Sometimes in life, you have to persevere. You have to keep on going when you don’t think you can go any longer. And that my friends, is what I did all weekend long. When I thought I couldn’t take another bite, try another sample, finish the last glass of wine, I put my head down and just kept going. The 2011 Foodbuzz Festival was a success.
And guess what? I gained almost 3 lbs. in 48 hours. Boy was it worth it.
The Foodbuzz Festival brings together 350 food bloggers for a weekend of eating, classes, tastings, demos, and more eating. We started off Friday night with a buffet of small plates. In all honestly, I don’t really like buffets. I want to try everything to see what I want more of, and by the time I’ve tried everything, I am so full that I can’t go back for the things I really want. Such a dilemma, I realize. Too many good options and not enough room in my stomach. Some of the highlights are below:
I loved sitting at a table with fellow foodies, analyzing each meal and being completely honest about what was great and what wasn’t. It was the free ticket that allowed me to snick my nose up in the air and be as food snobby as I wanted.
Saturday morning, they offered some classes to better your blogging. I took a photo class and a video/podcasting class. Hopefully some more professional pictures and videos to come soon! After the classes, we took big buses over to the Metreon where there was a tasting pavilion. Over 65 booths of food, drinks, and desserts. As well as a bunch of women running around overly excited about cheeses and cinnamon bread, armed with big cameras. Needless to say my date to the tasting was a little overwhelmed. Jon took over as photographer so I could properly try all the foods there were to offer.
Towards the end of the tasting, we heard rumors that a “Special Guest” was coming soon.
Anddd we met Tyler Florence! I was nervous since all these girls were talking to him for such a long time. What the heck did they have to talk to him about?? I nervously stood in line trying to come up with something to say. When it was my turn, I told him I’ve been trying to get a reservation at Wayfare Tavern with no luck. Then I told him how I watched “Tyler’s Ultimate” everyday during the summer when I was unemployed two years ago. He laughed. I smiled. He then invited me to a private dinner at Wayfare Tavern. I politely declined. I’m taken, doesn’t he know?
I kid, I kid.
We ended the long day with a fancy pants dinner at the Grand Hyatt. I was enjoying the Tyler Florence demo, the delicious food, and the racy twitter conversation too much to bother with taking pictures. That’s my problem with events and pictures…if I am having too much fun, I don’t take pictures. If an event is boring, I take pictures, but have no stories to go with them. One day I will figure out the best of both worlds.
Overall, I ate so much good food, met some new fun food bloggers like myself, and learned some good tips for the future of my blog. Unfortunately, this is only a yearly event, but I think my waistline will be thankful.
Thank you Foodbuzz for a wonderful weekend!
