IFBC: The First and Best Food Blogger Conference!
We are thrilled to announce that IFBC is coming back to Seattle in 2014!
Register for 2014!
Organized by Foodista.com and Zephyr Adventures, IFBC was the first-ever conference for food bloggers, first held in May of 2009. The series focuses on three themes: Food, Writing, and Technology. This event will feature high-quality educational sessions, personal networking opportunities, and what 95% of attendees say is the best food and wine of any blogging conference! Join us for our SIXTH annual conference again in beautiful Seattle, Washington!
Dates: September 19 - 21, 2014
Location: The Westin Seattle
Registration Fee: $395 / $95
2013 SOLD OUT fast, so be sure to register early for 2014!!
*The cost of registration for all participants is $395. However, new in 2013, for food bloggers with an active blog who agree to write at least three posts about the conference, the cost is only $95. You can choose to write about anything you want - the conference itself, the venue, the sponsors, or the food - and can do so before, during, or immediately after the conference. This is our way of supporting food bloggers as you attempt to make a living (or cut costs from) your food blogging.
Above photo by Seattle Municipal Archives
Submitted by Guest Contributor on September 6, 2013
From the land of Prada, Gucci, Ferrari and all things wonderfully Italian, comes Franciacorta: Italy’s premium sparkling wine. Full of refreshing and fruity flavors, the wines are also rich and complex. They are produced in the same classic or traditional method as Champagne. Sparkling wines have been paired with everything from fresh seafood to French fries and cheesecake; they are some of the most food-versatile in the world. There are different sweetness levels and styles that beg for different food partners.
Here are some of our suggestions, but something tells us that you all, as IFBC participants, will have some really intriguing pairings ideas.
So, what do you think? Italian bubbles and ….. ? Some of our ideas here:
Undose - The driest version of Franciacorta Wonderful as an aperitif, with medium-aged cheeses, risotto dishes , rainbow trout with herbs, oysters on the half shell
Extra Brut – With sushi, shellfish--Dungeness and Alaskan king crab, sautéed scallops—a wide variety of seafood.
Brut - Perfect throughout the meal, but especially with salads (ie Caesar), steamed clams, lobster with drawn butter, crab salad sandwiches, french fries (!), fried chicken, fish and chips
Extra Dry - Great as an aperitif for those who are not fond of very dry wines , and paired with savory flans, baked vegetables, quiche of leeks and ham, creamy vegetable soups such as pumpkin
Sec, Dry – Super with soft, tangy, fatty cheeses like Taleggio or blue cheeses like Gorgonzola; also biscuits, petits fours, fruit tarts and simple almond shortbread
Demi Sec - Excellent between meals with tangy cheeses. Also a fine partner for traditional Italian cakes like Panettone and Pandoro—but also incredible with New York cheesecake
And these special styles:
Satèn (lower bottle pressure, white grapes only)- superb with baked pasta, subtly flavored risottos, fish-based dishes and roast chicken
Rosé – terrific served with salami, sausages, mushroom dishes, asparagus or radicchio risottos. Eggplant parmigiana, fish soups, lamb and veal are also wonderful with rosé.
Share your suggested pairing ideas with all of us at the conference, would you? We'll se you at the Taste of Seattle and Gourmet Fair!
This post is brought to you by Franciacorta.
Submitted by Guest Contributor on September 5, 2013
The Beef Checkoff funded National Beef Cook-Off® and the US Potato Board are excited to partner at IFBC this year to showcase the delicious flavors of beef and potatoes! Here are two great beef and potato recipes we will be serving during Friday’s Taste of Seattle and Gourmet Fair, Simple Beef & Potato Skillet Olé and Simple Spanish Beef & Potato Wraps. Stop by our table to taste these dishes and receive recipe cards and more great information.
Calorie for calorie, beef is one of the most nutrient-rich foods. Not only does it provide several essential nutrients, but it has one of the highest concentrations of protein, vitamin B-12 and zinc compared to many other proteins. To sign-up to receive National Beef Cook-Off E-Newsletters twice a month contact us on www.beefcookoff.org. Find information on cooking with beef and discover great recipes here.
Don’t forget, one medium-sized skin-on potato has 110 calories, more potassium than a banana, almost half your daily value of vitamin C (45 percent) and zero fat, sodium and cholesterol. Sign-up here to receive a new potato recipe in your email in-box each week. For microwave cooking basics with potatoes visit Cooking Basics here.
Submitted by Guest Contributor on September 5, 2013
Celebrating its 200th anniversary in 2014, Wüsthof is a family-owned and managed company with a rich heritage crafting premium-quality cutlery and knife sharpening tools that are highly sought after by chefs and avid home cooks. All Wüsthof knives are made in Solingen, Germany, the company’s headquarters since it’s founding in 1814.
Wüsthof’s precision-forged, full-tang cutlery collections, such as Classic, Classic Ikon, Grand Prix II, Precision, and Epicure, feature the company’s exclusive Precision Edge Technology (PEtec), a patented advancement that increases blade sharpness by 20 percent, and increases edge retention for twice as long. Gourmet, Wüsthof’s popular collection at moderate price points, features a wide assortment of well-crafted laser-stamped knives. All Gourmet knives that are 4-inches in length and longer are full-tang.
New for this season are several specialty knives to enhance preparation of specific cuisines and dishes, such as: the Classic 9-inch Sushi Knife with an angled, single edge blade to flawlessly cut thin slices of raw fish; the Gourmet 14-inch Hollow Edge Brisket Slicer with a supremely long and narrow blade that’s rounded at the tip to effortlessly cut the thinnest, cleanest slices of brisket and other large cuts of roasted and grilled meats; and the Classic 7-inch Chinese Cleaver, a lighter style cleaver with a thin, razor-sharp edge for superior control slicing through all kinds of vegetables.
Also new and noteworthy: the Grand Prix II 9-inch Double Serrated Bread Knife, which features an exclusive blade design with two rows of serrations to minimize crumbs when slicing crusty loaves; and the Gourmet 8-inch Vegetable Knife with a distinctive blade design that combines a row of holes topped with a ridge to significantly reduce friction, and allow even the stickiest ingredients to easily slide off the blade.
Wüsthof’s “defining the Edgë” branding campaign salutes edgy young chefs and culinary professionals who share the brand’s distinction of challenging the status quo in pursuit of excellence. To learn more about “defining the Edgë, please visit Wüsthof’s multi-media rich site.
GIVEAWAY!! Visit us at the 2013 IFBC to enter our giveaway for a chance to win one of 5 new Classic 7-inch Chai Dao Knives (prizes will be conveniently shipped), and to see what’s new for the fall season. For more information about Wüsthof, please visit www.wüsthof.com and www.wusthofedge.com. Be sure to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
Submitted by Guest Contributor on September 5, 2013
Anolon® gourmet cookware is the premier brand offered by Vallejo, California-based Meyer Corporation, U.S., the largest cookware company in America. Meticulously crafted in stainless steel, copper, hard anodized aluminum, and clad metals, Anolon cookware collections include several distinctive collections, such as: Anolon Tri-Ply, Anolon Nouvelle Copper, Anolon Nouvelle Copper Stainless Steel, Anolon Advanced, and Anolon Advanced Bronze. Anolon products also include high quality bakeware and kitchen tools.
New for fall 2013, Anolon Tri-Ply is pro-style clad cookware featuring three layers of metals – a thick inner layer of fast and even-heating aluminum that’s permanently bonded to cooking surface layer of non-reactive stainless steel, and a gleaming exterior layer of highly polished stainless steel. The cookware’s clad construction ensures optimum heat conductivity and heat distribution to prevent hot spots. All items in the collection are oven safe to 500 degrees F., dishwasher-safe, and compatible with all cooktops, including induction ranges.
As its name implies, patented Anolon Nouvelle Copper Cookware incorporates copper – a metal unmatched in its ability to deliver fast and even heat – in an innovative manner. Each piece in the cookware collection features a thick base of stainless clad aluminum enhanced by a layer of copper. This innovation increases a pan’s responsiveness to heat, and eliminates hot spots that can scorch food and ruin a dish’s flavor.
Available in both Hard Anodized Nonstick and pro-style Stainless Steel, Anolon Nouvelle Copper’s design has an attractive tulip-shape body, with hollow-core, cast stainless steel handles that remain cool to the touch during most stovetop use. Anolon Nouvelle Copper Hard Anodized Nonstick features flat rivets that lie flush within the interior of the pan for easy cleaning. Both collections’ close-fitting, highly polished stainless steel lids add a dash of sophistication to today’s upscale kitchen designs. Perfect for range and oven use, Anolon Nouvelle Copper Cookware is oven-safe to 500 degrees F.
Visit us at the 2013 IFBC to enter our giveaway for a chance to win one of 50 Anolon skillets (prizes will be conveniently shipped), and to see what’s new for the fall season in several collections. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more product information, cooking tips and recipe ideas.
Submitted by Guest Contributor on September 4, 2013
Are you interested in becoming better versed in food and wine pairing? Fortunately, the fundamentals of pairing are simple. Rich pairs with rich, light pairs with light and, you guessed it, sweet pairs with sweet.
However, like any relationship, the marriage between food and wine becomes more nuanced as your palette and preference begins to develop. For instance, you’ll quickly discover that tannic, dry wines pair well with fats, while acidic wines are generally always meant to mix with acidic food.
The easiest place to begin your journey is with regional pairings. Wine has been an essential part of the French dinner table for centuries and has influenced, and been influenced by regional cuisine through the ages. Download our red, white, rosé and sweet Bordeaux wine guides for a closer look at how to pair Bordeaux with French and other international cuisines.
With over 63 appellations and 6 grape varietals, wines from Bordeaux are the perfect place to begin and end your romance with food and wine pairing. Whether you lean toward Merlot, Cabernet, Malbec, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, or Muscadelle, there’s likely a Bordeaux blend that will complement your meal.
Try a dry white from Entre-Deux-Mers to pair with a salad or pasta dressed in vinaigrette, find a Merlot based Bordeaux blend to pair with the perfect burger, or download our Latin food and wine recipe book by Chef Doreen Colondres, ¡Viva Bordeaux!, for a closer look at the versatility of Bordeaux.
For more info and resources, please visit us at bordeaux.com. Or, join us at this year’s IFBC 2013 where we’ll be hosting an interactive workshop on wine writing.
Until then, santé!
This post is presented by Bordeaux.com.
Pages
Registration
$395 for non-blogger participants (industry, media relations professionals, etc.)
Conference Information
Who Should Attend
Bloggers, Food Writers & Cookbook Authors
Publishers, Agents & Editors
Food Brand / Restaurant Marketers
Public Relations Professionals