Chefjoyz

08/23/2026

Delicious gooey brownies - some for now…some frozen for later - extra delicious topped with chocolate frosting and jimmies

08/23/2026

Had to make brownies today - Mom and I like them more gooey than cakey- moist, delicious, and some got special treatment with milk chocolate frosting and jimmies (chocolate sprinkles) - some for now and some frozen for a delicious treat later. Yum Yum Yum 😋

08/18/2026

Delicious Lemon Bars from Martins Country Market | Arcadia Fl - this piece is 1/4th of a bar (1/16th of a box) - the bottom crust is soft enough to eat with a fork and no knife yet still firm enough to hold the weight of the delicious lemon pie/bar on top - perfectly tart and sweet at the same time - yum yum 😋

I usually buy a box or two, cut it into bars, and freeze them so there’s one ready when I want something delicious and sweet or when unexpected visitors pop by and I have a nice treat to share - trust me, after you try these you won’t be able to stop yourself from eating the whole thing 😝

08/12/2026

🍽️ Table Notes with ChefJoyZ

Are you okay? 😃
I’m good, thank you 🙏😊

Actually, we’re always way more than OK when breakfast involves John Ski’s House of Breakfast & Lunch in Punta Gorda 😋

Just watch that yolk break… 🤤

This is a split order of John Ski’s Jumbo Lump Crab Cake Benedict and OMG, it’s delicious — big chunks of crab meat, not too much filler, a perfectly poached egg and deliciously seasoned Hollandaise

And that sprinkle of Old Bay? Instant memories of eating seafood down the shore, from New Jersey to North Carolina 🦀🌊

Not a paid ad · just a very happy customer

Sip ☕️ Savor 🍳 Smile 😋

08/12/2026

🍽️ Table Notes by ChefJoyZ

I met a friend for lunch on a weekend at Prime Serious Steak in Port Charlotte - it’s been a favorite place for years to have a delicious steak but I’m very sad to say that my last experience was not at the level I expected from this normally excellent restaurant.

The menus posted on their website were not offered - apparently the Summer Specials 2 for $X and the 1/2 off burger lunch specials were not being offered - and the chef specials that were shown at the entrance were also not actually available until 3 pm (so why are they advertising food to customers that cannot actually be ordered?)

If you’re familiar with the restaurant then you know their popovers at the beginning of service are divine - we didn’t get any which was very disappointing. I ordered the filet mignon with a baked potato, medium rare - the meat was cooked fine (on the medium side of medium rare) and the potato was cooked fine, but I was not asked whether I wanted the extra topping, or butter, or sour cream - wasn’t asked about a veggie side, or even if I wanted a sauce with it - I’ve been there before so I should have asked, but I forgot about the à la carte nature of this steakhouse and there were no prompts from the wait staff to remind me.

My friend ordered a rare New York strip and he was very kind to eat it without complaint because it tasted good plus if we went for a refire I would be done my meal before he gets his - the steak was shriveled up and cooked to well-done - quite frankly, that steak would not have left my kitchen when I was a chef - it was obviously overcooked. I didn’t take pictures of my friend’s food since I think that social media habit is rude to fellow guests.

The Cosmo martini was cute with a citrus smoke bubbly on top, but the one I ordered did not taste good - it was too acidic for my taste and I ended up not drinking it - they kindly credited the bill.

I’m attaching a few photos - the first is the filet mignon and potato from last week and the other pictures are from prior visits - my latest experience was not as good as other times I’ve eaten there but I still thinks that’s rare 😝 and I will definitely go back again. Cheers 🥂

07/30/2026

I have two YouTube channels with travel and nature content and sometimes that travel includes some great food and beverages like my many adventures tasting Aperol Spritz around the world - please enjoy this 45 second video highlighting 30 of my favorite Aperol Spritz in places like rooftop patios in Barcelona and Belgrade, or floating in an ocean on a cruise ship, or hanging with friends in Munich


30 Aperol Spritz by

It’s fun to try a favorite drink at different locations - enjoy thi...

07/30/2026

PSA on food recalls:

I signed up years ago for email notices for food recalls and such and have definitely seen an increase in email notices and contamination investigations, so I wanted to share a link for the US FDA website where you can sign up for various types of food recalls - some products get recalled for all kinds of reasons like a product contains allergens that aren’t listed in the ingredients list, or cross contamination, or pathogens that cause explosive diarrhea

These emails never bring a smile to my face, but I am happy to be better informed - you may like it better to be informed too 👍🏼

Here is the link to sign up for your own email alerts (mostly for my US followers, but you may want to see if your government has a similar notification) particularly helpful if you’re a chef, caterer, restaurant manager

Get Email Updates

07/29/2026

Missing my visits to Amari Bar and their delicious Pistachio Martini so we tried to make them at home - found the Pistacchio Liquor here in Florida and we like the Absolut Vanilla (instead of Stoli), we even crushed pistachios with raw fine sugar and sea salt for the rim - very yummy but a bit strong - maybe next time we’ll use a bit more pistachio and a bit less regular vodka 😝 Cheers 🍸