Holy Moly! Holy Moses Cheesecakes Are Heavenly!

Holey Moses Cheesecake Corporate Headquarters...and bakery!

A couple of weeks ago my sister from Florida was visiting and we were all out in the Hamptons for a 'girls' weekend and cookfest (see posts from the first days of September) for some delicious recipes). My sister had a rented car that needed to be returned to a concession at Westhampton Airport.

Yes, there really is a Westhampton airport (Francis S. Gabreski Airport) and its been there since 1942 when a Civil Air Patrol squadron was established on a newly-built military aerodrome on the Riverhead Plains adjacent Westhampton Beach.

Today, the airport boasts one of the longest runways in the New York area and is also home to corporations, businesses, private aviation and air taxi services. One unlikely business my sister noticed when she picked up her car was called "Holy Moses Cheesecakes." When we went to return the car we decided to investigate further.

The interior of Holey Moses Cheesecakes 

at Westhampton Airport

You can see from the photo at top that the Holy Moses Cheesecake company is a bit understated in looks but once inside a glance a the handwritten blackboard menu will tell you that they are not at all understated in the varieties of cheesecakes they offer. On a flyer I picked up when I was there they list 19 varieties of cheesecakes +sugar free, including Heath Bar and White Russian flavors and in addition they also make 22 fresh fruit pies. By all accounts the cheesecakes are phenomenal and I can attest to the deliciousness of the Key Lime Pie which I purchased for dessert that same evening.

I wondered where the name came from and didn't think to ask the day I was there but I found an article from the Daily News which offered this explanation:

Why Holey Moses? Once seen the answer is obvious: Baked in a tube pan instead of a spring form, the huge, 4-inch-high cake has a hole in the middle, just like an angel food cake.

Holey Moses cheesecake appears to have been blessed from the beginning. A New.Orleans parish priest, the Rev. McManus, inherited the recipe from his housekeeper, who, having no family, willed it to the good father. It was a precious legacy; the housekeeper had for years entered her secret cheesecake recipe in national contests, winning time and again. McManus passed the formula on to his nephew, Jim McManus, a Southampton native who started baking the cakes with Chris Weber to pay for college, where he is now. And so, a legend may be aborning.

McManus and Weber still own and run the business and today their website is listed below. The cakes can be ordered online and arrive frozen or semi-frozen. See the FAQ portion of their website for all the details. They've been in business since 1988 and if you're planning on a visit the trip takes about 1.5 hours from Staten Island (without heavy traffic of course). There's also a coffeeshop at the airport (they don't serve the cheesecake) but it gets local raves. 

http://www.holeymosescheesecake.com/

You can write to Holey Moses Cheesecake at
#115 Gabreski Airport, Westhampton Beach, N.Y. 11978
Phone # 1-631-288-8088
Fax# 631-288-0551

E-Mail: info@holeymosescheesecake.com

Tomorrow: I try carrot soup

An Oscar for Oscar

Dress with belt 

detail at right

Oscar de la Renta was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in 1932. When he was 18 he went to Spain to study art but became more interested in fashion design working as an apprentice to the famous Balenciaga. He later became an assistant at Lanvin in Paris. de la Renta worked briefly for Elizabeth Arden before launching his own label in the mid 60s. 

That's a short synopsis of one of the world's most famous and successful fashion designers and a personal favorite. 


Yesterday Oscar de la Renta showed his spring collection for 2011 and as usual it was a fabulous mix of 'country club' dresses, suits and stunning gowns. The details on his clothing, the shoes, handbags, gloves (yes gloves!!), jewelry and cool coiffures are inspirational to anyone who loved Manhattan when everyone dressed for 'dress-up' occasions.

Another great dress

Whatever happened to dressing up? I like stretch pants, big tops and jeans as much as anyone but they have their place.  When you go to the theater, dinner in a nice restaurant, travel by air...people used to look great..now???

Lace overlay gown 

with bow detail

But Oscar de la Renta holds his ground on appropriate dressing and this season is just icing on the cake. Check out the complete show on style.com. I've included a few dresses, suits and gowns and a few details  of the same. Fantastic, no?


I hope you agree.


Over the weekend: Fashion is done...time to eat cheesecake!

Oscar embroidered suit

Belted suit for spring

Details of Spring Fashion Week 2011

From today's shows and others this week. Some details to look for this spring: 
Belts, great dresses, fabulous coats, mixed patterns and over the top gowns!

Belts

Belts, always a great accessory, are back for spring. 

From left to right, Ralph Lauren, Proenza Schouler and Tory Burch.

Dresses

From Proenza Schouler and Ralph Lauren: 

two great looks and with belts too!

Coats

Coats are back for spring 2011: What ever happened to global warming? 

Four looks from left to right: Milly, Proenza Schouler, 

Ralph Lauren and Tory Burch.

Mixed Patterns

I love mixed patterns in home decor and fashion. Left to right: Milly,

Proenza Schouler, Tory Burch and lastly (a little too much for me) Anna Sui.

Gowns

Lots of great gowns but these stand out: first two from Marchesa 

and the third from Ralph Lauren.

Tomorrow: I gush about Oscar de la Renta

Vera Wang and Michael Kors: Black and White

Michael Kors shift in green 

at style.com

I guess when you design as many bridal gowns as Vera Wang does turning to black for your regular collection is almost a necessity. Vera Wang showed her collection yesterday and by all accounts black is the new pastel for spring!  

Wang shift for spring.

Vera Wang was born in New York City. When she was in high school, she trained as a figure skater and competed at the Olympic level but when she didn't make the 1968 Olympic team she turned to her second passion: fashion design. She worked for Vogue for 16 years but left after losing the editor job to Anna Wintour. It was shortly after that (1990) that she opened her own salon featuring her distinctive bridal gowns. 

Vera Wang became a household name when she designed the simple, elegant skating costumes for  Nancy Kerrigan in the 1994 Olympics. Later she designed for skaters Michelle Kwan and Evan Lysacek. Her gowns are worn by celebrities like Chelsea Clinton, (this summer)  Alicia Keyes, Jennifer Garner, Ivanka Trump and countless others but she's also working with David's Bridal on affordable gowns for the budget-minded bride. 

Kors showed lots of white...

...while Wang showed 

lots of black

But back to her show. I thought it was a bit too black and masculine looking I liked the shift shown here (above) and I noted a similarity to one showed by Michael Kors whose collection was shown this morning. By contrast, Kors showed mostly white, some khaki and colorful shifts. He had some great bathing suits in his collection as well and both Vera Wang and Michael Kors' shows can be seen at style.com.

Tomorrow: Let's check out the details

Donna Karan and Carolina Herrera: The White Blouse

Carolina Herrera 

white blouse

Today I caught up on a few of the shows from yesterday and today. By all accounts Marc Jacobs was the one to watch, the star, the designer de jour....and I liked it but I thought it was a bit too West Coast -40s - I love the embellishments but thought they were a bit overblown for real women.


By contrast, two women designers also of note, Carolina Herrera (http://www.carolinaherrera.com/ and Donna Karan (http://www.donnakaran.com/), kept it modern, classic, real and I had the same reaction as when I looked at Jason Wu's collection: I could see me wearing the clothes. 

Donna Karan white blouse

Maybe it's my Catholic school upbringing but I especially reacted to the cool and crisp white blouses I saw in both shows.  I'm always on the lookout for a stylish white blouse, one that wears well and adds elegance to even an ordinary skirt or pair of pants (even jeans!). It's as classic as the little black dress and a must item for women of any age. By the way, Tracy Reese and Monique Lhuillier also showed great white blouses for spring. Check out all of the shows on style.com




As I was doing a little research I came across a number of  youtube videos on the 'white blouse.' Four are listed below an they're fun and informative and will erase  any doubts you might have about the necessity of adding one or more to your fall or spring wardrobes.


White Blouse Videos! Yes, they really exist!

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=In-KTgrEx8w
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5V0k7bHHimw&feature=fvw
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLepbIXO8nI&feature=related
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFzgeyaxJR8&feature=related

Tomorrow: Very Vera

Victoria Beckham Spring 2011: Fashion for Skinny People!

Photos from style.com

Victoria Beckham a.k.a Posh Spice, a.k.a. wife of soccer superstar David Beckham is a singer-songwriter, dancer, model and now fashion designer and businesswoman...all of that at age 37! She's also a mom and with David Beckham they have three sons Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz. 

She rose to fame with the 1990s girl pop group the Spice Girls but after they broke up she pursued a separate singing career and recently moved into fashion design first designing a line of jeans for Rock & Republic and after that her own denim brand, dVb Style. She also has a line of sunglasses, handbags and jewelry

Her Spring 2011 line showed early this past Sunday and I took a look last night. Not being a fashion analyst all I can say is you'd better be as skinny as she is! She had a few loose fitting pieces but her fitted clothes were actually quite simple and I liked them. They reminded me of a few patterns we used to sew when I was a teenager and for me they were a bit nostalgic though nicely updated in plain, and I'm sure luxe fabrics. 

Her website has the collection on it as well as some of her other products. Take a look. I think you'll like them. As always, try style.com for this and other shows.

http://www.victoriabeckham.com/

Why Jason Wu is a Star! 2011 Spring Fashion Weekend

Love this dress!

“Without culture, and the relative freedom it implies, society, even when perfect, is but a jungle. This is why any authentic creation is a gift to the future.” 
—Albert Camus

Jason Wu's show opener on style.com.

Can't you see Michelle in this? 

Or me?

If. 


If I had the money, the body, the places to go.... I'd like to go everywhere this spring wearing Jason Wu's 2011 collection presented here in New York on Friday afternoon. Well actually, sometimes I am lucky enough to have some nice events to go to but those other two big 'ifs' get in the way! 


Jason Wu, the Taiwanese native now in New York, is in his 20s but is light years ahead of his age, not just in the design and construction of his designs but in his use of color, variety and wearability. OK there were maybe one too many see-through shirts (not sure why designers do that. Really.) But every outfit provoked a thought much like "I could wear that at...." and to me, this makes his show authentic. 

Check out the rosettes...and get busy!

Great black suit.

Authenticity - isn't that we all strive for no matter what business we're in? I've posted some of the runway collection here but I suggest that you take a look at the complete show on style.com. A generous helping of ruffles, petal skirts and dresses, classic clutches and oversized bags and large Harry Potter-like glasses are the reasons why Jason Wu designs are sold in over 120 venues.  Notice the details too...didn't I see a few rosettes on the tops and jackets? I've decided that's my gift theme for the year..there so easy to make! I'm re-inspired!


Now about the lumpy body..........


Tomorrow: Let's check out Victoria Beckham's show!