing and mild in flavor and amber in color.

Avocado Honey

Avocado honey is primarily  harvested in California from avocado blossoms.  It is a very dark honey that resembles molasses in color and is buttery tasting, much like the fruit that also grows from the same plant.  Its rich flavor makes it a good choice to sweeten foods like oatmeal and coffee. 

Orange Blossom Honey

Orange blossom honey is usually a combination of citrus floral sources including orange, grapefruit, lemon and even lime blossoms. This type of honey is harvested in citrus rich locations like Florida and California and produces a very light amber to white honey that tastes and smells distinctly like orange blossoms. Its flavor makes it an ideal sweetener for teas and a flavorful alternative to sugar when baking. 

Wildflower Honey

Wildflower honey is produced from undefined flower sources and is sometimes called polyflower honey.  The taste and aroma of wildflower honey can vary from year to year depending on which bloomings are strongest. 

Pumpkin Honey

Pumpkin honey is harvested once a year in the early fall. Made from the  natural nectars of the pumpkin blouson,  it is a dark amber color honey with a light floral fragrance that compliments spiced desserts, breads and savory dishes like barbecue meats and sauces. Since the bloom of the pumpkin blossom is so short, it does not produce much nectar making pumpkin honey a rare find in supermarkets. 

Fondant is a pliable sugar dough that can be made in a variety of different colors in a short amount of time. Fondant’s shiny finish makes it an ideal choice to cover wedding and celebration cakes and fondant can be made in large batched and saved for up to 2 months for use at a later time just by wrapping the dough in plastic wrap. You can get creative and create your own tie dye pattern fondant by twisting and mixing four different colors of fondant together for a unique and colorful cake decoration.

Of course, this is much easier done if you buy pre colored fondant, but in case you are feeling brave, below is a recipe for fondant from scratch and the technique used to create tie dye fondant.

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He will be working with Ben Goldberg on the project and they plan to cover the Midtown, Flatiron, Soho, and West Village areas, with stops in Murray Hill at night to take advantage of the drunken frat boys and stock brokers that live and drink in the area. 

The truck launches today in the Flatiron district and will be giving away prizes of the fry kind all day long. 

Follow them on facebook or on twitter at @frying_dutchmen.