I actually didn’t take too many pictures at the tasting pavilion because I was busy, well, tasting!
Here are the ones I do have, supplemented with ones borrowed from my roommates Danica, Holly, Susan, and Janetha.
Before heading into the tasting, Kyle and my sister joined up with me (I’m not the only foodie in my family). :)
So stripe-y. We took some photos in the sunshine…and then the clock struck one and it was time to go.
Waiting for the event to start reminded me of being in a corral before a running race. We were all ushered up to the entrance with our ears craned in anticipation of the go-ahead. And a runner is the nicer of the two analogies that came to mind, because it was also very much like we were a bunch of cattle being herded into the slaughterhouse (hideous, right?). Sorry.
Either way, once the flood gates opened, there was definitely a mini-stampede to get to the food. Ha!
First on the menu was 479 popcorn – a company I had never heard of until the festival. I was a little daring, trying the Ginger Sesame & Caramel flavor. It tasted mostly like caramel corn, and I didn’t really taste much in the ginger or sesame department. I got a sample to take home in my swag bag so I’m looking forward to trying out another flavor.
Frog Hollow Farm had cheese and pear platters set out, plus they gave us all a bag with granola, dried fruit, and some other goodies. I tried the pears, but couldn’t really say if it was anything extraordinary. I was hungry, so of course it tasted good. I do have a fresh pear sample from their farm still, so that may be a second shot for a review.
There were a LOT of different wine vendors.
Seriously, the booze to food ratio was really surprising! There were nearly the same number of alcohol brands as food companies.
I think I had more of Jakq’s cabernet than any other wine. And what’s better than pairing a nice glass of red with some nibbles and bites…
This table provided most of the food for my wine pairings. I practically had to tackle other bloggers to get my plate of dried figs, apricots, salted cashews, raw almonds, crackers, and grapes.
When it came to Alexia Foods’ goodies, there was a rather extensive line. I thought I was so clever waiting until later in the day to return to the stand, but when I finally made my way back, there was only one flavor left (Carolina BBQ Sweet Potato). Flavor-wise I liked it, but the inside was mushy. Maybe because they made them in bulk? However, the whole point of Alexia’s stand was to have us, as foodies, taste and review all four new flavors to help choose a favorite (which, in theory, will be the next product they launch). Difficult to do after trying just one flavor…
Anyways, I definitely like the idea of frozen sweet potato fries, so I am excited to use my coupons for a free package.
The recipes for these shortbread biscuits and apple squash soup were definitely amazing. I tip my hat to you Tyler Florence. They made me one without the crème fraiche on top. I got a copy of the recipe and it seems so simple. I added it to the ever growing to-make list.
Fresh Express had a stand too. Finally, some greens!!
After the morning session sponsored by Fresh Express, I was happy to get the opportunity to ask them about their product. You see, I don’t really like bagged salad mixes or lettuces. I’ve never seen an organic variety by Fresh Express, which is a major negative in my eyes. Also the plastic bags produce way too much waste for my liking. And even if the bags weren’t made of plastic, they still use a ton of fuel to ship them all over the country.
I prefer local organic lettuce. The impact on the Earth is negligible in comparison, and the lettuce is better. Sorry Fresh Express, I’m just saying what I think.
In their defense(ish), they did have a new bag design on display with less plastic, but I’m still am not a fan because it will never be more eco-friendly to buy a bag of lettuce that has been shipped from some farm factory who-knows-where. Buy local! Buy organic!
The salad wasn’t anything super creative. It had quinoa in it, which was a nice effort to be unique. The dressing was weird though, and there was something oddly smoky/bacon-y about it. Hmmm…
Cupcakes are such a fad right now.
Which is good news for Mission Minis.
And guess what!? This time they had a vegan flavor! Good news for me.
The ones on the right in the above photo were the vegan “cupcakes.” I used quotations because they weren’t really true cupcakes. In my opinion, cupcakes are defined by two very distinct characteristics; (a) their thick frosting layer of icing and (b) their fluffy cakey-y base.
These were more or less small banana bread bites. There wasn’t frosting (boo) and the inside reminded me of banana bread, not dessert cake. I don’t mind banana bread, so it was all good in my book, but don’t call it a vegan cupcake, because it’s not.
Now that’s a cupcake.
Next on the menu, some real food.
The line to get the tacos was INSANELY long. As in, tick tock half an hour later I still haven’t moved any closer.
It was worth the wait though. They had every single topping imaginable! Mango, avocado, pineapple, pico de gallo salsa, jicima, a squeeze of lime, and who-knows-what-else on top of corn tortillas and wild Alaskan salmon.
Second to the Tyler Florence soup and biscuit combo, this was my fave.
After lunch, it was time for (more) dessert.
Annie the Baker!
This is a borrowed photo. I only tried the peanut butter flavor. It was like cookie dough it was so dense. Wowzers.
The last thing I sample were the Lactaid smoothies. The avocado vanilla one (middle) tasted like a combo of guacamole and a vanilla pudding Snack Pack. Totally weird. The pumpkin one (far right) was insanely thick. It actually had a really good flavor going on, but it wasn’t cold. Room temperature smoothies aren’t my thing.
All in all, there were kinda a large number of misses in my opinion. Again, I wasn’t overly impressed with the vegan options. Maybe I’m being super critical, but it just wasn’t as great as I thought it would be. I mean, I get samples in the mail all the time, and I rarely have anything negative to say about them. Whereas reading back on this post, I feel like Debbie Downer. Let me assure you that I enjoyed myself and would do it all over again.
I thought the Frog Hollow dried peaches were the best thing I tried. I already ordered more plus granola for me and as a gift for my sister. Thought the fish taco line was not worth the wait.
But this is why you’re awesome because not many others (besides me) would rail on about plastic bags and lack of organic produce. And you were nice enough to not hate me when I ate bacon for breakfast.
I was full after two halibut tacos so I missed the cookies, darnit!
I have loved hearing everyone else’s take on the pavilion. I realize that I missed a whole lot of stuff ow that I see some recaps! Dangit. I loved that butternut soup, too. I honestly never thought about plastic bags and salad. That’s why I like you, you bring stuff like that up. Well, because of that and several other reasons 😉 xo
I.WANT.THAT.LACTAID.AVO DRANK. In the Philippines, I had always had avocados in some dessert form; avocado ice cream, shaved ice wit avocado with condensed milk or sugar, or just basic avocado mashed with sugar. When I discovered guacamole, I was shocked! But I’m so glad the western world is embracing avo in a sweet form. Let’s get some of that!
So jealous after reading everyone’s foodbuzz recaps! Would have loved to meet so many awesome bloggers, but we’ve met before so that’s some consolation. 🙂
That event does seem like it would have been a downer for a vegan. I feel like Foodbuzz should have known better!
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holy popcorn i would be in heaven!
between yours, janetha’s and holly’s recaps i’m more jeal then a girl should be!
Yay not too much in the veggie department…maybe next year they will have more ; )
I sure wish I got to hang out with you girls more! Next time 😉
I heard a nasty rumor that the soup had chicken stock in it. Hoping it’s not true because I had a few of them…
Mama Pea just veganized the PB Annie the Baker cookies and I am SO EXCITED to see her post on them!!
love the recap, booze to food ratio is critical. haha!
have you ever had the cupcakes @ golden mean vegan in santa monica?! they’re AH-mazing!!!
ooo…now im really excited to try them!
i agree…i mean they did ASK about dietary preferences. still, the gala dinner was a blast, so it was worth it. next time you come to nor cal, we will meet up again!
next time. definitely. i suppose foodbuzz made up for the rest of the weeks vegan-less-ness with the gala dinner.
NO! boo. i hope not. i was worried about potential butter in the shortbread, but they said no…i hate that i cant really trust them. i expect more from a food festival. ah well, whats done is done.
I agree wholeheartedly with you about eating local/ organic. It would be nice to do this all year around in a warmer climate but in areas where the winters are longer and much colder, it is quite difficult and I still crave salads in the winter. Here in Idaho, I can grow a nice garden and can/ freeze as much as possible, otherwise, it’s salad in a bag until next summer 🙁 BTW, I am so glad I found your blog! I really love the siplicity of your recipes and how much of your approach is ” make somthing healthy with what I already have”. My daughter started college away from home this year and her stomach issues have steered her into a much healthier direction but are contradictory to the usual college cafeteria eating options (as I am sure you can attest to:>). She has access to a kitchen and refridgerator in her pod so she has the unique freedom to prepare her own meals so I sent her the link to your blog. She can relate to your busy schedule and gets much inspiration to keep it simple and still keep it healthy! She has shared your blog with other college friends as well! Thank you for your wonderful recipes and your upbeat and fun to read blog!
no…but its literally ACROSS the street from me. so clearly i have no excuse.
Thank you SO much for this kind comment. It truly warms my heart to know that others get something out of what I write. I hope your daughter is able to use my blog to get some ideas and hopefully figure out a lifestyle that works for her. Thanks for passing it on to her and others!
I can’t get over that the four of you ladies roomed together. Not only are you four of my favorite bloggers, but all of you I actually have like a real-life blogging correspondence with. Which rarely happens, like everybody I love in one spot. Looks like it was a blast! Wish I could have been there- but you know I have to keep up with my Hell’s Kitchen life here in ny. 🙂
I agree with you….last year there were a lot more different samples, things to take home/experiment with yourself (I like that part) and fun demonstrations from people you know.
It was fun and there are things I liked better about each year….I LOVED that they let us bring others though this year 🙂