THURSDAY, JULY 28
Pre-Conference Excursions
11:00 AM – 5:00 PM Capay Valley Ranches Farm Tour
Meet in the hotel lobby for
transportation.
Noon – 5:00 PM Curriculamb Tour and Seminar with
American Lamb
Meet in the hotel lobby for
transportation.
5:30 – 7:30 PM Registration & Conference Opening
Reception
Foyer & Ballroom DEF
Join us to kick-off what’s sure to be a fun-filled weekend starting with this spectacular reception generously hosted by Raley’s and the California Cling Peach Board. Along with nibbles from CA Almonds, artisanal cheeses from Marin French Cheese , aperitifs from Jardesca California Aperitiva, and premium local ciders sip from Gowan Orchards Cider, you’ll also have a chance to shimmy and shake to local band, Yolo Mambo! This is a great time to meet new and old friends, make new connections, and have a good time all around.
FRIDAY, JULY 29
8:00 – 1:00 PM Pre-Conference Excursions
Excursion #1: Farm-to-Fork Adventure through
Historic Sacramento Delta with
California Endive and California
Pear
Meet in the hotel lobby for
transportation.
Excursion #2: Discover the “Gem of the Delta,”
Clarksburg Wine Country
Meet in the hotel lobby for
transportation.
12:00 – 1:30 PM Registration & Carpe PM Snack
Break hosted by the Almond Board
of California
Foyer
1:30 – 1:45 PM Official Conference Opening
Reception
Ballroom DEF
1:45 – 2:30 PM Keynote Speaker: Chef John Ash
Ballroom DEF
In addition to being a renowned chef, author, and food and wine educator, many refer to Chef John Ash as the “Father of Wine Country Cuisine.” His passion for teaching is matched only by his passionate voice on sustainable food issues and holds true to his philosophy of cooking with ingredients that are ethically grown, created locally, and in season. His cookbooks have earned him both James Beard and Julia Child cookbook awards. His latest cookbook, Cooking Wild: More than 150 Recipes for Eating Close to Nature, was published in May 2016.
2:30 – 3:45 PM From Blog to Business
Ballroom DEF
Many Sacramento-area bloggers have taken their blogs from online to community through events, nonprofits, and more. Learn how they transformed their blogs into thriving nonprofit businesses. Hosted by Amber Stott, founder of Food Literacy Center; Catherine Enfield, author of Munchie Musings and founder of the Sacramento Food Film Festival and the “Have an Offal Day” annual dining event; and Rodney Blackwell founder of Burger Junkiesand the Sacramento Burger Battle.
3:45 – 4:00 PM Break
4:00 – 5:00 PM Farm to Fork Panel: Farmer,
Rancher, Grocer Chef
Ballroom DEF
Learn how the greater Sacramento region embraced their longtime heritage as America’s Farm-to-Fork Capital, rallied a community of food and agriculture leaders, and sparked a revolution of civic pride. Hear from the region’s food leaders on what makes their role in Farm-to-Fork unique, and how working and thriving in the food business in the Sacramento region is unlike any other. Meet Nicole Rogers, director of Farm-to-Fork of the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau; Mary Kimball, executive director of the Center for Land-Based Learning; Matt Byrne, CEO of SunFed Ranch; Scott Ostrander, executive chef of Inn at Park Winters and Chelsea Minor, director of public relations and public affairs of Raley’s Fine Stores.
5:00 – 7:00 PM Taste of Sacramento Culinary Fair,
Expo, and Gift Suite
Ballroom ABC
This conference is all about food – writing about it, eating it, cooking it, taking pictures of it – food, glorious food! What better way to kick off this year’s conference than with a fantastically curated evening with all the best Sacramento has to offer? Cruise through the gift suite and sample some of the cities most beloved restaurants and businesses. We welcome you to Sacramento with folks from:
About A Bite Bakery @AboutaBite
American Lamb @FanofLamb
American Pistachios @PistachioPower
Blue Diamond Snack Nuts @bluediamond
Bee D’Vine @beeDvine
CA Almonds @almonds
California Cling Peach Board @CalClingPeach
CA Endive @caendive
CA Figs @cafigs
CA Pear @Cal_Pear
CA Restaurant Association @CalRestaurants
California Walnut Board & Commission @CAWalnuts
Clarksburg Wine Company @clarksburgwine
Clarksburg Wine Country Facebook @CWVGA
Capay Valley Ranches @CVRanches
Due Vigne Winery @DVWinery
Elevation Ten @ElevationTen
Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates @GEchocolates
Gowan Orchards Cider & Apples Facebook: @GowanOrchards
Hawk’s Public House @HawksRestaurant
Hinode @HinodeRice
Hook & Ladder @Hook_n_Ladder
Hot Italian @HotItalianPizza
Jardesca Jardesca
Jimboy’s Tacos @JimBoysTacos
La Tortilla Factory Instagram: @LaTortillaFactory
Laura Chenel’s Instagram: @LauraChenel
Lilly’s Hummus @Lillyshummus
Lindsay Olives @LindsayOlives
LowBrau Instagram: @LowBrau916
Manitoba Harvest @manitobaharvest
Marin French Cheese Company Instagram: @marinfrenchcheese
Mother Sacramento @MotherSac
Nature’s Path @NaturesPath
Nugget Markets @nugget_market
Old Sugar Mill @OldSugarMill
Palm Bay Wines @PalmBay_Wines
Raley’s @Raleys
Sacramento International Airport (SMF) @SacIntlAirport
Safe Eggs @safeeggs
See.Eat.Love @SeeeatLove
Sucuri.net @sucurisecurity
Thai Basil @ThaiBasilMidtown
The Owl’s Brew @TheOwlsBrew
Three Wine Company @ThreeWineCo
UC Davis Olive Center @UCDolivecenter
UC Davis Robert Mondavi Institute @UCDavis
Visit Sacramento @VisitSacramento
Windset Farms @WindsetFarms
SATURDAY, JULY 30
7:00 – 9:30 AM Coffee/Tea, Breakfast Bars from
Nature’s Path and peaches
from CA Cling Peaches
9:30 – 10:30 AM Discovery Sessions
Session 1: Questions the FoodTech Industry
is Asking and How Bloggers Can
Answer
Ballroom AB
Companies throughout Silicon Valley are asking: how can we change food for the better and disrupt some of the largest industries in the world? From grocery delivery, to meal kits, to smart kitchen appliances, food innovation is happening at a pace never seen before. This panel of startup founders (Hillary Reeves and Yuni Sameshima from Chicory.co, Carla Borsoi from Nima, and Cindy Diffendurfer from MiaVina) address some of the top challenges in food: sustainability, deliverability, digital advertising, and more. In this discussion, they’ll not only talk about their own journeys, but will also address how food bloggers and influencers can insert themselves into the conversation to help revolutionize the future of food.
Session 2: Lifestyle Food
Ballroom C
We love the idea of healthy food, we know it’s good for us, but let’s be honest, who wants to eat food with no taste? Restaurants have done a poor job giving us healthy food that is bland and tastes like bad diet food. Well it all ends today, Lifestyle Chef Johnny Carino will take you through a lively presentation on healthy foods that are both great tasting and great for you. Johnny will share trends in the business that are breaking as we speak and redefining how and what we eat.
Session 3: Food Waste & The Next Generation
of Cooks
Ballroom DEF
Food waste is a growing field of interest in a country where 40% of food is wasted. Knowing how to cook is critical to eliminating such waste. Join Amber Stott (Food Literacy Center) and Carol Marty (author of Every Bite: How to Make the Most of Your Meals) for this exciting session and learn tips and tricks on you can reduce your food waste in creative ways.
10:30 – 10:45 AM Break
10:45 – 11:45 AM Farm-to-Fork Breakout Sessions
Session 1: Farm to Glass with Gowan’s
Heirloom Cider
Ballroom AB
Cider is the fastest growing beverage industry in the United States, and enjoys continuing growth and popularity around the world. Discover what your followers want to know and how you can guide them through the intricacies of this trending new beverage.
How is cider made? What are the differences between mass cider and craft cider? Where do the apples come from? What does ‘local’ mean? What questions should you be asking to identify true farm-to-table (orchard-to-glass) ciders? Learn how to identify different styles of cider, from fruit-forward to flavored, and how a cider sensory judging approach can help you review ciders. You can help fans keep up with new trends and help them navigate the cider flowing their way!
Session 2: Why Insects are the Next SUPER
FOOD that will Save the Planet –
A Chef’s Perspective
Ballroom C
In a time when it takes 26% of earth’s land to raise the 1.7 billion animals for consumption and millions of people suffer from mal-nutrition, are insects our champion food? Are they our Rocky Balboa of the “alternative protein” movement?! If they are, who will be their Mickey Goldmill that gets them to the top? With the continuous rise in population, how can we make saving resources a popular concept in professional kitchens? Can the next generation of sustainable sourcing improve our food system? What responsibility do Chefs, people of the industry, and the media have to help answer these questions? Join Cesar Cienfuegos, head chef of Segundo dining at UC Davis, and Ben Thomas, for this captivating subject.
Session 3: Soil Born Farms: Cultivating
an Edible City
Ballroom DEF
Join Soil Born Farms founder Shawn Harrison and and Dominic Allamano (Edible City Coordinator at Soil Born Farms) for this interactive session exploring their experience of food system renewal in the Sacramento region and it’s relevance to other communities working to revitalize their local food systems. Attendees will learn about their long term vision and integrated programs which work from the six county regional scale down to their community farms, school gardens and neighborhood food access programs. Attendees will then get a chance to interact with each other, exploring how ideas and insights from Sacramento relate to the unique stories and experiences of their home communities.
11:45 – 1:45 PM Lunch on your own. Here’s a list of restaurants nearby. Don’t fill up too much as there’s a lot of food coming your way later today!
1:45 – 2:45 PM Discovery Sessions
Session 1: Tea & Dim Sum, a Chinese Life
Style presented by the
Confucius Institute at UC Davis
Ballroom ABC
What do you expect in a tea house in China, especially in South China? Tea and dim sum. As a matter of fact, to Chinese people, tea and dim sum are not just beverage and food, they’ve become a lifestyle. In this session, Danna Cao and Sally Wu, instructors in Confucius Institute at UC Davis, will guide you into the wonderland of Chinese tea and dim sum, and showcase their roles in Chinese people’s daily life.
Session 2: Blind Tasting hosted by the UC
Davis Olive Center’s Dan Flynn and
Sensory Scientist Hoby Wedler
Ballroom DEF
Explore how aromas and flavors are accentuated by depriving an important sense when tasting: our eyesight. In this exciting session, you will be blindfolded and led through a series of exercises that will help you focus and fine-tune your perception and interpretation of flavor, aroma and texture. This session will be co-presented by Hoby Wedler, a completely blind Ph.D. candidate at the University of California, Davis, sensory scientist, and food and drink educator. Hoby’s work as a food and beverage educator landed him a place on Forbes 30 under 30 list in 2016 in the category of food and drink. The session will also be co-presented by Dan Flynn, director of the UC Davis Olive Center, who will demystify the controversy over olive oil quality with consumer tips for accessing better flavor, health and value.
2:45 – 3:00 PM Break
3:00 – 4:00 PM Writing & Tech Breakout Sessions
Session 1 (Writing): TASTE – Putting Flavor into Words
Ballroom AB
In this class, blogger and family therapist Kathy Ellis will lead you in an experience of the 6 tastes. You’ll play with words, learn tools to stimulate writing and how to use words to impart feelings/emotions/thoughts, and when it’s best to be simply instructive.
Session 2 (Writing): Culinary Travel Writing
Ballroom C
Imagine getting invited to Morocco to make couscous, to Switzerland to visit chocolatiers or to Louisiana to ride in a float during Mardi Gras. Writing about food and travel can be a blogger’s dream. Learn from bloggers Amy Sherman (Cooking with Amy) and Jessica Van Dop DeJesus (The Dining Traveler) who have traveled the world; and Jennifer Sweeney, Director of Public Relations for Visit California, who develops global strategies for working with digital influencers and bloggers.
Session 3 (Tech): A Deep-Dive into SnapChat
Ballroom DEF
SnapChat is one of the hottest apps in the food world. Learn how to master it and create exciting new content for your blog from seasoned bloggers Elise Bauer of Simply Recipes, Kristen Doyle of Dine & Dish, and Matt Armendariz of Matt Bites.
4:00 – 4:15 PM Break
4:15 – 5:15 PM Discovery Session: Olives and
Wine from Grove and Vine
Ballroom ABC
Often enjoyed together, olives and wine are a delightful match. Blogger Kimberly Killebrew of The Daring Gourmetwill take you on a vicarious journey through some of the world’s olive-growing regions as she prepares a selection of small plates featuring olives. We will also discuss the ideal wine to pair with these tasty appetizers.
Come Taste the Divine hosted
Foyer
After learning all about olives and wine, it’s time to taste the divine. Join us for a reception featuring the dishes blogger Kimberly Killebrew prepared along with a carefully-selected collection of wines (see below) from Palm Bay Wines poured by wine experts Mike Wreyford (Mike the Wine Guy @theotherwineguy) and Gwendolyn Alley (Wine Predator @ArtPredator).
Peter Yealands Pinot Gris 2015 – $15.00
Jean-Luc Colombo Cape Bleue Rose 2015 – $12.50
Callia Alta Malbec 2015 – $9.00
6:30 PM Farm-to-Fork Feast
On the street just outside the
foyer doors
Join us for an elegant farm-to-fork feast prepared by Chef Jason Poole from Four Diamond Dawson’s. We’ll dine outside on a shady street with a beautiful view of the State Capitol building. This will be a night to remember!
SUNDAY, JULY 31
7:00 – 9:30 AM Coffee/Tea, Breakfast Bars from
Nature’s Path and peaches
from CA Cling Peaches
Before we depart this fair city of Sacramento, this morning is the perfect time to catch the early worm, and stroll around Capitol Park – considered one of the most beautiful State Capitol grounds in the the nation. Located just across the street from our hotel, the park is home to species of plant life from nearly every place on Earth. If you’re up early enough, you might even take a self-guided tour of some of the largest trees in California!
9:30 – 10:30 AM Marketing Breakout Sessions
Session 1: Learning About Corporate and
Professional Blogging
Ballroom ABC
Many bloggers may never reach or don’t even seek stardom in the blogging world, but still want to blog as a means of income generation or to reach new audiences. Join seasoned bloggers, Garrett McCord (Vanilla Garlic), Stephanie Stiavetti (Fearless Fresh) and Sean Timberlake(Hedonia & Punk Domestics) for a deep look at the pros and cons of freelance blogging.
Session 2: IS BIGGER ALWAYS BETTER…?
Get Off the Treadmill and Find The
“Flow” in Your Career
Ballroom DE
Blogging probably began as an exciting creative hobby. Then, as you became more involved in this freelance lifestyle, things may have come to feel somewhat overwhelming; maybe stressful. Do you sense that your work could make you happier, your life could feel easier; there could be more fun? Have you started to see that you need to take charge and create the blogging life that’s right for you— but you’re not sure exactly how to go about that? In this interactive workshop, certified coach, chef and cookbook author Nicole Aloni will provide you with tools for creating a successful and soul-satisfying career amidst the hubbub of “opportunities” that vie for your attention. Nicole points you to the tools and exercises that will help you uncover the “flow” in your career. She will also share an essential tool for creating career resiliency: creative time management. You’ll leave this workshop feeling more in charge of your blogging future.
10:30 – 10:45 AM Break
10:45 – 11:45 AM Marketing Breakout Sessions
Session 1: Meet the Millennial- Reaching Gen
Y with Food and Health Messages
Ballroom ABC
Millennials are a hard to reach demographic and research shows that they require unique methods for communication and education. This session, hosted by Dr. Megan Meyerfrom the International Food Information Council, will highlight consumer research data that shows Millennials’ perceptions, beliefs, and behaviors on food and nutrition and how to gain their trust to have impactful conversations. Communication strategies will also be shared on how to repackage science-based information into meaningful and impactful messages and stories.
Session 2: Live Tweet! #SippingSocial Trends
with Kathy Casey, Liquid Kitchen
Ballroom DEF
Hear, see, and learn what’s hot and trending in the world of beverage. Celebrated as one of the Top 10 most Influential Bar people in the past 25 years Join Liquid Kitchen’s Kathy Casey as she shares the top 20 beverage trends organically gathered through social media, blogs, newsletters, and articles. Join in on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to share what’s unique and cool in all things sippable by tagging #SippingSocialTrends in your posts. This includes cocktails, wine, beers, ciders, coffee, tea, non-alcoholic beverages, garnishes, presentations, and all things innovative in the land of beverage! This interactive presentation will also include a “live” discussion – #SippingSocialIFBC for a live tweet-up!
11:45 AM – 12:00 PM Conference Closing
Ballroom ABC
Join us to say goodbye and to share our favorite moments of the weekend. We’d also love to hear your thoughts on next year, so be thinking of ideas!