Miami has part of my heart. I was able to spend 4 days eating, drinking, learning, teaching, and networking with food bloggers at BlogHer Food 2014. All total I consumed more calories in 4 days than I do in 2 weeks, drank more wine than is rational and slept less than I did when I was nursing twins! It was a magical 4 days!
I got into town Thursday and got all checked in at the hotel. I grabbed some Gluten Free snacks and veggies from a local grocery store and sat in my hotel room watching a tornado go through. Yes, the weather was super crazy and it even shut down the airport for a few hours!
Linda, Dan, Me, Rachel
Thursday night 4 of us went to Yard Bird for dinner. It was epic! You can read about the details here. It is one of the top 5 meals of my life. Epic.
Then we walked around South Beach to shop, people watch and enjoy the city. When the rain got the best of us we caught a bus back to the hotel.
Friday the conference started with food, vendors, great talks and more networking. Friday night was all about the vendor parties. We started at a beautiful house on the bay for a party hosted by Wisconsin Cheese and the Food Network. The wine, cheese and scenery were all phenomenal! The Entwine Pinot Grigio was one of the smoothest white wines I’ve had. I need a case of it!
Our second party was with Aldi. They were doing a wine, chocolate and nut pairing. I love Aldi and I really love their new #LiveGfree line of products.
Then we were off to a rooftop bar for a party with Microsoft and Nokia.
Saturday we enjoyed more talks, lunch out and in the afternoon I was honored to speak about creative food substitutions.
I was on a panel with Colette Martin and Jane Bonacci. Our class was a cooking demo and an educational discussion about how to cook allergy friendly meals. I discussed cross contamination in the kitchen, Gluten Free products and prepared 2 dishes. I made Gluten Free bread crumbs out of cereal and allergy friendly puppy chow. My goal was to show how simple it can be to prepare a Gluten Free meal.
Saturday night we attended the closing party. The absolute highlight for me was meeting Ree Drummond from the Pioneer Woman. She was so down to Earth, charming and sweet. The 2 minutes we had chatting with her were fabulous.
We left the party to head back down to South Beach. This time we hit Espanola Way. We enjoyed live music and authentic Italian food. This plate of Gluten Free pasta was some of the best I’ve had.
Here are some of the amazing people I had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know:
Rachel – My roommate and partner in crime.
Linda – A fellow NC blogger and bee whisperer.
Dan – An all around fun dude and the editor at June Media.
Kelly – Awesome chef, fellow bacon lover and super fun person.
Mike – A paleo, gluten free, and wine dude.
Mike – A paleo, gluten free, and wine dude.
The sponsors at BlogHer Food were so generous.
Here are some of my favorites:
South Walton – If you are looking for a perfect Florida vacation on the Gulf Coast, South Walton is it. This adorable town has amazing restaurants, shopping and places to stay. It is on my list of must see!
Aladdin – Rocks the mason jars and fun accessories. Their products are great for entertaining or for carrying a fun lunch on the go.
Applegate – Hello Gluten Free meat; they have a turkey pepperoni coming out soon that was very tasty. I’m also a big fan of their bacon.
Babybel – What’s not to love about bite size pieces of cheese?
Pompeian – Really good olive oils and vinegars. I brought some home and have made some killer dressings with it.
Jamba Juice – I enjoyed a yummy smoothie or juice during all the breaks.
CVS Abound – Awesome new line of products that will be carried in the CVS stores. Many of them are Gluten Free. My favorite was the rice pop clusters.
Kerrygold – They have super awesome cheese and butter. There is a photo of me eating straight butter and it was so good!
Wyman’s – Is a frozen fruit company. This is actually the brand we use for our smoothies at home. Their newest flavor is strawberries, blueberries, cherries and kale!
So this is why I left part of my heart in Miami, you can’t have this much fun and not be changed. A big thank you for BlogHer for having me as a speaker! It was a huge honor for me.
Miami, I will see you again!
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