Disclaimer: I received a discounted ticket to the conference in exchange for promoting the Food and Wine Conference. All my opinions are my own.
If you are a blogger and have never attended a blogging conference you are missing out on a lot of fun and important information that your blog can benefit from. I recently attended the 2017 Food Wine Conference in Orlando, FL where I had the chance to eat delicious food and meet other like-minded bloggers. If you didn’t get the chance to attend this conference, don’t worry this post is a recap of the conference.
2017 Food Wine Conference Recap
The conference kicked off with a welcome reception hosted by CK Mondavi and Family where attendees got to taste some of the CK Mondavi wines and get a preview of their new labels for their bottles. The labels have a new design and a two-word description about the taste of each bottle of wine.
Also at the reception was a photo booth provided by the Florida Dairy Farmers where attendees were able to take fun pictures. There was also a cookbook exchange and author signing provided by Idaho Potatoes. The first night ended with a tasting event where everyone was able to taste dishes from all of the restaurants that are located inside the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel. Everyone left this dinner with their bellies full and high levels of excitement for what was in store for the rest of the conference.
Day 2 started off with early with sessions from inspirational speakers who discussed their experiences and knowledge in their respective fields. Each one provided us with advice and tips that we could implement in our own lives right away.
Lunch was provided by Mann’s Fresh Vegetables and it was a taco bar full of their different vegetable blends. As a Brand Ambassador for Mann’s I was able to try all of their products such as their different veggie slaw blends and nourish bowls. They also offer a variety of precut vegetables in different styles called culinary cuts which includes butternut squash in the shape of crinkle cut French fries and cauliflower that looks like rice. I filled up my plate with as much vegetables as it could hold and everything was absolutely delicious!
Dinner was a family style affair where everyone sat and enjoyed a meal together. The theme of the dinner was a 1950’s sock hop so everyone was dressed in poodle skirts, bobby socks, and greaser clothes. Following dinner was a strawberry jam that was sponsored by the Florida Strawberry Growers Association that continued with the 1950’s theme. There were strawberry flavored desserts and drinks being served while everyone listened to music from the decade and played games.
The last day featured the #Hashed Competition which is a cooking competition a la iron chef that was sponsored by Wish Farms. Each team had 30 minutes to create a cocktail drink using Wish Farms berries and CK Mondavi wine and paired with a cheese that was provided by the Florida Dairy Farmers. Members of the winning team each received a free ticket to the 2018 Food Wine Conference.
Overall the conference was a weekend filled with learning, food, and most importantly fun. I recommend this conference to any blogger from beginner to advanced blogger. Before you know it the 2018 Food Wine Conference will be just around the corner so be sure you are there next year so you don’t miss out on all of the fun!
