Wow! What can I say that you haven’t already heard… Foodbuzz knows how to throw an event! From the location, seminars, vendors, guest speakers and of course FOOD, this was one rockin’ festival! The vibe was contagious and the foodies were aglow to meet each other, chat and eat! I was particularly excited by the commitment of Foodbuzz to invite speakers and local artisanal vendors committed to the local food movement and sustainability. Our entire evening banquet was held by Outstanding in the Field, whose mission is to re-connect diners to the land and the origins of their food, and to honor the local farmers and food artisans who cultivate it. Hat’s off to you Foodbuzz and your amazing team for an outstanding weekend!
Friday, November 6, 2009
Early Friday Morning, my sister, mami, and I boarded an airplane bound for San Francisco! I was so excited to finally visit as it’s my sister’s favorite U.S. city and she’s constantly raving about it. The Foodbuzz festival was set to have an opening reception/cocktail hour Friday evening, however, I decided to opt out and spend some time cruising the streets of SF with my sis and mami. Upon arrival, we gathered our bags, easily found the Bart (subway) and headed to our hotel in Union Square, Downtown SF! I love city life! The smell of fumes and restaurants, sounds of people and public transportation really do make me happy. Always brings me back to my favorite city, Sevilla!
After checking in, our first stop was China Town! By far, my favorite district in SF!
From the Hearst Ranch website
Hearst Ranch cattle graze freely over the 150,000 acres that make up our two ranches. They’re not only grass-fed, they’re finished on grass at the ranches, meaning that in the months before harvest they continue grazing outdoors to fatten up on spring grasses. This high-quality natural forage and the freedom of the cattle to roam are the keys to producing our healthful beef. The animals seek out the richest and most suitable feed for their growth stage, instinctively customizing their diets to their body’s needs.
During the discussion, Brian Kenny explained briefly about the differences between grass-fed meat versus conventional feed lots. Grass-fed meaning cattle are pastured and allowed to roam and eat grasses off the land as their bodies were created to do versus cattle raised in confined areas and fed diets of grains and corn. Most of my readers know this is a subject near and dear to my heart, so I was very excited to feel a part of the local food movement in California. Chef Paul Arenstam, Executive Chef of Americano Restaurant and Bar, buys his meat from Hearst Ranch. I was delighted to hear Chef Paul explain about the importance of establishing relationships with his farmers and producers to know exactly what type of product he is receiving. He actually spent time at the Hearst Ranch side by side the cattle that he would be serving his patrons of his restaurant. Now that is commitment! (Brings me back to my time spent at Ebersole Cattle Ranch in Southern Iowa!) His goals are to make the best hamburger in the United States and with the help of Hearst Ranch, I believe he will do it!
Alot of what Brian Kenny and Chef Paul were speaking about, I was already familiar with. However, it was interesting to hear the discussion of people wondering how to go about buying grass-fed beef. Being from Iowa, I take for granted my location and the resources I have for some of the best meat in the world. In Iowa we have basements, perfect locations for deep freezers and extra refrigerators. At the discussion, it became a reality that this isn’t the scenario for many people throughout our nation. So many of these folks come from large cities, living in small areas and grass-fed beef can cost an arm and a leg. I reduce my costs by buying grass-fed beef by the side and stocking my deep freeze for the year. Most of these people can barely fit a standard size refrigerator in their kitchen no less a deep freeze. So how are they able to provide the best for their family? I don’t know! I wish I had that answer. If you have any suggestions on this, please feel free to comment. I’m excited to write a post specifically on grass-fed beef encompassing some of these questions. I know for me, I find it very important to provide my family the best in nourishing foods. So for me and my family, we give up a lot of other things, such as movies or going out to eat, in order to pay a bit more for food. I also shop, utilizing many different sources to get the best bang for my buck. So I spend more time shopping for these products instead of getting it all at one place. Also, I do visit my farmers market every week to save money and buy organic. It saves me the most money and has allowed me to form great relationships with my farmers. I think for people living in the city in small areas, the best thing is to visit your farmers market, visit the farms, get to know the farmer, ask questions, ask about how you can start purchasing some of these products and their suggestions as to how you can start fitting this into your budget. You’d be surprised at how willing they are to help you. One thing is for sure, as soon as you see how much time, energy, and heart is put into raising your meat, you will start to understand why this product cost more. You will also be more willing to pay for meat knowing how it was raised, cared for and the nutritional value that far surpasses any conventional method. (And, there are NO HORMONES OR ANTIBIOTICS!!) If you’re one of these families that lives in large cities in small areas I also encourage you to visit, www.localharvest.org for a list of farmers in your area. Give them a call! Remember, Know Farmers… Know Food!!
After this heart felt discussion, I was pumped to hit the farmers market and find out what the San Francisco area farmers could bring to the table!
This lovely couple are Lora and Bob La Mar from Mendocino Sea Salt and Seasoning Company. After speaking to Lora and Bob, I’m pretty excited to do some more extensive research on Sea Salt. Expect a post in the near future!
.
As most of my readers probably already know, our evening awards ceremony and dinner was a “farm to table” feast held at Greenleaf’s produce warehouse. Dinner was was put on by Outstanding In The Field and catered by Chef Dennis Lee of Namu. It was a great atmosphere as tables wound around the entire warehouse in preparation for a family style feast.
The dinner and company was amazing! The dinner was Japanese fusion. I’m still drooling over the udan noodles with grilled calamari. The brussel sprouts were also to die for. Oh… and the oxtail was amazing… and the salmon… Okay… as you can tell, it was ALL delicious. Except for the soup. It was good, but way too cold for my liking.
During the event, I had the priviledge to sit next to Kimberly from Poor Girl Eats Well. I love to meet Latina’s!! She was so much fun and another great real person! We had great conversation and there may be a possible collaboration in the future. Keep your eyes peeled!!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
On Sunday, I also decided to opt-out of the final brunch to spend that time with my family. My sis, mami and I rented a car and toured most of San Francisco.
First Stop: The Golden Gate Bridge
I LOVED being able to meet & talk with you, Diana! I'm really looking forward to getting to know you better and working together soon. And can I just say how jealous I am of your pictures??? Just beautiful. Thanks for such a great post!
I also enjoyed meeting you Diana! I've been pouring over your blog and am so impressed with your passion for food, sharing recipes and your writing. Inspiring!
I am more convinced that I need to make a foodie trip to Iowa. Even better…lets lobby Foodbuzz to host the next festival in Iowa, and invite the local farmers to speak. 🙂
PS- your kids are adorable.
What a beautiful photo essay! Loved all that fabulous food, and some peeks at SF – looks like you had a great, great time!
Wow!!! It looks so amazing and sounds like such a fabulous time 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing with us!! Go Cubbies!
Beautiful recap Diana. So sorry I didn't meet you but glad you got to taste my pizzas!!
I am so sorry I couldn't come and meet you all. Next time I hope 🙂
What a fantastic post filled with great pictures and a wonderful commentary! It was so wonderful meeting you Diana! I am also so bummed that we all live so far apart!
fantastic recap! it's so cool that your family got to experience some of it as well with you. the discussion about grass feed and corn feed great too.
Great post and kudos to FoodBuzz for throwing such a great bash. Your photo journal is awesome.
Thanks for sharing.
This really sounds awesome! Looks like you all had a good time! You make me envious… 😉
Diana,
You've made me terribly homesick, I actually have tears in my eyes from seeing those photos. Prior to living in NYC, I lived in Sausalito, and for years in SF. It was much easier to eat fresh, local and organic. Since I haven't found a good solution out here for organic beef, I travel back to SF every 3-4 months, and bring back 30-40lbs of frozen beef and lamb from Prather Ranch in a cooler to NY. It's a lot of work, and I do feel some hypocrisy about it not being local, but I'm still searching for comparable quality, and plus we're committed to eating organic.
By the way, you are such a beautiful person, both on the outside and inside with your kindness!
Awesome picture of Lombard Street!
– Alison
Hello again Diana!
Looks like you had a blast! Did you get to try the restaurant next to the gates to Chinatown called Cafe de la Press? (right across the street from your top photo!) I miss that city. You've made me want to go back with all these photos!
And how fun that you got to meet everyone from FB.
Cheers,
Amber
Oh my, that just looks like such a great trip! wow, and great photos of SF!!!
OMG I'm so jealous. Great pics, and it looks like it was a blast!
OMG I'm so jealous. Great pics, and it looks like it was a blast!
Such a fabulous weekend! Wish I was there!
I can't believe we were both in the Farm to Table session and didn't meet! You did a great job sharing recapping the Festival and your experiences with la familia in San Francisco. Great photos (as usual).
Great recap and photos, Diana! It made me feel as though I was there. I'm sorry you didn't win anything, but glad you had such a great time.
I hope to meet you one of these days Diane. This a fabulous event to meet other food bloggers. It's something to look forward to.
Oh Chica! i had a fun time with you too!
I'm writting my blog of the FB festival as we speak… i know, i know… how slow … =) but will be up soon! have a cute pic of you, linda and poor girl on the bus!
Hi Diane,
It was so great to meet you at Foodbuzz! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy all the bread you bake! Love the picture! 🙂
Cheers, Zoë
What gorgeous photos and the story! It sounds like so much – I wish I could have been there…it's like seeing your favorite stars in real life – I can at least live vicariously through your lovely post.
Sounds like you had an amazing time! How wonderful that you got to have such a nice trip with your mom and your sister.
I loved reading your recap and looking at your truly beautiful pictures!
Ah … San Francisco is my favorite city! And what fun you had … honestly, I'm a bit jealous. All that food looked fabulous! And the new friends, even better!
awesome SF coverage! i love that city; the food, the beautiful buildings, all of it. thanks for sharing!
Looks like you had a FANTASTIC time. There is no way you cannot have a bad time if San Fran. It is one of my favorite vacation spots. Let me tell you I lived vicariously through your pics. The Lord blessed you in this trip, at least to have the opportunity, especially to go with family!
I'm glad you enjoyed yourself mama. It was a well deserved break from being Mom/Wife.
Love you dear.
I thought it was the time of my life, and I wish we could have met.
Enjoyed your post.
Well after that I'm feeling sad I didn't attend. I already consider San Francisco my favorite American city and meeting all the fabulous people behind all the words I read everyday would have been amazing. Maybe next year.
Great reporting.
Diana, It was such a pleasure to finally meet you in person! I'm so glad you were able to make it–it seriously made the weekend more than worth it. Now you've got me blushing…you are way too sweet! I have to say that I think YOU are going places girly. Your blog is A-MAZING. XOXO
Oh my goodness, thank you so much for these amazing comments! They all mean so much to me!
Christine – You made me cry just reading your comment! You are so sweet and I hope to meet you one day!
Devina – I hope to meet you one day as well!! Besitos!
Zoe – Wow! Thank you so much for visiting my blog! Thank you for writing such an amazing book that helps busy working mama's like myself make homemade bread! Amazing!
Steve – Thanks for stopping by! Definitely think about attending next year, so much fun!
many thanks for sharing this with us…glad you had such a wonderful experience and a fun time…thanks again…
What an amazing time everyone had at the conference. I am hoping Food Buzz will do it again next year. I would love to go! Thanks for sharing your pics with us.
It was susch a fun-filled and "foodie" packed weekend. Isn't Lombard St. a trip!!!
I soooo wish I was there. *tear*
Thank you for sharing!!!!!
Gorgeous photos & great post diana,
Looks like you had so much fun there,& oh meeting those great people ….
Thank you for sharing 🙂
Wow, you really are having a fantastic time there. Just look at the food but the best thing was to be able to meet all the blogger buddies. So much fun! I can see that on your face. Btw, I think the steamed bun filling is way too little! hehe….
I loved meeting you and I love your pictures!! It was a really great weekend, wasn't it?! Check out my blog for a fun giveaway!
cheesewineandchocolate.blogspot.com
Diana,
What a wonderful write up and it looks like you, your sister, and Mom had so much fun. -Tien
Sorry we didn't get a chance to meet but looks like we followed some of the same footsteps. Such a fabulous time!!! Such nice memories.
Great writeup! The best part about it is meeting up with fellow foodies. Wish we could have been there.