William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

"Do I still work in the wine industry?" Like many of you, the Covid pandemic altered my life trajectory. Today, I am going to re-cap where I am in the wine industry. My story will bounce back and forth for context. Remember, I like to connect the dots. The Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center in Prosser, Washington. First, everyone asks me, what happened to the Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center (Clore Center)? Good question. The Clore Center, located in Prosser, Washington, birthplace of Washington wine, opened in 2014 as a not for profit. The primary mission of the Clore Center was to promote " Washington state wine ." I began working at the Clore Center in October 2015. My last title was, Wine Education Coordinator . We finally, sadly, closed our doors in November 2020.  It was my sincerest pleasure to work at the Clore Center for five years. I made many friends in the industry and in the community. I met many people from around the country and from around th...

The music had a three dimensional quality I was never cognizant of before. I was gobsmacked. Music for sanity When I was five years old, I would sit in the basement of our house on Cascade street and play records by myself. “ Me and My Shadow ” on 45 RPM, was one of my favorite Peter Pan songs. I also had Aesop's Fables, narrated by a woman with an amazing voice. The stories thrilled and fascinated. I have had no success finding a copy. Another favorite was, “ Just So Stories ” I have a copy on vinyl gifted by my son. Another favorite was, “ The Bible ” I have a digital copy. Wow. Amazing voice acting and a little scary.  When I was a teenager, I migrated to David Bowie, Cheap Trick, Steve Miller Band, Ohio Players, and Led Zeppelin. My audio equipment as a kid and as a teen, and then as a college student, was never sophisticated. In college I moved to portable cassette players and tapes, with cheap headphones. Might explain some of my current hearing problems. As an adult, married...

Satisfying those chocolate cravings. My Instagram followers have seen me post photos ( @williampollardjr ) of my favorite dessert for over a year. Possibly, I've posted the original recipe to Instagram. If you ask, I usually do. After success and failures, I've learned that this dessert does not always deliver desired results. With some effort, I've figured out why, and the remedy. Yes, I've been gently tweaking the recipe. Adjusting ingredients. Modifying and streamlining the process. With mixed results. Confiding with my wife, she gave me a tip that finally nailed this recipe down. I'm happy to share this recipe with modifications. It's truly a lovely dessert. My favorite. Enjoy responsibly. Just out of the oven flourless chocolate torte. Recipe: Flourless Chocolate Torte An easy recipe to follow. You will need an oven, mixer, spring form pan and a double boiler. While you can eat this torte warm, I prefer to let it cool down and refrigera...