In the ‘60s, when I married my late husband singer-songwriter Jim Croce, I had only been to one fine dining restaurant during our entire courtship and engagement.

 

I still remember that evening like it was yesterday, because the experience of white table cloths, welcoming service and fine cuisine made me feel so special. I think it was then, that I subconsciously became the "accidental restaurateur". Truthfully, there weren't many fine dining restaurants back then and besides, we couldn't afford it!

So from then on, I tried preparing fresh food from our garden, collected what I couldn't grow from local farmers markets and drove from the farm to South Philly to purchase specialties, from the Fish Market and Jim Croce's "Uncle Meat's" Butcher Shop.

We always had family dinners and visited friend's homes. But entertaining at our place with live music and friends like Arlo Guthrie, James Taylor, Bonnie Raitt and The Manhattan Transfer were really my favorite times. And by preparing meals and serving them, I was unknowingly practicing for Croce's Restaurant and Jazz Bar.

In 1973, when Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown and Time in a Bottle were topping the charts, Jim, our two year old son A.J. and I moved from Pennsylvania to San Diego, I was anxious to get to know our new community so Jim and I went to the Gaslamp to get a bite to eat. When we couldn't find a restaurant downtown, we joked about opening Croce's, so we could bring great American cuisine, fine wine, live music and all kinds of people together to our dilapidated downtown, like we did back in Pennsylvania.

But then, within a month of our move, my husband died in a plane crash and my world came tumbling down.

For over a dozen years I fought legal battles for our Croce music rights, learned about business, and when the smoke cleared, finally I got to the opportunity to open the Official Croce's Restaurant and Jazz Bar on the corner of Fifth and F. The community I had dreamed of became a reality.

Before I knew it, I fell in love with the hospitality industry. It gave me the chance to use all my talents, energy and money too! What I loved best was how each restaurateur brought a unique community of employees and guests together, building constellations that could never be duplicated again. They were works of art!

 

Five years ago, I helped spearhead our San Diego Restaurant Week with CRA’s San Diego Chapter. All the hard work made this venture the most successful dining event in San Diego’s history. I wrote the San Diego Restaurant Cookbook, to help promote our event and the restaurants who participated, And then, last year, when our economy was challenging diners to “change their life- style” and forcing some of our favorite restaurant "communities" to close their doors, I imagined ingrid’s list, foronline three-course prix fixe fine dining certificates for $30, $40, and $50 year round.

Like Jeffrey Strauss from Pamplemousse told me, "ingrid's list is like a stimulus program for restaurants.” Exactly! And I hope it will help our fellow, fine dining restaurateurs keep their doors open.

With ingrid's list on-line, three-course prix fixe dining certificates everyone wins! Whether you’re traveling and in search of a memorable dining experience, looking for the perfect gift, hosting clients with discerning tastes or indulging at your favorite local hot spot, ingrid's list provides great value at significantly reduced prices. It's the best way to dine exclusive, dine smart. Of course I’d like to invite you all to join me at Croce’s Restaurant and Jazz Bar in San Diego, but ingrid’s list allows you to choose from a variety of fine dining restaurants with many new cities to come.

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