The DC Food Scene: Blogger Happy Hour

Photo courtesy of
‘DC Foodie Blogger Happy Hour’
courtesy of ‘CathyLovesDC’

Last night at Poste Brasserie, I stepped out onto the DC foodie scene, mingling with as many of the 60 local food and gardening bloggers as I possibly could. WeLoveDC’s resident foodie, Katie, couldn’t make the party, and she sent me in her stead (poor me…).

Thanks to Mary (Arugula Files) and Amelia (Gradually Greener) who planned the evening, WeLoveDC was present at an incredibly successful gathering.

Nestled into a private corner of the outdoor patio, the weather was impeccably gorgeous, the wine was flowing freely, the truffled frites were being delivered in rounds, and bloggers quickly ran out of business cards. (Yes! Business cards!)

Photo courtesy of
‘Gabriel’s DC Foodie Happy Hour Badge’
courtesy of ‘CathyLovesDC’

While it was undoubtedly a place to see and be seen among area foodies, it was really all about meeting the people behind the blogs and chatting about a shared passion for food. The face-to-face interaction provided an intimate opportunity to ponder ones own blog’s potential. And everyone had a lot to talk about. “What do you write about?” was a comfortable segue into a long conversation with many shared interests.

Early on in the evening (because what happy hour just lasts an hour?), I connected with Jen from Beets and Bonbons over a shared beet picking experience at Larriland Farms. Later, I learned that one of her most googled posts is – for all intensive intents and purposes – a random recipe from Anguilla called Blanchard’s Carribean Cornbread. This recipe has to be an absolute stunner for so many people search for it by name.  But we laughed over the randomness of google’s ability to drive unexpected traffic to your site.

Power pair Elizabeth and Mike Bober from Capital Spice were power networkers, holding the evening together and connecting many bloggers.  They introduced me to Raphael, who was there representing WordPress. I was pleased to ask him a few questions about my site’s technical compatabilities, and a few others interjected with WordPress questions, too.

Photo courtesy of
‘Johnna, Johnna Knows Good Food, and Raphael, WordPress’
courtesy of ‘CathyLovesDC’

Brooke of Mogulling introduced herself as a native of the other Washington, hailing from Seattle. And anyone from Seattle is a born foodie in my opinion! She’s a natural.

The Internet Food Association is a hilarious twist on what you might think is a brick-and-mortar Alexandria trade association, while in fact it’s a food blog.

Photo courtesy of
‘Internet Food Association And Gabriel with Food for the Rest of Us’
courtesy of ‘CathyLovesDC’

Despite being only one of a dozen who remained when I finally decided to leave, there wasn’t enough time to get to know all the incredible talent. Blogs definitely worth checking out include: Elyssa of State Dinner (and especially on twitter as ElyssaK), Johnna of Johnna Knows Good Food and Courtney’s daring Cold Brains Salad at Food for Real.

The evening was such a success that the hosts (Mary of Arugula Files and Amelia of Gradually Greener) have promised to hold it once a month. So thankfully, I get another chance to meet those that I missed last night, and Katie and I look forward to tearing up the scene again next month!

To those of you who were missing altogether from the scene last night: we want you to know it’s safe to come out now! (We don’t bite.)

Cathy was fortunate to spend a year in Paris – traveling to all surrounding countries and touring all that is worthy. Upon realizing that there is no place like home (she does hail from Kansas City – but did not click her heels to get back – thank you, Air France), she returned to America where she set out to explore every last inch of our massive country. From her base in the nation’s capital, she has worked in marketing and event planning for the past 4 years. Mail any and all DC related tips to Cathy (at) WeLoveDC (dot) com.

8 thoughts on “The DC Food Scene: Blogger Happy Hour

  1. Great write up, lady! Thanks for repping We Love DC last night and I’m sorry I couldn’t make it. But the two of us will be out in full force in October!

  2. Hi Cathy! I commented on Katie’s earlier post about Willow but I meant to also say hi to you – nice meeting you yesterday!

    Hope to see all of you at another great event some day soon.

    Brooke

  3. Oh, I hate to sound like an ass – and I swear I’m doing this from a good place – but the expression is “all intents and purposes” not “all intensive purposes.” Its origins are in English law from way back in the day. I have a friend who used to make this mistake and the first time I heard it I had absolutely no idea what she was trying to say and then finally figured it out. For some reason it made me laugh because it reminds me of mistaking “revved up like a deuce” for “wrapped up like a douche” in Blinded by the Light.

    Anyway, just a little PSA from one blogger to another (on a post about blogging) – I swear I’m not an insane grammar Nazi. Well, I am, but I try not to be an ass about it most of the time.

  4. Wonderful write up, Cathy!

    It was so great meeting you last night. Apparently we spent too much time talking food – I just learned from your bio at the top of the page that we’re from the same hometown!

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  6. Great to meet you Cathy, and thanks for the mention. Now I really need to get a picture up for that Carribean Cornbread!

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