Wrapping up the IFBC experience: Saturday night and Sunday at the International Food Blogger Conference

Just a few closing pictures from Saturday evening and Sunday at the International Food Bloggers Conference held in Seattle, WA from August 27 to 29, 2010.

Secret Sherry Society Pre-Dinner Reception

I have never had the opportunity to experience Sherry paired with foods before. Nor did I realize there were so many different types of Sherry! From a cocktail made with Sherry, Mandarine Napoleon, drops of salt water and a grapefruit peel that was paired with spicy tuna empanadas to the Dios Baco Amontillado Sherry paired with tortilla espanola. This event expanded my Sherry and pairing horizons.

Emilio Lustau "Peninsula" Palo Cortado Sherry with Lamb Meatball

Williams and Humbert "Dry Sack 15" Sweet Old Oloroso Sherry - Croque Monsieur with Manchego and Serrano Ham

Saturday Night Keynote Address

James Oseland was a captivating speaker, telling us about his story but also the stories of his interactions with food bloggers around the globe. He shared what he loved about food blogging and inspired the room. I have read Saveur before but became a subscribe that night!

Keynote Speaker: Saveur Magazine Editor in Chief James Oseland

Saturday Winemakers Dinner

Saturday night dinner was a variety of small plates from amazing Seattle and Sonoma area chefs. Unfortunately it was really dark, so the photographs were difficult to capture. I loved Chef Holly Smith's Wagyu Beef Cheeks with Polenta Stuffed Dog Mountain Squash Blossoms, but alas the lighting did not. Nor was I able to share the images of Chef Ethan Stowell's Beef Carpaccio which was also flavorful. However I was able to share some other images of the evening.

International Food Bloggers Conference: Day Two Breakfast, Lunch, and a Writing Exercise

The conference thus far has been a learning experience both through the conference presentations but also the people I have met around tables enjoying food and drink during meal breaks. I'm about to take a walk because we have a two hour lunch break and I am a fast eater. But I wanted to leave just a couple of photographs from our carbalicious breakfast (the baked goods were delicious but I was left longing for some protein) as well as our wine and small plates lunch (small plates do add up... although I wish they added up to slightly more).

Pastries Galore from Bakery Nouveau

Gluten-Free, Vegan Baked Goods from PCC Natural Markets

Theo Chocolates isn't just the host site for the conference. They also provided the lunchtime sweets!

The Chefs prepared for food blogger onslaught!!!

Marinated Octopus with Chickpeas, Preserved Lemon, and Chorizo Vinaigrette from Chef Shannon Galusha at Bastille.

Zucchini in Carpione with Fennel and Apricot created by Chef Jason Stratton at Spinasse.

Salmon Carpaccio prepared by Chef John Howle of Seastar Restaurant (and John Howie Steak and Sport Restaurant & Bar)

Finally, one of the highlights of the morning was Kathleen Flinn's "Writing with All Five Senses" session where she had us describe a lemon's touch, smell, appearance, taste and sound without using traditional words to describe the fruit (like "citrus"). I'll leave you with a picture of the lemon and let you try your hand at this writing exercise. Post below!

Images from Opening Night at IFBC

Friday was a long day between travel and touring Seattle, but I wanted to leave you pictures from the first day of the International Food Bloggers Conference:

Rishi Loose Leaf Tea

Bacon Peanut Brittle from Sir Fancis Bacon and the National Peanut Board

Oktoberfest Beer

American Lamb

Watermelon and Tomato Salad

Tuna Salad

Rodney Strong Zinfandel

Chilled Melon Soup with Chef Jeff Mall of Zin

Watermelon Gazpacho with Chef Josh Silvers of Syrah Bistro and Jackson's Bar and Oven

Red Velvet Cupcake from Cupcake Love

Walla Walla Wines

Hook's Blue Cheese and Cashew Brittle pairing from Wisconsin

Carr Valley Cheddar and Kettle Corn pairing from Wisconsin

Tonnino Tuna Asian Slaw

Celebrating Alaskan Seafood with a slider

Geoduck Crudo from Taylor Shellfish (it's pronounced gooeyduck)

Keynote Morgan Spurlock gets real with the audience (and the Pomtinis!)

Wrap-Up of the San Francisco Street Food Festival

No matter where you roamed during the San Francisco Street Food Festival last Saturday, you were bound to find amazing dishes with amazing chefs behind the stands. While I wanted to divide this into two posts, the start of the academic year took over this week so I decided to combine the posts about these fabulous chefs (read: this post is long!). From Estrellita’s Snacks whose ownder, Maria Del Carmen Flores, moved from El Salvador to Mexico to San Francisco. all the while selling street food (and is now known in the city for her pupusas which you can find at Alemany Market) to Luis Vazuez and Maria De La Luz who own Chaac Mool but whose family history in the food business dates back five generations!

Vazuez is a fifth generation Yucatecan breadmaker, who started Chaac Mool with his wife in a small apartment in the Tenderloin district three years ago. I had the opportunity to try their Cochinita Pibil & al Pastor taco (pictured being made above and final product below) at the festival. Vazuez wants people to know that there is more to Mexico than just burritos and he does it well with this juicy well-seasoned taco that is spicy enough to feel but not so spicy that you miss the flavor of the meat and spices.

I almost asked for an extra tortilla to pick up the leftover juices!!!

Azalina Eusope was one of the first chefs we met on our media tour. She is the owner of Azalina's Malaysian, and told us that she worked as a trained pastry chef in Malaysia. Eusope said that when she moved to the States, she discovered a niche that she could fill better, by making Malaysian street food. This includes a very popular dish of lettuce and a spicy peanut sauce (pictured below).

Eusope told us that because it is very hot in Malaysia, this is a cool and refreshing food that is served on the streets. People will buy lettuce leaves with the sauce on the inside and eat it like one might eat a taco. You can find Azalina's Malaysian food at Off the Grid.


Another well known street food chef and a nationally recognized icon of the street food movement that we got an opportunity to meet was Veronica Salazar who owns El Huarache Loco. She is working to bring the flavors of Mexico City to the Bay Area. I got the opportunity to try her Taco de Alhambre at the festival (pictured below).

This taco was brightly colored and full of fresh flavors. Not to mention how pretty it was just to look at! Salazar began her company in her home five years ago and built it through the support of La Cocina, as did many of the companies I had the opportunity to visit like Azalina's. You can find the delicious eats of El Huarache Loco at Alemany Market and Off the Grid Market.

 Another chef who started her business in her home is Isabel Caudillo who created El Buen Comer. She began her business in her home in the Mission District after missing some of her favorite Mexico City street foods and deciding she wanted to bring them to San Francisco. Her Tostadas de Picadillo (pictured below) with ground beef, chopped potatoes, chopped carrots, and green peas can be found at the Noe Valley Farmers Market and should definitely be sought out. We had an opportunity to try them on the tour and I had to go back again later in the day for seconds!

In addition to street food vendors, there were lots of delicious eats brought to the festival by established restaurants in San Francisco. On Monday, I pictured stuffed figs from Chez Papa Resto as the leading picture. Chef David Bazirgan made himself available during the media tour and told us how he is  big supporter of La Cocina and of the Street Food Movement. In addition to the figs, he offered a sausage that had peppers, onions, and what I believe was a bechamel sauce. In any case, I had a bite of a friend's and it was tasty!

One restaurant I know I will take heat for admitting that I have not yet visited is The Slanted Door. I alway consider going and then for some reason end up somewhere else. However, that will soon be changing after buying one of their steamed vegetable buns at the festival.

Look at that giant bun! It was only $3!!!

The vegetarian in my photography group said the bun was the best vegetarian main course at the market. And I don't disagree. Full of whole mushrooms, cabbage, and spices, I considered picking up a second bun for the drive home!

Two other businesses that I didn't get to try due to the lines also got rave reviews from some of the people I met at the festival. I got to snag a couple of pictures, but wasn't able to score a bite.

One of the popular spots was Sabores Del Sur, owned by Guisell Osorio, which was serving up empanadas from South America (pictured above). Check out that crust and juicy filling! Perfect street food!

For some of the chefs working with La Cocina to build their businesses, the Street Food Festival is the first day of public sales. This was the case for Anda Piroshki's (pictured below) where all of the workers were dressed in bright red scarves and excited to be serving up piroshkis.

With all of the fabulous foods that were offered, there was also activities for families to do together such as learning about urban farming, as well as dancers and musicians around the festival. It only happens once a year, but I really wish the San Francisco Street Food Festival was a monthly event! While I am away at the International Food Bloggers Conference this weekend, if you are in the Bay Area reading this post, I would encourage you to head over to Oakland for some more great eats at the Eat Real Food Festival that happens today, Saturday, and Sunday!

Sweet Treats on the Street! SF Street Food Festival Part 2

It was so hot out today that I was craving a sweet cold treat. Which meant changing up the posts and sharing the desserts before the main courses that I got the opportunity to try on Saturday at the San Francisco Street Food Festival put together by La Cocina. Because looking at a glorious scoop of ice cream is almost as good as the real thing... almost....

Three Twins Ice Cream was serving up two of their popular flavors on Saturday and I was able to try a cup of the lemon cookie flavor. With giant chunks of lemon cookies that reminded me of snack time in elementary school, this ice cream brought back whimsical memories with a refined flavor and fabulous texture. I can still taste it when I close my eyes!

If you live in the area or maybe will be visiting this year, Three Twins has a fabulous package that they are auctioning off to support La Cocina. You should bid on it, win it, and then invite your favorite Uncovering Food blogger, okay? The auction closes on August 26 so get those bids in!

There were lots of beverages available during the festival and unfortunately by the time I was ready to start trying some of them, the lines were growing. I secretly wished there was a beverage express line! However, I did manage to snag a drink that I had never heard of before. Bissap, served up by Purple Hibiscus, is the national drink of Senegal and is a hibiscus vanilla drink that is sweet without being overly sugary. A light and refreshing cleanser, I need to find a way to make this at home! A business that is working with La Cocina, Purple Hibiscus made their first public appearance at the festival, and I am certain they are on a path to success!

I love ice cream, so when I saw a balsamic-strawberry ice cream sandwich on homemade sugar cookies being sold by Bi-Rite Creamery, I just had to try it. My coworker who loves balsamic would be jealous to learn how the balance of flavors allowed the celebration of balsamic to merge with the sweet strawberries in an ice cream that wasn't overly sweet. The cookies brought the sweetness to this portable street dessert.

When one of the women in my photography group came up and showed me what she had found, I was confused... was there an art show somewhere near the food festival?

Then she flipped the floral dome face down, popped off the lid and scooped up a flavorful gelatin for me to try. We marveled at the beauty but also at the layering of flavors in this edible art made by Sweets Collection.

I thought that perhaps the flower was a real flower or made out of fondant or some other traditional method but the ladies in the booth told me they were all gelatin! Amazing! Their Web site says they use "ingredients that have no preservatives, no cholesterol, fresh fruit, juices, (and) vegetarian products."

There was one last dessert I had an opportunity to try but that will get it's own post. Can you guess what kind of dessert might be?

San Francisco Street Food Festival

There is nothing better than a delicious bite of food obtained on the street. Even better when you can visit stand after stand all on a row serving up delicious bites. My women's photography group decided to go to the San Francisco Street Food Festival and then lo and behold, I was offered a chance to be a Foodie Correspondent for Foodbuzz which upped my excitement ante about this day of food!

My morning began meeting Caleb Zigas, the acting Executive Director of La Cocina. He took us on a tour of the festival before it opened and introduced us to a number of the chefs. We also got a chance to photograph and sample a number of dishes. I want to thank La Cocina and Foodbuzz for the opportunity to visit the festival before the crowds descended!

 

What is La Cocina? While Caleb explained it on Saturday, when researching the festival, I found a description from the About La Cocina page that I thought was better than my paraphrased summary:

"La Cocina is a ground-breaking business incubator designed to reduce the obstacles that often prevent low-income food entrepreneurs from creating successful and sustainable small businesses.

By providing affordable, shared, commercial kitchen space, an array of industry-specific technical assistance and services, and access to market opportunities, La Cocina works with entrepreneurs as they launch, grow, and formalize successful food businesses.

We focus primarily on women from culturally diverse communities and immigrant communities. Our vision is that our program participants will become economically self-sufficient and contribute to a vibrant and diverse economy doing what they love to do."

Sounds fabulous, yes?

The coolest part of the festival was that established businesses, like Thomas Odermatt from Roli Roti, were there celebrating and supporting La Cocina's mission. The food community in the Bay Area is just amazing!

If you want a front-of-the-line V.I.P. pass for Roli Roti's truck at the San Francisco Farmer's Market, or a number of other foodie delights, PLUS an opportunity to support La Cocina, you should check out the silent auction that is running this week!

While I took so many pictures that I am going to spread the foodie finds over the next week, I had to share one of the favorites from my photography group. Onigilly is run by Kan Hasegawa and Koji Kanematsu who wanted to bring their version of a traditional Japanese snack, onigiri, to the United States.

I had the seaweed Onigilly which only cost me $3! It was full of flavor and had I not been eating all day, I would have gone back for more. My photography friends definitely did!

While the festival is over for the year, you can check out a number of vendors at Off the Grid, a coordinated mobile food event. You can also help La Cocina's efforts to publicize the businesses they support by voting for your favorite Web design. Local designers created Web sites for five businesses that work with La Cocina and Wells Fargo is offering a cash prize to the Web design that gets the most votes.