BlogHer Food 2014 in Miami Recap

BlogHer Food 2014 in Miami was a weekend full of food, fun and friends! Read my recap of the best events, restaurants and scenes from the weekend.

From left to right: Lindsay, Tanya, Carrie, Julie, Krista, Angie, Me, Jessica, Jen, and Cathy

BlogHer Food in Miami was so much fun!! It has taken me the entire week just to recover from all of the food, fun and little sleep. I can’t believe how much I did in 3 days. With so many dinners, parties, speakers, and other bloggers to meet, it was hard to do everything. I did the best with my time in Miami, and enjoyed a little of everything. I had a blast, met some great people and ate some incredible food. The main reason I had a great time was because I was able to spend time with other bloggers. These ladies are sweet, fun and the absolute best people to share my weekend in Miami!

Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram for snapshots of my life beyond the food.

Front Row: Krista, Me, Lindsay
Back Row: Tanya, Carrie, Julie, Jess
Bloggers you can’t see in this picture: Julianne, Cathy, Angie, Jen

Each night there were a lot of parties and events to attend, and it was impossible to do everything. There were a few events I definitely did not want to miss.

Stonyfield, Organic Valley and Applegate hosted a wonderful event at Essensia Restaurant in Miami Beach. The menu consisted of items featuring their cheese, meat and yogurt. After appetizers and drinks, they lead a panel discussing the importance of organic agriculture and family farming. I loved learning more about organic products direct from the farmers themselves. The event was informative, fun and relaxing after a hectic day of travel. They also sent us home with a really nice bag of swag.

Me, Lindsay, Julianne, Cathy, Krista and Tanya

After the Stonyfield event ended, I headed over to the CliqueMe party hosted by Jenny and Amanda. The party was held in their gorgeous penthouse suite overlooking the bay. With an amazing view and delicious ice cream, I knew that I ended up in the right place.

Friday night’s events consisted of a wonderful dinner hosted by McCormick at the Mondrian Hotel in South Beach. The McCormick party was one of my favorite events during the entire weekend. The location was perfect and the tasting menu was incredible.

I can’t stop thinking about the Salmon Toastada and Sichuan Cashew Sauce. Chef Kevan prepared a wonderful tasting menu and we were able to sample three types of paprika and two types of cinnamon. I tried Saigon cinnamon for the first time and loved the rich, intense flavor. They gave us a booklet with all of the recipes for the dishes we tasted that evening which is perfect because I can’t wait to make them at home.

The “make your own spice” station at the McCormick event was a nice personal touch.

After the McCormick party I headed over to the Epic Hotel for an event hosted by CrunchPak and Duda Fresh Farms. More food, fun and friends awaited me when I arrived. We sipped drinks, talked about the whirlwind weekend we were having and enjoyed gorgeous views of Miami. And then my personal yacht picked me up.

The daytime hours were mostly filled with conference sessions. I also attended a breakfast on Saturday morning hosted by Jamba Juice. It was fun sampling a few of their new flavors.

BlogHer hosted a closing party on Saturday night. Unfortunately, I didn’t take too many pictures at the event. I met Cotille from Stitch Fix while I was wearing my favorite Stitch Fix dress. I loved learning more about Stitch Fix from Cotille. The more I learn, the more I love it!

So what else did we do while we were in Miami? Eat! In between the conference events, the parties, and the sleep, we made plenty of time for dinning at some of Miami’s best restaurants.

Dining with food bloggers is the best thing ever. I really wish I could get together with these ladies more often.

Swine in Coral Gables was first stop on our list. Between the five of us, we ordered Fried Green Tomatoes, 1855 Black Angus Burnt Ends, The Swine Burger, Kale Salad, Crispy Pork Caesar Salad, Shrimp and Grits, Crispy Brussels Sprouts, Homemade Cornbread, Mac & Cheese, Warm Sticky Icky Bun, Cookies and Bourbon Milk, and The Swine Shake. Yes, I know that sounds like a lot of food for even five people, but food bloggers always need to try as much as possible. Every single thing we had at Swine was exceptional.

Photo courtesy of Cathy
From left to right: Angie, Me, Lindsay, Cathy and Julianne

Don’t walk, RUN to Swine in Coral Gables!

While we were dinning at Swine, we saw a bunch of pictures show up on our Instagram feed of other bloggers dinning at Morgans Restaurant. We knew that this place was a must stop on our list. We headed here for brunch on Saturday. Chocolate dipped waffles, raspberry stuffed french toast, eggs Benedict and beignets. Not only was the food good, but the atmosphere was fun as well. We had our own table in a small private room on the second floor. I can’t wait to return to Morgans on my next trip to Miami.

As soon as heard that the best Key Lime Pie was at Joe’s Stone Crab, we piled in the car and headed over to Miami Beach. I have to admit, I only tried the Key Lime Pie since I was so full from all of the other food we had already eaten that day. But, I’m definitely trying the fresh stone crab when I return.

No trip to Miami is complete without a stop at Laduree. Or, also known as, heaven on earth. And yes, I ate the entire box of macarons myself. Don’t judge!

I will post a recap of some of the things I actually learned at the conference later. But for now, I hope you enjoyed a recap of all the food, fun and friends while in Miami!

Thanks to BlogHer for a wonderful weekend in Miami! See you again soon!