Wine Tasting + Pairing Sessions at IFBC
Focusing on food, writing, and technology, the IFBC is truly a one of a kind conference. And I am not surprised that the weekend that included great sessions, hilarious cooking demos, meals with new friends, bountiful bites provided by local chefs, and wonderful wine from Bordeaux and Washington, just flew by.
All weekend long, I felt like I was in school, carrying my Pisco Trail notebook with me, and taking meticulous notes on the topics being presented by different speakers. Friday’s technology session on building traffic for your blog, reassured me that there is still lots of work to be done. While Saturday’s food and wine pairing sessions, fueled my passion for grapes, after all, Pisco is 100% grapes. With all the drinking we did that afternoon, it definitely felt like school.
Sunday’s writing session, and the simple exercises we did in class, were a beautiful reminder that food truly is about everything. About memory. About the past, the present, and the future. About family, culture, and identity. About the five senses. But not just what we can taste, smell, see, touch, or hear. It’s about emotion. And the feelings evoked when we take a bite, a sip, or even sit down for a meal.
But perhaps my favorite part was meeting everyone who was there, exchanging business cards, talking shop over drinks, or sitting down for an intimate group dinner. And learning that though we all come from different places, and are inspired by different things, food is the common thread that unites us. Stay tuned for Part 3 of my IFBC posts, where I will share with you 3 goals I am committing to accomplishing over the next year.
At this year’s IFBC, food bloggers were offered a discount in exchange for writing 3 posts about the conference. These posts and the content are of my own choosing, and I am grateful to IFBC for making it possible to attend the conference.