Fogo de Chão Coming to San Jose this Month!

Internationally renowned Brazilian steakhouse Fogo de Chão is opening their first Northern Californian location later this month at Santana Row. I will have more information about the restaurant later in February, but for now there is a neat video about the "Gaucho Way" and a contest for a 7-day expedition to Brazil below. I am really, really looking forward to this restaurant!

Brazilian Steakhouse Fogo de Chão, Opening Its First Northern California Location in February, Launches “Expedition Brazil,” A National Contest for Adventure-Seeking “Culture-vores”

Fogo de Chão has launched “Expedition Brazil,” a national contest that is perfectly fit for adventure-seeking Fogo fans. It invites these “culture-vores” into the world of Fogo by offering an insider’s look into the beautiful country of Brazil. One lucky fan and their guest will be awarded one of four, 7-day travel expeditions that include dining at a Fogo restaurant in Brazil. Entries are accepted through Feb. 16, 2014, and judging is based on several criteria such as creativity and uniqueness of the submission, describing why they are perfect to win the exciting journey. Complete details and Official Rules at: www.fogo.com/expedition. Fogo de Chão will open its first Northern California location at Santana Row in San Jose in February 2014.

In September 2013, U.S Fogo de Chão assembled a team of Fogo leadership and Brazilian gauchos to return to Southern Brazil, where the deep cultural roots of Fogo de Chão were formed. They spent time on the family farms of authentic Fogo de Chão gaucho chefs and became immersed in the rich Southern Brazilian culture. “It was during our own expedition to Brazil that we were inspired to fully develop the contest, as we realized what an incredible insider’s look we could provide to our guests,” says Fogo de Chão marketing director Andy Feldmann, “What better way to create something special for our fans than to send them on an unforgettable adventure throughout Brazil, where Fogo de Chão originated?”

The contest was launched in conjunction with “The Gaucho Way,” a short 3-minute film that tells the Fogo story through the eyes of one of their gauchos. The majority of the video was shot on location in Southern Brazil. The story represents the many gauchos that have traveled to the U.S. with Fogo to share their culture here in America. The film brings to life the passion, heritage and distinctive culinary style that Fogo has been known for since it opened its first restaurant in Brazil in 1979, before importing the concept to the U.S. in 1997. The documentary can be viewed at fogo.com/expedition or http://www.youtube.com/fogorestaurants.

About Fogo de Chão

Fogo de Chão^® Churrascaria - Brazilian Steakhouse was founded in 1979 in Porto Alegre, Brazil and expanded into the U.S. in 1997. There are currently 22 locations throughout the United States and nine locations in Brazil with the recent openings in New York City and the Jardins neighborhood of São Paulo. San Jose, California to follow in 2014. For more information, please visit www.fogo.com. Follow FOGO on Facebook.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Submission period ends on 2/16/14. Open to legal residents of 50 U.S. and DC, 21 and older. Void where prohibited. For Official Rules, click here. Sponsor: Fogo de Chão (Holdings) Inc. 14881 Quorum Drive, Suite 750, Dallas, Texas 75254.

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Saturday Stats: Santa Clara County has the 5th Largest Homeless Population in the US

Homelessness is one of the key issues our area is facing more and more each day. A federal survey has come out saying homelessness has declined overall, but Santa Clara County has the 5th largest homeless population in the US. This is not adjusted on a per capita basis (like the map below), but raw numbers.

Homeless Populations

• New York City: 64,060
• Los Angeles city and county: 53,798
• Seattle/King County: 9,106
• San Diego city and county: 8,879
• San Jose/Santa Clara County: 7,631

I am a little bit skeptical about the data given SF is not on the top 5, but Santa Clara County does have more than double the population of SF County. On a per capita basis I would expect Santa Clara County to be lower on the list.

The real bad news is that they are not mostly transients that are flocking to the South Bay for awesome weather and a liberal environment. 85% of the homeless here had their last permanent residency within the county. This isn't something that we can easily sweep under the rug, most of these people were former neighbors at one point.

Source: Anonymous Poster, The Merc

Battledish Downtown San Jose

San Jose is participating in an international cooking competition called Battledish, which is actually hosted by our friends at Dishcrawl. Six chefs have been chosen to compete in "Battledish San Jose." Each chef will be preparing a miniature version of their signature plate along with a drink pairing. Each dish (or drink pairing) is available for only $5, and the participants are the ones who rate the food and determine the king of Battledish.

Sounds like an awesome event! It is all going down at the San Pedro Square Market between 2-6pm on February 8th. You can get your tickets right over here.

Chinese New Year @ Santana Row

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

Chinese New Year at Santana Row

Celebrate the Year of the Horse on Saturday, Feb. 22at

  Silicon Valley’s Premier Destination


 

SAN JOSE (Jan. 28, 2014) Santana Row’s annual celebration of the new lunar year begins at 1 p.m. on Feb. 22 with the exciting drumbeats and crashing cymbals of the lion and dragon dances in Santana Row Park.

New this year, traditional red envelopes, called “lai see” will be distributed to guests, with one lucky winner finding a $1,000 Santana Row gift card inside. Every envelope will contain discount coupons for shopping and complimentary two-week passes to Club One Fitness.

When: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 22

Where: Santana Row Park, across from Left Bank Brassiere

What: A festive afternoon celebrating the Lunar New Year. Lucky red envelopes will be distributed to guests from 1 to 4 p.m.

 with one extra lucky winner who will find a $1,000 Santana Row Gift Card inside. All other envelopes will contain coupons, certificates and discounts to stores such as Icebreaker Touchlab and Lucy as well as complimentary two-week passes to Club One Fitness.

The afternoon is filled with a lineup of traditional live performances celebrating the start of a new year, including martial arts demonstrations, fashion presentations, music, singing and dancing.

The event is free and open to the public.

Happy Hollow Park & Zoo Nabs $1M for Upgrades

Happy Hollow has just received an anonymous $1 million donation donation, which is the largest gift it has ever received. The donation will go towards planning a future multispecies exhibit (multiple animals cohabitating) as well as upgrading the lower zoo area.

While not exactly the largest zoo in the world, I was very impressed with the renovation that was done several years ago. The lemur exhibit at the entrance of the park is particularly interesting since it incorporates an area where children can play while watching/imitating the animals. Hopefully they keep this level of interactivity in mind when planning out their renovations and new exhibits.

Source: The Merc

San Jose Earthquakes 40th Anniversary Celebration!

The Quakes have been representing San Jose for four decades now, and they hosting a big party to celebrate on January 30th at the San Pedro Square Market. There will be live music, a meet & greet with the players, and they are giving away an autographed 2014 Earthquakes jersey. However, the highlight of the night will probably be the big reveal of their brand new logo and jersey.

The festivities go from 5:30pm to 9pm. The event is free and you can RSVP right over here.

Campaign to Reopen Cine Mexico Theater

The Cine Mexico Theater on Santa Clara Street opened as the Mayfair in 1949 and was once owned by Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak in the 1980s. Stephanie Chang has initiated a gofundme campaign to reopen the neglected landmark as a live music and entertainment venue. She is also proposing to reinstall a projector and show movies again as well as adding a coffeehouse, cafe, and art gallery. Stephanie is looking to raise $19,000 for the project.

For more information, just head over to the gofundme page. Thanks to Alyssa Kies for sending this in!

Latest from Bay Area Die Hard Co.

Check out the latest news about San Jose-based Bay Are Die Hard Co. in the release below. They also just launched a limited edition line for the US team at Sochi (use the promo code "GO USA" for a 20% discount, click here to see the options).

BAY AREA SPORTS APPAREL FROM DIE HARD COMPANY, ON THE RISE IN THE BAY AREA

 

SAN JOSE, Calif., — Since 2010, local clothing company, Die Hard Co. has been providing Bay Area sports fans apparel, including t-shirts, sweaters and hats, to wear proudly when cheering on their favorite team.  Their tagline “Sport Your Colors” is the foundation for their brand as they strictly cater to the loyal fans of the seven professional sports teams in the San Francisco Bay Area.

 

“We represent the die hard fans.  We want them to be able to represent their team at anytime, giving them an alternative from the logos,” said Adam Mayberry, co-creator of DieHard Co.

           

In the spring of 2010, brothers Adam and Ben Mayberry wanted to create a line of clothing that reflected their passion for Bay Area sports while incorporating their skills as designers—Adam in architecture and Ben a graphic designer. Their first design, “Big Time Timmy Jim” was inspired by the 2010 ESPN commercial with Tim Lincecum and was a hit that following fall when the Giants won the World Series. 

 

 

Now with thirty designs to choose from in their online store—including their best-selling “Hella,” “Fin City” and “I Survived the Stick” t-shirts—Die Hard Co. continues to grow, garnering a vast following of fans on their social media platforms.

 

One special fan of the brand, Alex Boone, offensive guard of the San Francisco 49ers, took interest in DieHard Co. and asked the Mayberry brothers to create a design that represented Boone’s moniker, “The Rhino” during the 2013 Super Bowl. It has been seen on Boone as well as on defensive end, Justin Smith and is among their product list to choose from on their website.  Amid last Sunday’s when against the Carolina Panthers, Boone announced on his Instagram profile that he will be donating the proceeds made from DieHard’s “The Rhino” t-shirt towards the San Francisco Zoo. 

 

Die Hard Co. has been awarded the Creative Industries Incentive Fund grant through The City of San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs and the Center for Cultural Innovation.  The money received from this grant will allow them to fund part of the budget needed to manufacture shirts at a higher quality to the exact specifications of Die Hard fans—color, material, size and branding will all be upgraded.

 

The additional funding needed will come from a KickStarter campaign in late February to match the money from the grant. The project will allow Die Hard Co. to bypass buying premade shirts from a distributor which has set colors and materials that are mostly made overseas. The new line will be Made in the USA.

 

With these future projects lined up, Die Hard Company will continue to grow as a brand and provide fans unique ways to Sport Their Colors no matter what they are doing.

 

For more information and updates on DieHard Co., visit http://www.diehard.co or contact adam@diehard.co