The Fresh Air Retreat is a retreat where an intimate group of food bloggers gather for a few days of food, fun, networking, and of course everything blogging. Hosted by Liz Della Croce (The Lemon Bowl) and Lauren Grier (The Curious Plate), the 2024 spring retreat took place in Miami, Florida. Below is my recap of my time there!
Attendees
What I loved most about this retreat is they only invite a small group. The intimate setting allowed me the chance to really get to know everyone. I seriously left with new friends. Below you’ll find a list of the lovely people I had the pleasure of attending the retreat with. I hope you give them all a follow!
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Aleka: Aleka’s Get Together
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Kylie: Cooking with Cocktail Rings
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Lexi: Crowded Kitchen
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Brita: Food With Feeling
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Mackenzie: Grilled Cheese Social
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Kim: Kim’s Cravings
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Michelle: Unbound Wellness
Fresh Air Retreat Sessions
I found the Fresh Air Retreat to be the perfect balance of work and play. Over 3 days we did a lot of talking and sharing of ideas. Food blogging is a loney profession where you spend a lot of time alone. It’s rare that I get the opportunity to be in a room with my peers so I took advantage of my time. Some of our work sessions included a 60-minute roundtable, problem solving lightning rounds, and a poolside jenga quickfire Q&A.
The Sponsors
Sponsors are often the backbones of retreats. As with everything else, Liz & Lauren curated a fantastic list of sponsors to meet with us.
Current
I admit all the time on my social media pages that I am a horrible griller. Current changed that. Grills intimidate me but I found Current’s electric grill very easy to use. Due to it’s Wi-Fi monitoring system and app, I was able to control the temperature while I chatted my fellow attendees elsewhere. And by elsewhere, I mean by the pool with a cocktail in hand. In my present living situation, I cannot have a gas or charcoal grill. An electric grill checks a lot of boxes for me. My main concern is that an electric grills will not get hot enough. Current heats up to 700ºF!
Flor de Cana
I love a good cocktail so I was so excited to see Flor de Cana on the list. They have a line of premium rums and I had the pleasure of tasting several. What I liked most about this rum is that there’s no added sugar or artificial ingredients. The flavor is so smooth you can sip it straight which is something I do not usually do with rum. Founded in 1890, Flor de Cana is still family-owned. I love supporting a family-run business. There’s a lof of Flora de Cana in my future!
Grocer’s List
I already had my eye on Grocer’s List. I used a competitor of theirs and I’ll just say it did not end well. Meeting Ben from Grocer’s List alone was worth the trip! I use them to drive traffic to my website through their automated Instagram tool. It provides a clickable recipe link through the direct message. Grocer’s List also helps me with my engagement by respond to comments. Grocer’s List works with food bloggers and they actually listen to us. I truly believe this is a tool that all food bloggers should be using. As soon as I got back from the retreat, I signed up.
Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau
The Greater Miami Convention hosted us to a multi-course tasting Sérêvène. A month later, I’m still thinking about the meal. Chef Pawan Pinisetti continuted to impress me with each dish. My favorite? The potato soup! Using only a few ingredients, it was simple yet so flavorful. It’s definitely on my radar to try to reproduce. I don’t expect it to come out as well as Chef Pinisetti’s but I do believe it’s a good recipe for the slow cooker or Instant Pot.
Minute Rice
I did not know until this retreat that Minute Rice has a line of microwavable, flavored rice. My huband consumes a lot of rice but he doesn’t cook. This is perfect for my household! We had samples to try and it was hard to pick a flavor. Chicken & herb, cilantro & lime, jalapeño, etc. Eventally I settled on cilantro and lime. I popped it in the microwave and 60 minutes later, it was done! The cups are 100% recyclable which it kind of a must-have for me.
Chef Trimell
I could not end this post without giving a special shout out to Chef Trimell. I have never been so food spoiled! Having an in-house private Chef cooking for us was an amazing experience. Brekfast, lunch, and dinner…every spread was impressive.
Thanks again to Liz and Lauren for this incredible experience. You two are fantastic hosts! If you are a food blogger looking to be inspired and looking to learn, I cannot recommend this retreat enough. Applications are currently open!
All of the photos in this post are by the amazing Amanda Kamppinen.
