Special Events – Page 3 – Some Kinda Good

Volunteer Perks Result in Lamb and Good People

Published on November 17, 2013November 19, 2013 by Rebekah4 Comments

One of my favorite things about volunteering at food & wine events are the people I get to meet. As a volunteer in The Local Palate Celebrity Chef Kitchen at the inaugural Savannah Food & Wine Festival this weekend, I helped greet guests, set up and break down the stage in between talents, collected trash and even got to be a sous chef for Food Network Star finalist, Linkie Marais. I got to interact with festival guests from neighboring coastal towns like Hilton Head S.C., culinary students at Savannah Technical College and Virginia College, and walked away from the event with a 4-pound leg of lamb, a package of mushrooms and one big red onion because I was in the right place at the right time.

Backstage with Food Network Star Finalist Linkie Marais (left) prepping ingredients for her cooking demonstration.

Linkie Marais cooks mushrooms and onions in the Big Green Egg for her Lamb Ragu dish.

Linkie was a finalist on Season Eight of Next Food Network Star. It was awesome to meet someone I had watched on TV last season. She was extremely personable and very friendly. I helped Linkie and her manager clean and chop mushrooms for her cooking demonstration. Plus, they gave me $40 worth of lamb that would have otherwise been discarded. Thanks for the meat and vegetables that you had an overabundance of Linkie…I will make great use of them. What an awesome, unexpected volunteer perk!

Martha Nesbit (right) and I worked together in the Celebrity Chef tent.

One of Martha’s cookbooks: Savannah Celebrations.

Mrs. Martha Nesbit is a long-time food writer in Southeast Georgia. I got to work with her in the Celebrity Chef tent, and later purchased an autographed copy of her cookbook, Savannah Celebrations. I have no doubt that it will become a favorite resource, and I can’t wait to dive in to her recipes!

I first met Culinary Producer Libbie Summers at the Inaugural Saint Simons Food & Spirits Festival in 2012. This year, she was signing her Whole Hog Cookbook in the Celebrity Author’s Tent. We couldn’t see my phone screen and didn’t know if we were getting a good picture or not, but looks like we did pretty good Libbie! Ha. It was great to see you again! We’re officially old pals.

I also ran into local Brooklet farmer, Del Ferguson of Hunter Cattle Company at the event. It’s always good to see a familiar face when you’re out and about. Way to represent Statesboro in The Hostess City Del!

Virginia College Presentation

Anthony Lamas; Food Network’s Extreme Chef Winner moderated by Editor in Chief Maggie from The Local Palate

My favorite! Head Chef from Savannah Technical College’s Culinary Program

A random plate of food during the event.

Stylin’ in my Savannah Food & Wine Festival volunteer apron

Other presentations included Executive Chef Shaun Doty from Atlanta’s Bantam & Biddy, Savannah Technical College, Virgina College and Food Network’s Anthony Lamas from Extreme Chef. My favorite presentation of the day was Chef Jean Yves Vendeville from Savannah Technical College’s Culinary Arts program. He and his team operated like a well-oiled machine and in his 40-minute cooking demonstration, cranked out three different dishes for the audience to try. He was funny, engaging, educational and entertaining. When his presentation was complete, I told him I wanted to be his student one day.

For Savannah’s first ever food & wine festival, the turn out was impressive. Nearly every event during Nov. 11 – 17 was sold out. The Southern, culinary shin dig was definitely a team effort and took the hard work of many. I am confident that it will only get better with time. I was honored to be a part of the experience and fortunate to have made such great connections while volunteering! Thanks to everyone who made it happen.

*Special thanks to my awesome boyfriend Kurt, who brought me my blog business cards that I forgot at home during the event.

Savannah Food & Wine Festival to be An Epicurean Celebration of the Senses

Published on November 11, 2013November 21, 2013 by RebekahLeave a comment

Today kicks off a week-long celebration of Savannah’s first ever Food & Wine Festival. I’m volunteering this Saturday, Nov. 16 during the main event, Taste of Savannah! Not only is the inaugural event being held in one of the most beautiful Southern cities in the world, but all of the proceeds benefit local charitable organizations.

Throughout the week of Nov. 11 – 17, festival attendees will enjoy dinners prepared by award-winning chefs and sample rare wines from around the world. Saturday’s Taste of Savannah features a Culinary Court, Artisan Market, Celebrity Chef Kitchen, Cookbook Author Signing Tent, a Silent Auction and more.

Check out the impressive line-up of local and celebrity chefs making special appearances during the seven-day festival:

James Beard Foundation’s Hugh Acheson, Chris Hastings, Steven Satterfield and Elizabeth Terry
Food Network’s Extreme Chef winner, Anthony Lamas
Award-winning chefs Kent Rathbun from Dallas, TX and Shaun Doty from Atlanta, GA
Master Sommeliers Robert Jones and Michael McNeill
James Beard Foundation’s award-winning cookbook authors, The Lee Brothers from Charleston, SC
Artist, Thomas Arvid
Vintners, Rob Mondavi, Jr., with Michael Mondavi Family Estate and Joe Shirley, with Napa Cellars

I’ll be helping out in The Local Palate Celebrity Chef tent at Ellis Square from Noon – 4 p.m. You can also catch me attending the River Street Wine Stroll this Friday night, and at the Official After Party at City Market on Saturday. Y’all stop by and see us! Fantastic food and spirits on the Georgia coast in November? Sounds like a plan to me!

For tickets and the most up-to-date information on Savannah’s inaugural food and wine festival, visit SavannahFoodAndWineFest.com.

Making it Happen – My Dream in Action

Published on July 17, 2013January 2, 2014 by Rebekah4 Comments

It was 1:37 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon when the email came. The subject line read: ABC’s The Taste. I had pre-registered for the show the week before, after a friend shared on my Facebook wall that they were casting for Season 2 of the cooking competition reality show.

A casting producer was interested in me! I stared at my computer screen in amazement for about 10 minutes before I pulled myself together. I emailed her back and got the details. She’d invited me to come to Nashville that weekend for a private on-camera interview, and to skip the Open Call auditions and long lines. Mind. Blown. I had already committed to traveling to Atlanta to write a restaurant review for Hottie Hawg’s Smokin’ BBQ, but had previously planned to submit an audition video. She completely understood and encouraged me to do so. In the 10-minute video, I had to cook a dish that represented me and really showed my personality, including any other talents.

I chose shrimp and grits with a white wine sauce, of course.

Wild Georgia Shrimp & Grits

Today marks over one week since I’ve heard back and I’m eagerly awaiting the outcome. It would be amazing if I made it any further in the process, but the truth is, I’ve already won. During the midst of the week, I’d shared the news with a few folks I hold close. My dear friend, Bill, knows my story and where I’ve been. He said it best.

“You have a brand new testimony of someone who stopped, took stock of her life and decided that life was too short not to pursue her passion. You are proof that success isn’t about the size of the stage or how big the audience, but making it happen. You have taken what you love and pursued it with passion. And, in the process, you have discovered that regardless of where the road takes you, you already are living out your dream.”

If you’d like to see my audition video, you can check it out below. I’ll keep you posted on where the road leads.

Statesboro Cooks Starring Rebekah Faulk

Published on June 18, 2013June 18, 2013 by Rebekah10 Comments

This is it y’all! History in the making. Me on TV!! In this episode of Statesboro Cooks, I star as a guest host.

The show will air on local cable, Channel 99 at the following times throughout the month:

Monday 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday 1 a.m.
Wednesday 1 p.m.
Thursday 7:30 p.m.

Statesboro Cooks is a multimedia communications team production. My next appearance will be in September. Thank you for watching!

Pastured Poultry Week: So God Made a Farmer

Published on June 11, 2013June 12, 2013 by Rebekah3 Comments

Brandon Chonko (right) and I (left) with the chickens at Grassroots Farms.

You’ve probably eaten chicken this week. Am I right? In the United States, eight billion chickens are consumed each year. Whether it comes from the grocery store, the drive-thru or the family farm, poultry is most likely a regular part of your diet–but make no mistake. Nutritionally and taste-wise, there’s a big difference in factory farm chicken and pasture-raised chicken. I speak from personal experience, thanks to Brandon Chonko of Grassroots Farms.

It’s Pastured Poultry Week and Sunday, my boyfriend and I took a road trip about 40 miles South of Statesboro through Georgia’s farm country to a one-man pastured bird operation to get a first-hand look at white and red chickens, broad breasted turkeys and Pekin Ducks. I even learned about farmer Brandon’s Great Pyrenees, Lefty, a livestock guard dog named for his lazy left eye.

Lefty is a nocturnal livestock guard dog. He roams the farm throughout the night protecting the pastured birds and alerting Brandon if there’s a disturbance. Lefty woke up just long enough to greet us and slobber-splash us with a shake of his jaws.

In the video below, Brandon talks with me about his passion for healthier food and provides some locations where you can taste his pasture-raised birds on the Georgia Coast and in surrounding areas. Regarding taste, Brandon says, “We’re raising an old school chicken that’s not going to be tough like a stew hen or a yard bird.”

What We Learned:
We learned a great deal about pastured birds on our visit, some fun facts too:

A pasture-raised French red bird’s life span from birth to processing is about 70 days.
Unlike domestic animals who usually overcome being the “runt of the litter,” chicken runts never hit a growth spurt. They remain little. How funny is that?!
The only chicken hatchery with authentic French Label Rouge Birds in the United States is located in Pennsylvania at Freedom Ranger Hatchery, Inc. The chickens in the photos below are born in Pennsylvania and raised in South Georgia. Brandon gets them when they’re one day old.
The natural body temperature of a French red bird is about 104 degrees (No wonder they like Georgia)!
Broad breasted turkeys become Thanksgiving size in 5 months.

Lefty checks on his friends.

Gobble, gobble!

The Pekin Ducks and chickens are housed in the same cage.

A mix of white cornish-cross chickens and French red birds are raised at Grassroots Farms.

The cages are moved by truck every day and a half to ensure fresh forage.

North Beach Grill
After leaving the farm, we went to North Beach Grill on Tybee Island to try their Free-Range Jerk Chicken Entrée, made with the chickens we’d just seen on Grassroots Farms. Unfortunately when we got there and ordered, they were fresh out of the free-range chicken. Disappointment doesn’t describe our emotion!! Like I shared with Brandon though, we were bummed but it’s just a testament to how good his product really tastes! We’ll definitely try again soon.

Fantastic place, I’d go back again!

Great menu items.

North Beach Grill is right on the beach.

From the Farm to the Plate:
A true Southern fellow, Brandon didn’t let us leave the farm empty-handed. He sent us back to the Boro with a dozen farm eggs, a whole French red bird and two boneless skinless chicken breasts. You can bet I put them to good use! When I tell you this is the best salad I’ve ever eaten, it’s no lie. I featured the chicken in two ways. Just like Brandon recommended, I seasoned the chicken breast with kosher salt and pepper, then cooked it in the skillet in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Hearty, rich, succulent white meat with a crispy skin was the result. Using the yolk of one of the fresh chicken eggs (laid just the day before), I made a balsamic vinaigrette to dress my local greens. I didn’t even miss the cheese!

From the farm to the plate…

White meat like whoa.

SOME KINDA GOOD!

So God Made a Farmer:
Eating local, homegrown food just has a way of making you thankful–for Georgia farmers like Brandon, for Farmers’ Markets where you can gain access to healthful ingredients and for the reminder that convenience food can’t compare to the crops that come from Georgia soil or the meat raised on Georgia turf. Supporting local helps you, the farmer and our environment. Paul Harvey says it best:

From the Farm to the Plate: A Day in the Life of a Pasture-Raised Chicken

Published on June 7, 2013June 7, 2013 by Rebekah1 Comment

Pastured Poultry Week kicks off this Monday, and I invite you to come with me as I follow the life of a chicken from the farm to the plate.

Organized by Compassion in World Farming, a global organization working to end factory farming, and Georgians for Pastured Poultry, the event aims to help promote and celebrate humane and sustainable pasture-raised poultry for one week each year.

Local Farmer, Brandon Chonko has invited me to visit his South Georgia farm in Tattnall County–Grassroots Farms, where he raises 1500 chickens, ducks and turkeys and supplies them to more than 15 restaurants in the state and throughout the South. Many of the restaurants he supplies are in the Atlanta area, and some are even on the Georgia Coast, where I’ll be enjoying my pastured poultry dish, at North Beach Bar and Grill on Tybee Island.

Learning about the food we eat, where it comes from and how it’s raised is really fascinating to me. If you’re like me, you may be wondering what exactly a pastured bird is and why there’s a whole week set aside for their awareness. Farmer Brandon explains:

"I love working outdoors with animals. I also love being able to market to such talented chefs." -Brandon Chonko — “I love working outdoors with animals. I also love being able to market to such talented chefs.” -Brandon Chonko [Photo Credit: Andrew Thomas Lee]

“Pasture-raised or pastured birds actually live 24/7 in fresh pasture. They are housed in small batches in portable housing. They get moved frequently to ensure fresh forage. Also, we use a French breed of chicken that are known to be active foragers. They are bred to live outdoors, not in a chicken house. Pastured birds are healthier, need no antibiotics, are active and taste better. They have a long life. They are what chicken dinner Sundays used to consist of prior to the rise of the industrial chicken.”

Learn more about Grassroots Farm’s Humble Roots story.

Pastured Poultry Week is in its second year, and has expanded to include more than 50 Georgia-based chefs and over 25 chefs from New York. If you’d like to experience the taste of a pasture-raised chicken and support Georgia’s farmers while eating cleaner, visit Halyards or Tramici Neighborhood Italian on St. Simons Island. You can also see a complete listing of participating restaurants on the Georgians for Pastured Poultry website.

I’m headed to the farm Sunday, and will venture out to the beach next week to eat that chicken. I’ll keep you posted!

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Table Talk and Family Ties

Published on April 17, 2013May 1, 2013 by Rebekah4 Comments

Our Easter Sunday dinner spread of pork tenderloin, mayonnaise biscuits, cream corn, fried okra, sautéed zucchini and squash, macaroni and cheese and pound cake with sweet iced tea.

We all know the saying, “If these walls could talk,” but if my family’s kitchen table could speak–boy, could it tell some stories. I’m fortunate enough to have been raised eating around the family table, and every day I’m thankful my parents made it a priority.

From left: Daddy, cousin Justin and Grandma Dot. Mama, the ultimate hostess, scurries in the background ensuring everyone is taken care of.

In homes across the world, the kitchen table, much like the front porch, is an iconic, central hub, especially in the American South. Formal dining rooms are different. I’m talking about the table in our eat-in kitchens–the one we cook just steps away from, where we stack our bills at the end of the day, where kids complete their homework, where the family pet begs for that taste of human food.

table1 — Family gathers in the kitchen to celebrate my Grandma’s 75th birthday.

When I think about the people in my family who’ve sat around that same oak, oval-shaped table year after year–even the loved ones who are no longer with us–and all the abundant food that’s been presented on the table top, when I consider the memories it holds, the conversations it keeps and the prayers its heard, I feel ultimately blessed to have experienced that togetherness and I recognize those are the moments that make a house a home.

Grandma Dot makes a wish on her 78th Birthday.

table2 — Enjoying my 26th birthday with my traditional chocolate chip muffin at the kitchen table on April 6, 2009.

It’s around the kitchen table that we’ve celebrated birthday after birthday, eaten holiday meals, opened Mother’s Day cards and decorated Christmas cookies. It’s there every time I visit home. Like an old friend, it’s the one constant that’s part of the family too, ready to welcome us, inviting us to sit for a spell and stay a while. There, I eat my mom’s homemade chocolate chip muffin with one candle for breakfast each year, there I introduce new friends to the family. It’s the ultimate place boyfriends are bring-home-to-mama-and-daddy tested. We set it with our everyday dishes and fine china. We adorn it with fresh flowers and fruit in its center. There, we hold hands around it and bow our heads to pray.

Without it, home would not be the same.

My mama, Debbie, with Ewok and her Mother's Day tulips. — My mama, Debbie, with Ewok and her Mother’s Day tulips.

Sure, I’m one to curl up on the couch with a bowl of cereal now and then in front of my TV, but nothing beats sitting down to a home-cooked meal and a place set just for you, to share good food with the people you know and who know you and where you came from.

So much of my life has taken place at the family table and often, it’s the memories associated with that central element that have created the values and traditions I cherish today.

So here’s to you table….and thanks.

What’s your take on the family table? Can you relate?

2013 Brings New Kitchen and Cast Iron Skillet, Renewed Health

Published on January 31, 2013January 31, 2013 by Rebekah3 Comments

Greetings, Some Kinda Good fans! It’s great to see you. I feel like it’s been ages since I’ve stood at a stove and really cooked. The month of December and January were filled with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cereal for dinner and multiple trips to Starbucks–because I was running on pure caffeine and adrenaline.

I had the Christmas “break” from Hades and only recently have I sat down long enough to even think about blogging. Between my dad having a heart attack, one of my dearest friends experiencing devastating tragedy and me being diagnosed with a serious case of mono and tonsillitis simultaneously, there was no time, much less energy to whip up anything worthy of being deemed Some Kinda Good. On top of all that, I was searching for a new place to live and had to move at the end of December.

I wanted y’all to know I hadn’t dropped off the planet and Some Kinda Good is still a top priority.

The dust has settled now and I’m happy to report that my dad has lost nearly 30 pounds and is recovering very well at home, I can finally swallow without bracing myself and though I still have a guest room to unpack and put together, the cardboard boxes are disappearing from my new home one by one each day.

Meet my new kitchen, where I'll be bringing you dishes that are Some Kinda Good all year long! — Meet my new kitchen, where I’ll be bringing you dishes that are Some Kinda Good all year long!

When I stood at my brand new cooktop last night in my quaint little kitchen, searing a beautiful filet of beef with red wine and sautéed peppers and onions, I made that cast iron skillet sing. I realized just how much I’d missed cooking and sharing it with you.

I’m looking forward to reviewing some incredible restaurants on the coast this year. First stop? Beaufort, South Carolina. As for my next home cooking post, get ready for some seriously incredible Strawberry Streusel Muffins.

So, Happy Belated New Year fans! I’ve missed you. Here’s to eating well and raising our glasses to good food and good company in 2013. Cheers!

My Year in the Blog-Sphere

Published on November 27, 2012December 11, 2012 by Rebekah2 Comments

Some Kinda Good is one. Happy Blog-iversary to me!

I began blogging at a time in my life–the year was 2011, the month was November–when I needed to be fully engaged in something. It’s amazing how the landscape of your life can change in a year’s time, and who would’ve thought blogging about crab legs and barbecue would’ve filled a hole I never knew was missing?

Blogging allows me to combine many of my favorite things like eating, food and cooking but also writing, taking pictures, being on camera and sharing my personality and passion for coastal culture and the South. I really didn’t have any expectations when I set out to blog, other than not being one of those people on Facebook that share nothing but food pictures–because unknowingly, I was that girl for a long time. The moment became very real to me when a friend commented on one of my food pictures with this: “Facebook: Rebekah’s Food Diary.” I thought, ‘Wow, he’s right. There’s a better way.’

Enter Some Kinda Good.

coral — *Some Kinda Good’s* original design by my friend, Amanda Hudson.

With a background in web writing and PR, I had all the skills in place. I set out to learn WordPress and gathered up some photos of the food I’d cooked. Not surprisingly, I had plenty of content at the ready, as though it had been stockpiled for its moment in the sun.

Some Kinda Good has evolved over the year, and I’m kind of embarrassed at some of my earlier posts. You’ve got to start somewhere though. As one of my favorite quotes says, “The expert in anything was once a beginner.”

SKG_FacebookCover — *Some Kinda Good’s* current design by my friend, Tori Sprankel.

Throughout the year, I’ve built relationships with restaurant owners, food and beverage connoisseurs, food writers and other bloggers. I’ve gotten to meet notable cookbook authors, culinary producers, well-respected chefs and colleagues at food & beverage public relations firms throughout the Southern seacoast. I’ve also subscribed to Bon Appetite Magazine and become a sort of amateur kitchen expert among friends and family. I’ve worked with ingredients I once considered foreign like, heirloom tomatoes and pimiento-cheese. I’ve sampled restaurant dishes I thought I would never order like fried chicken and waffles or an open-face whole egg omelet topped with goat cheese, sautéed shrimp, spiced pecans and arugula….for breakfast!

I’ve learned to be true to me, that you can’t pursue a food trend because it’s a trend. When I did that, I only did it for the sake of being popular, to show that I too was up-to-speed with food on a stick, kid food for adults and all things local and organic. While it was fun to experiment, those ventures lacked passion.

And we all know without passion, the fire dies.

All along, my philosophy has been guided by one thought from Julia Child who said, “Find something your passionate about, and keep tremendously interested in it.” I’m a firm believer that it’s never too late to do the things you love, and when you do the things you love, success comes.

*Some Kinda Good* was ranked #2 on Urbanspoon’s Leaderboard of Top Georgia Food Blogs September – November 2012.

These are the successes I’m celebrating…a few highlights from my year in the blog-sphere:

Most Popular Posts:

Most Searched Post:

Ina Garten Takes French Toast to New Heights

Favorite Search Term:

Faulk Some Kinda Eating

Accomplishments:

Held #2 spot on Urbanspoon’s Leaderboard of Top Georgia Food Blogs: September – November 2012
Currently ranked #3 on Urbanspoon’s Leaderboard of Top Georgia Food Blogs
Featured as an Editor’s Pick of the Day on Bloggers.com
Featured as a Tweep of the Week on Atlanta Dish, the company blog of Melissa Libby & Associates
Becky Sue Hits the Big Time: Special feature on Kudzu Dad Blog
Featured in numerous editions of Paper.li, an online newspaper

Paperli4_30 — My *Farmers Market Fun and One Souped-Up Strawberry Shortcake* post was featured in The Atlanta Moms Daily on April 30, 2012.

Relationships I’ve Built as a Result of Blogging:

I got to meet Nathalie Dupree (bottom right) at the Inaugural Saint Simons Island Food & Spirits Festival in September 2012.

Without sounding too much like I’ve won a Grammy, I couldn’t celebrate my successes without acknowledging a few special folks:

Thanks to my mom and best friend Charity, who without fail were always the first to comment on my posts, even when the content lacked interest or when no one else cared. Thanks to my graphic designer friends, Amanda and Tori for giving my blog the exact look and feel I envisioned, as it progressed throughout the year. To Angela and Jennifer, my other best friends, thanks for all your encouraging words…your affirmation often kept me going. To my former co-workers and friends in the PR department at Floyd Medical Center, your belief in my abilities blows my mind. Thank you for your constant reassurance, for calling me out when my posts aren’t well beyond expectations and for holding me to the Class of Style standard.

And finally, my favorite Twitter friends: @Golden_Isles, @VisitSavannah, @ClassicGeorgia, @Grocerize and @ChefCourtney13–y’all are always faithful to retweet my posts and I’ve gained many followers as a result of your influence. Thank you, really.

With nearly 15,000 hits and a healthy following through social media, I’m pretty stoked. Not too shabby for my first year in the blog-sphere. Some Kinda Good is bringing my dreams to life. Maybe year two will include The Cooking Channel or Food Network. Dream big or go home!

Follow @SKGFoodBlog on Twitter or find me on Facebook.

Volunteer Experience Leads to Opportunity of a Lifetime

Published on September 24, 2012October 2, 2012 by Rebekah9 Comments

It’s not every day you meet a living legend. To say I had an amazing weekend would be an understatement. As a volunteer for the Inaugural Saint Simons Food & Spirits Festival at Gascoigne Bluff on St. Simons Island, I got to spend time with the mother of all Southern cooks, Nathalie Dupree, hang out with culinary producers, food writers and some of the finest chefs in the state. I have great aspirations of joining the food world, so this event was truly an opportunity of a lifetime. The event was the first of its kind to benefit the local Hospice of the Golden Isles, featuring four incredible Georgia culinary talents, regional farmers, local artists and over 25 area restaurants. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect and the location? Out of this world. When I heard about the festival, it was a no brainer that I participate. Amazing food and live music on the Georgia coast? It’s not rocket science!

I was assigned to the Culinary Creations Cooking Stage where the cooking demonstrations took place to help serve and prep food, greet festival guests and clean up and re-set the stage after each demonstration. Practically heaven. It was my responsibility to do whatever Crystal, our cooking stage captain told me to do, and I considered it an honor. I did everything from golf cart chauffeuring and fetching pitchers of water for flower vases to picking up lunch for the volunteers. At one point, I was even sent to someone’s personal beach house to get several “real” forks. My day started around 8:30 a.m. and ended with the sun setting over the calm water beneath the Spanish-moss covered oak trees.

Enter Savannahian Culinary Producer Libbie Summers (left), author of The Whole Hog Cookbook and food blogger for the awesome Salted & Styled. Libbie was so cool. She was the first star I met that Saturday, along with Joshua, her sweet husband–a yacht Captain. We rode the golf cart together from the American Legion (our headquarters) to the cooking demo tent. I also got to pick her brain about her experience in the food world. We immediately bonded discussing the time and effort it takes to produce a quality blog. She laughed at my jokes and when she introduced me to her husband, she said my blog, having seen it because of Twitter, was adorable. Libbie Summers called my little blog ADORABLE! How cool is that? Libbie, if you read this: You rock! Thanks for all your insight. Here’s to living life with passion.

Hands down, the coolest part of the entire event was meeting Nathalie Dupree!! That’s her on the left and Cynthia Graubart (right) making Southern Biscuits for a cooking class in the Harbour Room at Coastal Kitchen. I got the chance to sit in on the class for a few minutes while picking up ingredients for Nathalie and Cynthia’s demonstration later that afternoon. Here, Nathalie was telling the class about the importance of a good casserole dish. In reference to making a casserole, she said, “Don’t get healthy with it.” She was hilarious. Instantly lovable.

Aside from warming these biscuits for audience members, I considered my most important responsibility of the day making a run to the grocery store for an extra bag of White Lily Self-Rising Flour for Nathalie. It was of pristine importance that the brand be White Lily. So, there I was driving my tent captain’s Volvo around St. Simons Island with a pan of freshly baked biscuits on the backseat, a pound of butter and pint of heavy cream. When I got to the only convenient grocery store on the island, every bag of White Lily Flour was gone. Every other brand was there, but none of them would do. Thank God for the navigation app in my smartphone. I ventured over to Harris Teeter across the island and luckily found my flour. I made it back to the festival and as I’m carrying the biscuits to the golf cart, who pops out of the SUV parked right next to my ride but NATHALIE herself. She said, “Hey, where are you going?” And lo and behold, she wanted a ride. I walked over and hugged her neck and told her that my mom and grandma had been cooking from her cookbooks and watching her on TV for years. She responded with, “How wonderful” and greeted me like family.

If you know anything about Nathalie, she’s got a firecracker personality. Most folks would say “cheese” when they pose for a photo, but not her. As we were smiling for the camera, Nathalie said the word “sex” just for the pure fun of it. She is something else! Clockwise from left: Cynthia Graubart, Debbie (my mom), me and Nathalie. That’s right. That’s me with Nathalie Dupree. That’s how I roll!! Can’t. Get. Over. It.

The coolest souvenir I took home wasn’t food or drink. It was my autographed apron by Nathalie Dupree, Libbie Summers, Ted Dennard and Ford Fry. I intend to frame it with pictures from the event and hang it in my kitchen.

Check out my gallery below for more highlights from the big day.

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There were so many awesome stories from the day, too many to tell. To Festival Director Gena Berry and her staff, The Reynolds Group and the volunteers: job well done and thanks for all your hard work! The event was spectacular and I can’t wait until next year.