A line-up of wines from a tasting at Bond Street Wines. Kristen Wile/UP

Q: What’s your favorite wine shop?
UP: Bond Street Wines! It’s a small shop on Providence Road, near Deejai Thai and Aix en Provence. They offer such a great range of prices, and focus less on the winery’s prestige and more on their palates. Check out their Friday night tastings, which are usually $10 and get you four to six wines. There’s a different theme every week, and all of the wines are available for sale. They also have an excellent selection of natural wines.

Q: We’re headed to the beach soon and looking to stock up on some good frozen food to throw in a color and bring with us. Ideas?
UP: If you didn’t read Justin’s story on Pasta & Provisions, check that out for some ideas. You can buy frozen trays of shells or lasagna, pizzas, and more. They’re great for a quick dinner; just buy a loaf of bread for dipping or throw together a salad to go with it. Earl’s Grocery has a pretty great collection of frozen foods, too, including local empanadas, and recently changed their prepared foods to offer catering-sized portions to go. You can ask them what will freeze best!

Q: Re: your story on chefs and charities, aren’t they able to write off these expenses?
UP: Yes, they are, just like you and I used to be able to do. When writing off these donations, it’s not a 100 percent rebate on your tax returns for all that you donated, rather an adjustment of what you’re taxed on. If you missed that story, read it here.