BlogJam 2017

Wow this past week has been a busy one and I loved every minute of it! I'm excited to share my experience of this year's BlogJam event, one of my favourite days of the year.

BlogJam is an annual event that brings together an amazing community of Atlantic Canadian bloggers. All levels of experience and expertise are welcome in an atmosphere of sharing an education. I always leave with some great new ideas! The best part is seeing everyone face-to-face, meeting new people and catching up with old friends.

Chit Chat Chop with Kitchen Door Catering

Renée Downs and I kicked off the week with an appearance on "Chit Chat Chop" at Kitchen Door Catering with Chef Ben. What a blast! We chatted about BlogJam 2017 while learning to make Moose Burgers (my first time eating moose!). The food was delicious and I had fun overcoming my fear of being IN FRONT of the camera. Thank you Chef Ben, Patty Howard and Adam Purcell of Caring Counts for inviting us into the kitchen!

BlogJam 2017 Food Photography Workshop

I had so much fun leading a food photography workshop with Chef Barry Mooney at Gio this year. Chef Barry shared some cooking and plating tips (they create the most GORGEOUS food at Gio!) and I shared some food photography tips bloggers could use at home to photograph their own beautiful photos. Thank you to everyone who came out for the workshop and all the great questions and ideas you shared!

Dishes we photographed:

Smoked Pork Consommé (Chef Ben's Gold win at Gold Medal Plates 2017!)
Ham hock terrine, foie mousse, poached scallop, pickled carrot, hascap gelee, spiced tuille
Beet salad
Mozzarella, arugula, extra virgin olive oil, toasted hazelnuts, anise & chili glaze

Photo credit (image on the left): Heather Francis of www.yachtkate.com

BlogJam 2017

Sunday was a busy day with lots of energy and excitement as bloggers gathered to network and learn new blogging skills. As the event photographer, I get to wander from room to room listening in on all of the presentations. A few highlights of my day were catching up with friends (and sponsors) Lindsay Cross from CUA, Caitlin Patterson from Digital Nova Scotia, and Dr. Ben and Dr. Ashley from Cornerstone Naturopathic. It's always fun to see everyone I know so well online face-to-face finally. Here are a few photos from the day!

Renée Downs, Krista Montelpare, Michelle Doucette (me) and Kerra Aucoin Mansfield

These three inspiring ladies are the creators of BlogJam and work SO hard all year to bring us this special event. Happy to be a part of the team as the photography sponsor. Thanks ladies!

So many sponsors generously supported this event, thank you to each one!