Tuesday, August 28, 2012

IFBC and Be Seen

Photo courtesy of Robin Ove, from
the blog, What About the Food
Michele and I just returned from a wonderful long weekend in Portland, where we attended the 2012 International Food Bloggers Conference. It was our first visit to “Stumptown,” and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay (although, I never did see even one stump).

People were very friendly, and the local food scene was as vibrant and interesting as I’d heard it would be, but the highlight was the photography workshop I got to participate in with my friend, and celebrated NY Times food photographer/writer, Andrew Scrivani.

Despite a few minor glitches, we somehow managed to fool the large audience into thinking we’d put on an informative and highly entertaining show. My theory is that they were so hung over from the night before that they weren’t fully aware what was going on, but nevertheless, the reviews on Twitter were embarrassingly positive.

In case you missed it, here’s a video that my friends at Jenn-Air shot, showing some highlights from the session. I’d like to thank them for sponsoring the event, along with Anolon, Wüsthof, OXO, and Ninja. Also, a huge thank you to Sheri, Barnaby, and the rest of the Foodista/Zephyr Adventures’ team for inviting me to participate, and for putting on such a fun event. See you next year in Seattle!

For additional coverage of the event, I invite you to check out Andrew’s IFBC post, as well as my new friend Paola Thomas’ entertaining recap here. Enjoy!


A Few Random Post-IFBC Thoughts:

Saying Goodbye to Social Media
It’s over. The social media bubble is just about to burst, and anyone who is unfortunate enough to be standing underneath it when it does is going to get soaked with scalding hot irony. That’s right, the very food bloggers whose unbridled enthusiasm for social self-promotion helped build this cheesy soufflé, are now tiring of the pungent scent, and openly rooting for its collapse. Shame on us. I’d do a Facebook poll to see what you think, but by the time I figure out how to set it up, the site will probably be down.

Instagram, FTW
One app immune to this social media fatigue is Instagram. It seems as though food bloggers love it just as much as the food in their pictures. It’s no wonder. Thanks to Instagram’s filters, those forgettable cell phone shots we used to post are now brilliant works of art…every one of them…brilliant. What used to be a blurry eggplant is now transformed into a scene so poignant, Joseph Pulitzer would weep. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to set up a shot of my cat sipping on a cappuccino.

Portland Has Great Food
Michele and I had one great meal after another during our stay. We enjoyed the uniquely delicious cuisine of Le Pigeon, got our smoke on at Ox, and dined al fresco at Departure, where we experienced a view as spectacular as Chef Gregory Gourdet’s food. And, don’t even get me started on the amazing local beer and cocktails. I look forward to a return trip soon, so we can check out all the places we missed. Thanks again to everyone to chimed in with recommendations!

7 comments:

JulieD said...

Portland has amazing food!! Glad you got to finally go! I love the video, sounds like it was a great presentation not just that people were hungover.

I'm completely in love with instagram. :)

Hope to see you in another town maybe at another food blog conference, John! It was great to meet you in Seattle!

Chef John said...

Thanks! It was great meeting you too!

Chibby said...

It's opposite day! Seeing CJ in a video,but not hearing him say a word.

Valerie's Kitchen said...

I was there and you and Andrew were a hilarious duo! So entertaining but also very informative. You really threw some good tips in there that I will use and the food smelled delicious! I really wanted one of those onion rings :)

Sheri said...

SO great having you at IFBC this year! Next year you and Andrew will be the FIRST act! You guys were awesome. Truly a great session. Thank you and I look forward to seeing you again soon. xoxo sheri

Vicki Wonters said...

We weren't that drunk, you were that funny! Hope to see you next year in Seattle too.

Chef John said...

Thank you so much!! Had a great time! Not sure if I could take the pressure of headlining though...I almost fainted like 5 times. ;)