3rd Annual Foodbuzz Festival, Part 2

Day two dawned on the Foodbuzz Festival with the Veggie Mom feeling, itchy, sleepy and more than a little hungover.  The reason for two of the three is pictured below.  I wish I had paid better attention to the ingredients of this cocktail.  I was I think called Gin Blossom...which is ironic because I LOATHE the band by the same name, but I love the hell out of this drink.  And it in turned love the hell out of my head.  The itching appears to have been caused by dry skin.  But the sleeplessness and the head pounding are all about what lies below. 

Day two of the Foodbuzz Festival included some very nice learning sessions, and a light breakfast.  Before that, I got a much needed coffee at Starbucks and shared a cab with a very nice blogger form Texas named Sarah.  Poor Sarah was still hurting from the relatively recent lose of the Texas Rangers to the St. Louis Cardinals.  I, very nice and sweetly zipped my sweatshirt all the way up to hide my St. Louis Cardinal t-shirt (Go Cards!).  See, I am basically a saint.  The Veggie Dad thinks I should have done a victory dance on her head. This is why I can't take him anywhere.

Once we arrived at the Federated Media headquarters we all set in for a Open Session featuring: Kath Younger at Kath Eats Real Food, Sarah Matheny at Peas and Thank You, Joy Wilson at Joy the Baker, Tracy Benjamin at Shutterbean, and Jessica Merchant at How Sweet It Is.  These fine blogging ladies gave us all the skinny on how to become bloggers of note.  Obviously they did not know that the Veggie Mom was in the crowd.  I mean, I make $2 a month on this bad boy!  All kidding aside, by the end of session is dawns on me that I need to amp things up with my photography.  Hence the new multiple photo format, so if you don't like it complain to Kath, Joy, Sarah, Tracy and Jessica.  My next sessions were on photography and twittering.  These sessions are now why I am begging for a DSRL camera and twittering constant nonsense. 

Following the sessions I decided to walk to the tasting pavilion.  It was a lovely cool day and unlike many walks in San Francisco this walk was not uphill all the way, plus some younger bloggers in the bathroom said I could not do it so I had to show them that indeed could.  That is also why I look so cute my young chica's: the exercise.  Anyway, off to the tasting pavilion I went.  I was only able to get a few photos.  OKAY, let me stop here and say I was totally unprepared for how many photographs people would be taking at ALL these things.  Sure I photograph the food I make, but I don't typically photograph everyone else's food.  And certainly did not expect to be shoved out of the way by a pair of loud food crazed, photo crazed, bickering photo-chefs OR by a half dozen of them.  Geez, it was a mad house.  Anyway, the food was great, the samples were great, and I got some photos (look up).  Best of all I met some great people.  I shared a cold bench and a cab with them.  It does not sound like fun, but it was. I know that everyone out there on the interwebz really wants my advice, but to those bloggers/foodies/photo-food crazies that only came to the Tasting Pavilion, I cannot stress how much you missed out on.  You missed out on the sessions, you missed out on the cocktails and most importantly you missed out meeting some amazing people. 

After a quick nap, a shower and some slathering on of make-up it was off to the Gala Dinner.  We got to sample the finalist in the Alexia Food Reinvent a Classics contest, we had some more wine (at this point I started out with water) and dinner.  Now some were less than enthused with the dinner, but I paid all of $30 for this shindig, so what we go seemed pretty good.  Pictured above from the left is a sushi roll which was served as an app, Tyler Florence who showed us how to make a pork chop, braised red cabbage and spaetzle (which Tyler had some issue pronouncing).  Of course it all came with wine.  So I drank wine. And then more wine(which I pinched from the Gala room and polished off with the help of Josh and Monica) and then a cocktail.  Luckily I slept better.  This cocktail was not so heavy on the gin, thank heavens.

 

Day three dawned with the Veggie Mom gaining an hour of sleep and therefore well rested. 

I packed, left my bags with the bag saver dude at the hotel and off I went solo in a cab to the closing bunch.  Again, I must note that many people did not make it to this event. Well, you missed out on a mega-ton of yummy cheese AND more swag! Suckers!  Always stay til the end, because there is always more swag!.  After stuffing myself with cheese I then went with some my new friends to the Ferry Building where they sell more food.  Do you want to know how to avoid buy and tasting all the food at the Ferry Building, eat a mega-ton of cheese first.

All in all I thoroughly enjoyed myself.  I met some great people, and I hope to at the very least see them all again next year.