Food Blog Camp 2011
It never ceases to amaze me how quickly you can go from this…
To this.
I am back in snowy Charlotte today after a whirlwind five day trip to Playa del Carmen for Food Blog Camp 2011. The weather was amazing, the information informative, and the food delicious. We learned everything from food styling with Matt Armendariz and Adam Pearson, to Photography with Todd and Diane Chu, to the business of blogging with Jaden Hair, David Lebovitz, and Elise Bauer.
Learning the Art of Food Styling
The Grand Velas hotel was stunning. Just take a look at a few of these pictures if you don’t believe me.
We were able to get up close and personal with the chefs and see them performing their craft. It was a true treat to have the opportunity to not only watch these chefs in action, but document the experience as well.
There is just something so surreal about sitting at dinner chatting the intricacies of blogging with David Lebovitz and Jaden Hair one night and Elise Bauer the next. You feel as though you have a front seat to learn what it takes to be successful in the online world. The leaders treated each and every blogger as their peer and were generous in sharing their knowledge of what brought them to where they were today.
Everything else aside though, I have to say that the best part of the entire trip were the amazing women (and a few men) that shared the experience. Women like Jen, my roommate, from Eating Clean Recipes, Susan from Swoon my Spoon, Fran from Frantastic Food, Sally from Bake Cupcakes and Maggie from Loaded Kitchen, who’s still stuck in Cancun until tomorrow because of the Snowmaggedan occurring here in the south today (stay safe girlie!).
Susan and Maggie Posing for a Shot at the Pool
A can’t imagine a more perfect experience. Thank you to KerryGold, our sponsor, Grand Velas our hosts, and Jaden, Todd and Diane, Matt and Adam, David, and Elise for putting together the best food blog camp yet!
Links to Other Food Blog Camp Writeups:
What’s Gaby Cooking: Food Blog Camp – Cancun
David Lebovitz: Food Blogger Camp 2011
Savury and Sweet: Food Blog Camp 2011
Acorns and Apples: Mini Mexican Update
Foodie Bride: The Greatest Job in the World
Daily Nibbles: Hello from Mexico
Kitchen Conundrum: Hola Mexico! Part Uno.
A Communal Table: What I Learned: Food Blogger Camp 2011
Family Fresh Cooking: Food Blogger Camp Riviera Maya
Pinch My Salt: Wordless Wednesday – My Kind of Camping Trip
Matt Bites: Food Blog Camp 2011 in Mexico
Adventures of an Amateur Foodie: Mas del Food Blog Camp 2011
White on Rice Couple: Food Blog Camp 2011 and Dancing Video
Kitchen Corners: Food Blogger Camp 2011
Steamy Kitchen: Food Blog Camp 2011
Together in Food: Life Lessons from Food Blogger Camp 2011
Bake Cupcakes: Oh Mexico! Food Blogger Camp
Eating Clean Recipes: Food Blog Camp 2011, Notes and Gratitude
Undercover Caterer: Escape from Grand Velas!
Pinch my Salt: What I Learned in Mexico
Additional Pictures of the event: Food Blog Camp Flickr Photos
A fun video put together by Todd and Diane of White on Rice Couple: Food Blog Camp 2011
Food Blog Camp – Cancun — January 10, 2011 @ 4:19 pm
[...] Mommy Cooks: Food Blog Camp 2011 [...]
Katerina — January 10, 2011 @ 4:22 pm
I would love to be in that beach and at the camp. I can see that you had a great time!
FOOD BLOG CAMP: Highlights from Paradise « daily nibbles — January 10, 2011 @ 4:31 pm
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Laura in Cancun — January 10, 2011 @ 4:40 pm
What a beautiful hotel! I’ve heard how amazing it is, but seeing pictures shows me that there are no words
Glad you had a great time here in my little corner of the world!
Julie replied: — January 10th, 2011 @ 5:20 pm
Laura,
I apologize again for not coming out to see you. I felt just terrible about it.
It was definitely a beautiful hotel. A once in a lifetime opportunity for sure!
JulieD — January 10, 2011 @ 5:01 pm
That’s so awesome that you went! Looks like fun!
Ma What's For Dinner — January 10, 2011 @ 5:09 pm
Looks like it was an amazing time. So jealous…SIGH…maybe next time!
Alex
Kim @ Quit Eating Out {Recipes to Make Dining Out a Choice, Not a Chore} — January 10, 2011 @ 6:29 pm
What an amazing time that must have been!!! SO happy for you to have gone to this. Enjoy settling back at home…. even with the snow.
David — January 10, 2011 @ 6:37 pm
So glad you had a great time…love your pictures!
(But sorry you had to return home to snow)
Food Blog Camp: The Round-Ups — January 10, 2011 @ 7:32 pm
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savuryandsweet — January 10, 2011 @ 8:39 pm
can’t tell you how jealous i was of you in NC. had to go through security again to get home
i feel your pain with coming back to cold weather from 80 degrees… can’t seem to get any sympathy from the husband.
Brenda — January 10, 2011 @ 9:01 pm
Lucky you Julie, I can only imagine what a fantastic time you must have had. David Lebovitz – wow!
5 Star Foodie — January 10, 2011 @ 9:24 pm
What a fun experience, sounds like you had a terrific time!
anne — January 10, 2011 @ 9:25 pm
what a great time you must have had, looks super fun! anne
bunkycooks — January 10, 2011 @ 10:16 pm
I am glad that you had such a great time in Cancun! Such a bummer to return to the snow after all that sunshine!
FoodBlogCamp 2011 – DAY TWO « saVUryandsweet — January 10, 2011 @ 11:04 pm
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Food Blog Camp 2011 Near Cancun Mexico: Industry Leaders & Students — Family Fresh Cooking — January 10, 2011 @ 11:05 pm
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Pattyann — January 11, 2011 @ 12:04 am
This looks like it would have been amazing!!
Nuts about Food — January 11, 2011 @ 7:53 am
Looks like you had a great, interesting time. Now you have to teach us some of what you learned!
Sarah @ Mum In Bloom — January 11, 2011 @ 8:27 am
Julie I swoon at those photos! The scenery, the food! I am just so happy for you. What a wonderful opportunity & I’m so glad you got to go. You obviously LOVE what you do & this experience will enhance that. You go girl.. you’re an inspiration to all of us
Faith — January 11, 2011 @ 9:53 am
How exciting! Wish I was there. Seems you had a lot of fun there. Thanks for sharing your exirince. The pictures look great!
OK Chick — January 11, 2011 @ 11:45 am
I need to come to your house I love snow, but I also love the beach. By the way, you have a pretty house if that’s the outside.
OMG! Yummy — January 11, 2011 @ 2:58 pm
So jealous of you but so happy that you had the chance to go! I was lucky to spend my summer vacation at the hotel and was just blown away by the food, service, and views. The only thing missing was the up-close experience with the chefs and camp leaders. Just couldn’t get away at this time of year. It’s been a blast to read all the tweets and stories.
Maybe next year… and welcome back!
10 Lessons From Food Blog Camp 2011 — January 11, 2011 @ 5:05 pm
[...] Mommy Cooks: Food Blog Camp 2011 [...]
A little bit of everything — January 11, 2011 @ 8:51 pm
welcome back Julie
seems you had a wonderful time.
and again it’s snowing in NC but here in VA just few snowflakes
best wishes,
Roxana
Anna Johnston — January 11, 2011 @ 9:12 pm
So jealous you got to experience such an awesome adventure in such a fabulous place surrounded by all these foodie rockstars…, what an experience huh
rebecca — January 11, 2011 @ 11:42 pm
very cool Julie give us all some tips please!
Monet — January 12, 2011 @ 1:13 am
Hi Julie! Wow…what a change in climates, huh? I hope you are adjusting back to this cold! I loved seeing a few more of your pictures and reading about your experience. What a great opportunity! What an amazing group of people. Thanks for sharing, sweet girl. Eat well tomorrow!
Suzanne — January 12, 2011 @ 9:27 am
Oh that looks like it was so fun, love that Jaden and Diane and Todd. What a bummer to come home to all that white stuff
diane and todd — January 12, 2011 @ 11:40 am
what wonderful photographs to highlight a great week! Thank you for coming, we had so much fun with you.
Even your winter photograph looks lovely, but wow, what a drastic weather change you went through after Mexico! xo
Wordless Wednesday: My Kind of Camping Trip — Pinch My Salt — January 12, 2011 @ 7:57 pm
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Food Blog Camp! ¡HOLA! MÉXICO! Recap | Kitchen Conundrum — January 12, 2011 @ 9:55 pm
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Food Blog Camp 2011 in Mexico | Cooking — January 13, 2011 @ 4:01 am
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Joey @ Big Teeth & Clouds — January 13, 2011 @ 12:12 pm
I’m definitely switching to food blogging! What a sweet venue!
Esarn Food — January 14, 2011 @ 3:05 am
Great Post…Thank You!!!
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Fran — January 14, 2011 @ 7:35 am
Love the juxtaposition of the two photos. What a difference, huh? I’m so glad I got to meet you and hope we can meet up again in the not too distant future. Afterall, we are algin and cocoa bean buddies, which reminds me, I need to look up algin.
Life Lessons From Food Blogger Camp 2011 « Together In Food — January 14, 2011 @ 9:03 am
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Jen — January 16, 2011 @ 10:52 pm
Talk about back to reality. So glad we were Food Blog Camp roomies. Always good to make new friends that love food as much as me!
Caryn Ross — January 17, 2011 @ 10:12 am
I had NO idea there was a food blog camp!? Do they do these sort of trips every year? Because if so, I would LOVE to go next year and join all my fellow foodie bloggers!
Escape From Grand Velas! | Undercover Caterer — January 18, 2011 @ 9:02 am
[...] Food Blog Camp 2011 (Mommy Cooks!) [...]
Maranda — January 18, 2011 @ 11:44 am
That looks incredible! I’m glad you had a great time!
What I Learned in Mexico — Pinch My Salt — January 18, 2011 @ 5:20 pm
[...] Food Blog Camp 2011 from Mommy Cooks! [...]
Biren @ Roti n Rice — January 19, 2011 @ 12:15 am
Sounds like you had a fun time. Wish I was there.
Lamb — January 19, 2011 @ 10:05 am
Oh, I am just soooooo freakin’ jealous of you right now
Thank you for sharing your amazing photos! It looks like Food Blog Camp was a blast!
Penny — February 2, 2011 @ 10:27 am
Now I want to be a food blogger
looks like so much fun! Visiting from SITS.
Food Bloggers Camp 2011 | Grand Velas Riviera Maya — November 6, 2012 @ 1:52 am
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