Cooking and travel blog by Gerlinde de Broekert

The International Food Blogger Conference 2017

9/25/2017

Last year my girlfriend Deb and I attended the International Food Blogger Conference (IFBC) in Sacramento and had a wonderful time. We learned a lot and saw a lot. That's why we decided to attend agin this year. Sacramento is not just the capital of California but it calls itself the "farm-to- fork " capital of the world. California is the land of plenty-the largest agricultural producer in the country. There is a bounty of the juiciest fruit, freshest vegetables and many artisanal, farm-based products. You can find anything from fresh goat cheese to olive oil. This year a pre-conference excursion will go to the Cobram Estate & Olive Oil Commission of California.

Last year we went on an excursion to visit an endive farm and learned how endives are grown indoors. It takes a lot of skill and knowledge to do this successfully.

When I got home I sautéed endives with herbs and butter and they turned out delicious.

We also visited a pear farm where we had a delicious picnic lunch under a very old oak tree.
I made a french pear tart with my pears when I got home. Read about it on my blogpost and get the recipe here

A local friend of Deb took us to Estelle's patisserie in Sacramento where I was introduced to the Croixnut, a mixture of a doughnut and croissant. It was divine. I brought some home for my husband. He thought they were dangerous.

We enjoyed the Saturday evening dinner with our fellow bloggers.

The City of Sacramento and all of California was changed by the coming of the railroads. If you are interested visit the California State Railroad Museum. The museum features 21 restored locomotives and railroad cars, dating back from 1862. My girlfriend and I are taking Amtrak from San Jose to Sacramento. This will be my first train ride in California.
Near our conference center is State Capitol Park. Last year I spent some time at the Vietnam Memorial. This year I might take a walk to McKinley Park Rose Garden that is nearby.

The Vietnam Memorial

It is time to pack my suitcase and get ready for this year's conference. I am looking forward to learning new things and meeting new people. For those of you who are not attending the conference and feel like baking I can recommend my German Apple Strudel Cake to welcome in October.

47 Comments

sippitysup link

9/26/2017 04:57:06 pm

Have fun. I used to attend a lot of these conferences and remember what a good time was had by all. GREG

Gerlinde

9/26/2017 04:59:35 pm

I hope it turns out alright. I will have a good time with my girlfriend. We had a blast last year.

Liz link

9/26/2017 06:43:58 pm

Mmmm....that apple cake is calling my name!! I went to the IFBC twice when it was in Seattle. The time change is a killer from the east coast to the west, but it was a lot of fun. Trying two new conferences next year---one in Salt Lake City and the other in NYC. At least that's the plan right now :)

9/26/2017 07:41:10 pm

Liz, the link to your website is not working. Sacramento is about 120 miles from Santa Cruz. I always wanted to try the Amtrak train,so this is my chance. The ticket is cheaper than the parking in Sacramento.

lisaiscooking link

9/27/2017 02:27:03 pm

This makes me want to visit Sacramento. It's also making me crave a piece of that apple cake!

9/27/2017 08:58:43 pm

I have made the apple cake many times and everybody seems to like it.

Tricia @ Saving Room for Dessert link

9/27/2017 03:51:26 pm

Sounds like another great conference to come! Have a wonderful time. I've always wanted to attend a conference for bloggers, but never seem to be able to fit it in. Please share photos!

9/27/2017 09:00:49 pm

I'll promise to share photos. The outdoor dinner last year was fun, unfortunately they are not doing it this year.

Deb|EastofEdenCooking.com link

9/27/2017 03:55:56 pm

Looking forward to our trip to Sacramento! The sessions at IFBC look like they will be informative. Blogging is always evolving, it will be good to learn about the newest trends and meet other bloggers too.

9/27/2017 09:02:57 pm

It is always good to learn something new. Let's have fun.

Teagan

9/27/2017 04:00:55 pm

Marvelous, Gerlinde! I've been curious about Sacramento for a few years. It sounds even better than I thought. Hugs

9/27/2017 09:06:03 pm

Teagan, you could come up with the wildest story about Sacramento, the gold rush, the Wild West and more.

Teagan R Geneviene link

9/30/2017 07:00:25 am

Ha! Oh my! I'm very tempted to take that challenge, Gerlinde! <3
Even though I have several unfinished novels on the shelf, I've decided to do National Novel Writing Month this November (50,000 words of a novel in that 30 days!). Last year I said I needed the distraction of it. This year I need "the rah-rah" as I call it. (The atmosphere of 100,000 people trying to do the same thing.)...
If I go that route I will be sure to let you know. :D Huge hugs.

9/27/2017 04:40:38 pm

I wish I had known about it earlier, I would love to attend. Maybe next year. Is there a way to get on the mailing list for planning purposes?

9/27/2017 09:25:37 pm

Liz , here is the link to subscribe to the IFBC mailing list.
http://www.foodista.com/ifbc2017/announcing-the-2017-international-food-blogger-conference

Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen link

9/27/2017 07:40:03 pm

Sounds like you had a fun time at last year's conference Gerlinde! Hope you enjoy this year's too.

9/27/2017 09:27:06 pm

I hope so too Mary Ann. I am looking forward to spending some time with my girlfriend .

The Gourmez link

9/27/2017 10:44:23 pm

Those endives!! I love 'em. Interested to see what my first IFBC will bring.

9/28/2017 07:24:11 am

Last year was my first IFBC and it was fun. I had endives like that in France and make them here whenever I see good endives in the store.

cheri link

9/28/2017 09:43:55 am

Hi Gerlinde, sounds like a great time, I've always wanted to go to one of the conferences, maybe next year. Will be making your apple German cake;)

9/28/2017 09:22:12 pm

Last years conference was a lot of fun, I hope we enjoy this one also. Sacramento is a nice town with a lot of things to see. Let me know if you like the apple cake.

Jo Nell Huff link

9/28/2017 01:14:53 pm

What a great conference! You combined food with exploring the city and presented them to us beautifully. Only in California could you dine outside like that! May you have a great train experience!

9/28/2017 09:30:11 pm

That outdoor dinner last year was spectacular , unfortunately there is no dinner this year. Our train ride was great. It was comfortable and instead of being stuck in traffic we enjoyed the scenery. I hope things have improved for you in Texas,

Penny link

9/29/2017 03:15:55 am

I am a bit late in commenting, so, will just say that I hope you are enjoying the conference and look forward to reading/seeing more. :)

9/29/2017 08:25:01 pm

I am enjoying the conference but not as much as last year.

David link

10/1/2017 07:12:26 am

Have a wonderful time! It was fun to see the photos from last year, and I look forward to ones from 2017. Oh, apple cake in any form is my favorite for fall... pie, too!

10/1/2017 07:23:31 am

We are going home today . The conference was interesting and I learned some new things. Some of it was a little bit too technical for me .

mimi link

10/3/2017 10:34:01 am

What a fun time!

10/3/2017 01:14:36 pm

We had a good time

Abbe@This is How I Cook link

10/5/2017 07:15:52 pm

I have yet to go to a food bloggers conference but it does seem like they are a lot of fun! The technical stuff is hard and I'm curious if you will be changing anything around on your blog? It is always interesting to see what people take away from these! In the meantime I made an apple strudel so we must be thinking alike!

10/6/2017 08:39:50 am

I don't know how much I took away Abbe, because there was a lot on how to make money with your blog . They were some technical things of interest that I will have to check out further. The next conference is in New Orleans next August. I don't know if I am going.

Karen (Back Road Journal) link

10/7/2017 08:15:51 am

Have fun on this year's trip...I'm sure you will. Would you believe I had a piece of apple cake this afternoon at our hotel in the Black Forest. :D

10/9/2017 04:34:30 am

Karen, I can’t wait to read about your trip to Germany .

ZazaCook link

10/8/2017 06:04:31 pm

Oh Gerlinde, your endives look delicious!

10/9/2017 04:35:32 am

Thank you Zaza, they were very good.

Healthy World Cuisine link

10/10/2017 06:21:04 pm

Good for you Gerlinde. The most important thing is that you have fun and finally get to meet all these awesome foodies. Now on to your grilled endive... that is something to celebrate. Don't you just love it grilled!

10/10/2017 07:05:44 pm

I love endives, sometimes I just sauté them with a little bit of butter and sprinkle them with fresh thyme.

John / Kitchen Riffs link

10/11/2017 08:33:06 am

Sounds like you had a blast last year! Hope this year's conference was as much (or more!) fun. Love all the pictures! Good stuff -- thanks.

10/11/2017 09:37:30 am

This year was not as good as last year, there was no gala dinner but there were were some good speakers at this year‘s conference.

Pamela link

10/12/2017 03:10:53 pm

How fast a year goes. I remember when you did this last year! I'm still looking for that pastry that's a combo of a doughnut and a croissant!! :-)

10/12/2017 05:37:07 pm

Pam , time is running away from me, it’s scary, Those croixnuts are good, I only saw them in Sacramento and New York.

pam link

10/14/2017 10:40:46 am

I'm here a little late, but the conference sounds like great fun, Gerlinde! Bet it will be great at NOLA, one of my fave cities. Thanks for the endive info! Have a great weekend!

10/14/2017 07:03:03 pm

I haven’t decided yet if I am going to New Orleans next year.

Gloria Roa Baker link

10/15/2017 05:09:14 pm

Sounds fun and the food looks wonderful !!

10/16/2017 07:05:54 am

Thanks Gloria

Fran @ G'day Souffle' link

10/28/2017 08:08:05 am

I've heard of 'cronuts' before, but not 'croixnuts.' I suppose that is because the word 'Cronuts' is now copyright protected, but it sounds like it is the same thing as 'Cronuts.' (It's all confusing but I'm sure it all tastes so good)! I've never been to a food bloggers conference before but I should go in the future to get 'refreshed.'

10/30/2017 09:01:49 am

You are right Fran, the name cronuts is the trademark name from the Dominique Ansel Bakery in New York, the Estelle bakery in Sacramento used the name croixnuts .

The International Food Blogger Conference 2017

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