Valentine's Day with a Chef

Readers it is once again Valentine's Day a holiday full of mixed skepticism, romanticism, and marketing...

Cheffie of course hates Valentine's Day, as he does most holidays where gift giving is required. He's not cheap he just doesn't like being forced to give a gift, and it shows. His most wonderful, and thoughtful gifts are the ones he gives spontaneously, like the watch he gave me for the ballet, or the charm bracelet he's putting together for me with charms from each place he travels, or the ipod he bought in July when we finished our series of 5 K runs when we first started dating.

I however, adore every holiday that gives me an excuse to give presents! This year I think we have a fantastic plan that will suit each of our gift giving styles.

After working in the restaurant business for years Cheffie and I both know that the holidays when EVERYONE goes out to eat are the days you should avoid going out. Examples of such days are New Years Eve, Valentine's Day, and Mother's Day commonly known as the three busiest days in the restaurant year.

So this year we have put together a fun plan.

Our gift to each other is a wine club membership.

We are not sure which one to join, but here is one we are considering. I've often given a wine club as a gift, and have always thought I'd like to receive one myself. Each month we'll have something fun and new to look forward to and it will serve as a reminder to stop, have a romantic dinner and enjoy each other. Inevitably some months he'll be traveling when the wine arrives, which means that it will give us something to share together when he returns.

The second part of our Valentine's Day plans is food, rather than going somewhere and being served we are going to serve food at a local soup kitchen. This is something that Cheffie and I have always wanted to do together but we haven't ever made the time. So this is what I asked Cheffie to do with me this year for Valentine's Day. I am so excited to work alongside Cheffie to meet the needs of someone else.... and lets be honest I'm always excited for good wine!

What is everyone else doing for the pseudo-holiday?