Foodbuzz Fest: The excitement builds!

This is me. Hello!

Last year I met some of the most amazing people ever in the history of the planet. And the best part is that I have become very good friends with some of them in real time and the rest on Twitter.

If you aren't a member of Foodbuzz, I think you are missing out.

Being a part of a community of food lover's who write about food, eat food and really sincerely care about the food they eat is such a fantastic experience. In this life we don't always get opportunities to meet like minded people. So this is one that should be taken advantage of.

Last year we took classes, we ate, we drank, we photographed everything! We laughed, we chatted and we meet some remarkable people who wanted to teach us some great new stuff.

I am excited because have since made new friends who are coming for Foodbuzz and because Heather, who was ill last year, actually gets to come and have fun this time around too!! YEAH!!!! And she introduced me to Laura, who will help me lovingly terrorize, should it come to that.

My little-sister-friend Tracy will be there this year, as will Jerry, Elise, & Crystal and Amir, and that is only the beginning!

Now, if you are coming to the Fest, here are some things you need to know:

1) Get ready to meet a lot of people. No, really, a lot.


2) Bring plenty of business cards. No, really. Plenty.


3) I know its been unseasonably warm but bring warm clothes. This is San Francisco, not L.A. We have microclimates and you will freeze if you decide to wear shorts and a tank top in November. And it happens pretty suddenly too!


4) Drink plenty of water. We are on the go from Friday night. We are made up of water. Hence staying hydrated will help you keep with the whirlwind pace.


5) Relax. Smile. If you feel to shy to say hello, but you are smiling, it makes you more approachable. 


6) Learn. Laugh. Live. Life is short. How about this weekend, you maybe taking yourself a touch less seriously and just really enjoy these moments? I promise it will be worth it.

Okay, well that is all for now, and I say, you look fantastic today! See you this weekend.

David Benton is one to watch

I meet a lot of people I like, but it is not every day that you meet someone you like so much that after you interview them, you really want to be their friend.

I woke up this morning to such an awesome email: It was David telling me he loved the article I wrote on him and thanking me for getting him right.

I am really happy about this, because I really do thing he is going to be the next big thing, and if he isn't it's so totally your fault!

This is what I wrote after first meeting David but I must say it is nothing like experiencing his desserts and his personality for yourself. He'll be hanging out with me at the Tasting Pavilion Saturday afternoon at Foodbuzz, so read the article before you meet the man!

Eating Seasonal for the Ordinary Mortal

Today I was reading The San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market Cookbook when something occurred to me. Penne with arugula is so simple, and sounds delicious. Yet that isn't what I am thinking when I go to the market. I'm worried about getting enough vitamins and making sure there's enough potatoes so Sascha doesn't complain.

And therein lies the challenge.

It is difficult to be a broke ass gourmet, to say the least.

To so many people doesn't mean as much since for several generations we have been able to to just go buy food in the store with no regard to seasonality. It can hamper us in many ways, killing off the creativity that comes when you have few options and hungry mouths.

Sometimes I go to the market and I want more, more gorgeous tomatoes, more squash, more fruit. What the hell do I do with all this stuff?

Being reminded that fresh tomatoes taste amazing with white beans, that arugula is wonderful with penne, and that sweet potatoes are magnificent mashed with a hint of butter is what makes it all easier.

It is so easy to forget these sensibilities when unemployed thus faced with stretching both your dollars and your food. And there are so many people who never really knew that in the first place.

It doesn't have to be time consuming or expensive to eat well, because at the market you can find delicious treasures that cost less than the at the grocery store.

For those ordinary mortals who know next to nothing about eating seasonally and making a new & delicious meal every night there is plenty of help. Just remember that if a recipe or idea seems too easy, that just means it requires less work for you and allows more time for relaxing. fun.

The Ferry Building Farmers' Market

East Bay Farmers Markets

A Sweet picture

The other day I had the pleasure of meeting someone who made me crazy in a good way.

He is a fellow pastry chef who loves classic movies, retro themes and made me laugh so hard you wouldn't believe.

You will be able to read my interview with him in Cuisine Noir Mag next month but I wanted to show the tarts he brought me so you can get your drool on and give you his website you too can fall in love!

SugarsweetsSF Both tarts were soo good. Being a strawberry fanatic though, that one was my favorite!!

The Blogger in Me: Project FoodBuzz

Baking pastry is like magic
like all the food I create
love pours from my fingers
in the form of butter, sugar and eggs
whipped, creamed, beaten
so they can thrive to become
the gift of a kitchen witch
and I can share my soul

Cooking is creation
the joys of the share
food can be a revelation
with sweet scents in the air
pumpkin challah, rosewater cupcakes,
or just plain old chorizo soup
let me make you a little happier
and help chase away your blues

Eat oysters and sushi with me
we will drink champagne until dawn
I am so much more than just a food blogger
chef, singer, artist,
creator of desserts so right they are wrong

I write because I love it and
words flow from my fingers
like sugar into a bowl as
I make cranberry pecan brownies
and drink a classic cocktail

Come into my kitchen
magic you will see,
I create with passionate joy
and with passionate joy you eat