Last weekend the first annual Eat, Write, Retreat; food blogger's conference was held at the Madison Hotel in downtown Washington, DC. The event was organized by Robyn Webb and Casey Benedict. Approximately eighty-five food bloggers from all over the US and Canada spent 2 days honing writing and photography skills as they networked and played and dined lavishly.
This review covers the course of events on Friday only. Subsequent posts will review the rest of the weekend. There was so much planned for our intimate group of food bloggers. At check-in, each registrant was given a Whole Foods shopping bag just full of swag to get us rolling off to a great start. We were told that we should take our bag to every session making sure that we emptied it each time we attended a class. They were not kidding! I felt like a sneaky thief with all the generous offerings from all of our sponsoring companies. I am still reeling from the information and swag overload of last weekend.
Photo credit: Olga Berman L toR: Dan Clapson, Michael Lewicki, Valerie Harrison, Isabelle Boucher,and Ethan Adeland.
After a mixer on Friday evening put on by our sponsors, we all moved into the dining area for an international tasting dinner complete with Barboursville wines. Among our esteemed sponsors were Lindsay Olives, Endive, Goo Goo Clusters, Jarlsberg cheeses, Barboursville wine and Dogfish Head Brewery.
I learned so much about how endive grows. Did you know that endive starts out as a chickory plant? That is the common roadside plant you see in summer with the periwinkle flowers. The plants and then tilled and the roots are dug up (shown in these pictures), then they are planted in a dark cool place for several weeks until the new growth begins to form. What you see is the red or green endive. Also related to endive are escarole, curly lettuce & raddichio.
Each of the attendees were assigned a table when we checked in that afternoon. I was to sit at the table labelled "Onion". Other tables were tomato, greens, strawberries, apples, radishes, endive, and cucumber.
We all sat down to beautiful tables adorned with our edible centerpieces. Little did we know that we would be using these centerpieces at our photography and food styling class the next day!
Wendy Bobker of My Spice Sage was one of our sponsors. She prepared the "Spicebreaker" to get everyone talking. There were questions about spices on the back of each guests' table card. Mine read: "Did you know there are over 100 spices? See how many you can name." Spices are my passion and I cook with them always, everyday.
I was secretly thinking I would name them all, but then I didn't want to be a show off...or maybe I could learn about a new unknown spice.
Our 3 table buffet was a veritable feast for the eyes and pallette ranging from fresh fruits, seafood, Thai and Japanese cuisines to Southwest and Latino preparations. There were even Vietnamese Bahn mi mini sliders and Cuban pork self pressed sandwiches using Calphalon (another generous sponsor!) panini presses. I really enjoyed the black bean chili on the Southwestern table, made vegetarian with the use of Gardien meat substitute. The chef came out to our table and told us what was in the chili. If he had not told us there was no meat, one would never have known.
The order of the entire weekend as far as food went was "Pace Yourself and remember this was a tasting menu." Dessert was still to come.
Jason Tesauro of Barboursville Vineyards was the sommelier of the evening, roaming the tables with selections from Viognier, Nebbiolo Reserve and Cabernet Sauvignon to Phileo and Malaxia for our dessert. (I secretly enjoyed the Malaxia while enjoying the conversation at my table.)
Desserts as cocktails was a unique twist on the final offerings of the first evening. We sampled Rice Pudding, Baked Alaska, and Banana Splits prepared by two rising stars in the culinary world, Gina Chersevani, Mixologist and Peter Smith, Executive Chef of PS 7 restaurant located in DC's heart of Chinatown. Known for their innovative takes on food, both Gina and Peter playfully shared center stage as they prepared desserts for over 85 guests Friday evening.
Rice pudding was made with St. Elizabeth's All Spice and locally brewed Catoctin Creek Whiskey.
Fran Brennan, Co-founder & managing editor of Food News Journal
Our keynote speaker of the evening was Fran Brennan, founder and managing editor of Food News Journal. Her speech was a light hearted and informative account of the future of food writing in America.
Casey Benedict and Robyn Webb worked tirelessly to put on a beautiful evening enjoyed by all.
And this was just the first day!
*********************************************************************************************
Calphalon as one of our sponsors made a special offer to all attendees:
Click on the following link to find out about this rare offer:
http://store.calphalon.com/?CCAID=SCSNBLPR3
*Clearance Items and Gift Certificates do not qualify. Excludes John Boos & Co. Cannot be combined with other special offers or applied to previous purchases. Terms subject to change. Offer valid through June 6th, 2011.
Enter promotional code: C95926
Check out some of Calphalon's cooking utensils and appliances today!
Blog on my friends,
stylishly and elegantly.
***
Bonnie
