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mozzarella_casa

Can you tell the difference between mozzarella that was hand-made this morning and a ball of the mass-produced type? Expand your culinary knowledge by trying out some of the cheese, made fresh every morning at Casa Mozzarella, a shop opened less than one year ago near Plainpalais, Geneva! Read to the end of this article to find the answer to our competition question and maybe win a voucher for Fr. 100.- to buy whatever you want from Casa Mozzarella!

Fabio Magno and Angelo Albrizio decided to bring Italy to Geneva in its most delicious form: mozzarella made entirely from local Geneva milk! They are both from Puglia, Italy, where mozzarella is famed to originate, and now live in Geneva. The opening of their shop took time in preparing. They found an Italian cheese-maker who comes from a long line of cheese-makers, Nicola Antonicelli, who was delighted to participate in this venture.

Every morning before dawn a trip is made to the Laiteries Réunies de Genève. Nicola follows in his father’s footsteps and transports the 300-400 liters of fresh milk and lovingly cooks, stirs, cuts, sieves, and stretches the curds to make 30-50 kilos of balls of fiordilatte — the official name for mozzarella made from cow’s milk.

playmobilChildren from the age of 5 are invited to spend the day testing toys and give their verdicts as part of the evaluation process in the Suisse Toy Award 2011.

On Friday, 29 July, the Balexert Center in Geneva will host a day of testing in which children can evaluate a variety of toys in various different categories and register their preference for a particular toy. The center will be one of two in the country inviting children to test out the toys, and will be welcoming testers near the Migros Restaurant between 10h and 18h.  

This year there will be 7 categories: Babydreams (small children up until the age of 3), Little Kids (children from 3 to 5 years old), Girls (girls from 5 to 10 years old), Boys (boys from 5 to 10 years old), Learning & Creativity (children from 5 to 12 years old), Electronics (children from 6 years old) and Family Games (all ages). Family Games is a new category that will be tested by families at 21 ludothèques throughout Switzerland.

stick2it2-448As your kids get ready to head off to Summer camps, now’s the time to make sure that their clothes and belongings are clearly labeled. If you haven’t already taken steps to name your children’s summer caps or shoes, it’s not too late! There are a number of companies in Switzerland that allow you to order vinyl or textile stickers online or over the phone, with quick and sometimes free delivery to your doorstep.

Stick2it.ch is a relatively new company in the region, that was set up last year to provide a wide range of fun, colorful stickers that are particularly attractive to young children. So successful has the company been, that it has provided labels for schools in Fribourg, as well as a number of shops looking for unusual and eye-catching ways to decorate their presents or bags for clients. The company has also labeled work outfits for the "Service de l'Etat de Vaud".

all for kidsIf you’re an expat and have lived in this region for long, you will find that there are just some products that you simply cannot buy over here.  When it comes to finding unusual and creative presents for your children, for example, many of you will hanker after those fun but educational toys and books that you only seem to be able to get back home in the UK or USA.

Actually, they are not so difficult to come by – you just need to know where to look!  Nine years ago, American Robin Bognuda set up an online toy store in Switzerland that would allow parents here to buy, at the click of a few buttons, items such...

buyclubaIf you haven’t got the latest version of the printed book, then now is your ONLY chance to take advantage of 50% off (up to 5 copies) through www.buyclub.ch. This is an exceptional limited time offer for Monday 7th and Tuesday 8th March: pay only Fr. 19.- instead of Fr. 38.- (must be picked up at OfftheShelf English Bookshop in Geneva for this price). And even if you have a copy, you might like to buy one for a friend or another one to leave in your car! This offer is only valid by clicking on the link to www.buyclub.ch during this limited time (click here to see the article we wrote about BuyClub recently). If you are reading this article after the offer is over you can still be assured that our guide is worth every penny of the full price so check here for the list of where to buy your copy.

Why Know-it-all passport is successful; tooting our own horn!

Thanks to people like you, Know-it-all passport’s 7th edition has sold more copies of the guidebook than ever before! What goes into such a guide?

buyclubbFirstly, most people know that to be listed in the guide, the company must be recommended by one of their clients. Once they are recommended, they go into the printed guide free-of-charge. You can be reassured that every address has been endorsed by someone. That is what makes us so content and satisfied with our work.
When we come across a great restaurant, play area, museum, dance class, or creative initiative, we want to tell the world about it! But we stick to the area we know best, Geneva, Vaud, and neighboring France. We live and breathe our area. We want YOU to get to know your area better too.

Secondly, Lisa has always been curious about where she lives. She goes off the beaten path and loves discovering new things. If a new museum opens up, she will take her family; when a new shop opens up, she goes to check it out; when she gave birth to her children, she tried 3 different hospitals instead of sticking to the same one in a quest to try new things! She invites others to do the same especially as living in a country that is not your own, you are obliged to anyway! You might as well do it with a smile.

buyclubcThirdly, thanks to a great team of people who worked diligently on this 7th edition, it was made into something really special: Amy, Ethel, Francesco, Helen, Hilary, Jackie, Jill, John, Kristina, Laura, Selina, Sophia, Sue, and Zuzana (and Jenny for the website). Lisa has realized that she needs others’ advice and opinions to make it better each time. If you have an old copy, then you can be assured that the new one is 60 pages thicker (714 pages now) and at least 70% of the entries have had some change made. Remaining a top quality item at a constant low price has always been part of our ethics, thanks to our advertisers. Please support them by letting them know that you saw their ad in there!

As promised we have just donated another lump sum of money from our profits to the Alzheimer’s Association of Switzerland, thanks to you! If you would also like to make an individual contribution you can click here for the link to their website. Some of you might know that Lisa's mother passed away from the last stages of Alzheimer’s when Know-it-all passport 2011/2012 was being printed. So far with this edition we have sent the Alzheimer’s Association of Switzerland Fr. 4,000.-! Thanks for your support from buying our book.