IFBC - Day 3 & Summary

Day 3 of IFBC is hard to put into words...but this is a blog so I will try.  I met many interesting people who are writing for different reasons.  For some (like me) blogs are a way to share information and experiences about a specific topic.  For others, it is an outlet for creative expression and a jumping off point to publishing, photography, etc.  Whatever your motivation, this conference provided something for everyone.

The photography session today was amazing on many levels.  Penny de los Santos is not only a talented photographer, she is a gifted speaker and I literally bumped into her as I was walking out at the end of the day and got to tell her that.  I gave her a cupcake luggage tag to show my appreciation!  What I don't know about photography could have filled the room but I came away with so many ideas that I plan to try with upcoming cupcake photos.

I learned something from every speaker, organizer, participant and vendor.  Thanks to the many volunteers who took care of us and provided services behind the scenes that we won't ever know about.  Looking forward to 2011...and having more cupcake representation!

SOMEPIG (lunch truck)

outdoor pizza oven

UDI's lemon muffins

I tried a gluten-free product for the first time!

IFBC - Day 2

The day got an early start...sessions started at Theo Chocolate at 8:30 am.  The chocolate factory is in a great location near the water and the vendors had a great breakfast for us.  The pastries and fresh fruit were dee-lish and POM provided a large bin of pomegranate teas.  The coffee was good too!

Each session today provided us with great information about different aspects of food blogging:  The Art of Recipe Writing, Search Engine Optimization/Building Traffic/Social Media, Writing with All Five Senses, Law & Ethics of Food Blogging, and From the Source: People Who Will Change the Way You Think About Food.  The Power Point presentations from these lectures will be available on the IFBC site after the conference so check back soon.

The Wi-Fi was amazing and much appreciated.  We blogged & Tweeted & Facebooked all day.  There were plenty of electrical outlets on each side of the room and people were very considerate about sharing plugs when battery power got low.  I have never Tweeted so much! 

Go Royal Restrooms!  The porta-potties were very nice (and roomy). So many people are blogging about this that I won't.

Today's shout-outs go to:

• Dr. Jean Layton - the Gluten-Free Doctor (http://www.gfdoctor.com/)
• Wendi Mosteiko - Bon Appetite Hon! (http://www.bonappetitehon.com/)
• Melissa McLean Jory - nutritionist and gluten-free expert @ Gluten free for good(http://www.glutenfreeforgood.com/)

I ate my first gluten-free product today, a lemon muffin that wasn't dry and tasteless as I had anticipated.  It was actually good and I met quite a few gluten-free advocates.  We had some great discussions about gluten-free high-altitude baking challenges.  If anybody has any high altitude gluten-free cake recipes, please share!

Portable farm!

Platter of Theo Chocolate

My favorite Theo Chocolate

Thanks Foodista!

Thanks to all the 2010 sponsors!

International Food Bloggers Conference

I registered for the International Food Bloggers Conference today.  It is hosted by Foodista and is being held in Seattle August 27-29, 2010.  I am looking forward to interacting with food bloggers from all over the world.  Here is a descripton of the event from the IFBC site: 

The International Food Bloggers Conference is the premier event for food bloggers, chefs, journalists, editors, publishers, food-lovers and more! The conference, co-hosted by Foodista.comfoodista.com and Zephyr Adventures, will explore the intersection of food, writing, and technology. This year, the weekend event will be held at Theo Chocolate, the first and only all organic and direct trade chocolate factory in the United States. James Oseland, editor-in-chief of the magazine Saveur, will give a keynote speech. Returning premier sponsor Sur la Table is set to provide each attendee with another spectacular goody bag of kitchen tools and gadgets. To top it off, there will be lots of fabulous food and wine!

Leading bloggers, authors, editors, publishers, and technologists will speak on a variety of topics, including:

■The Art of Recipe Writing

■Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Building Traffic and Social Media

■Food Writing with All Five Senses

■Law & Ethics in Blogging

■Pitch to Publish

■Digital Food Photography