ten reasons you should go to the food media forum

1. It's at a culinary school. That means access to kitchens! And classrooms! This is the ultimate location for a conference such as this.

2. Ideas In Food. Aki and Alex are a husband and wife duo behind this popular and inspirational blog and the book to go along with it. They are our Keynote presenters who will kick off the weekend! This is a big deal, you guys. They are also doing a workshop (not included in the ticket price) for any of you ambitious cooks/chefs who want to take your skillz to new, innovative heights.



3. My friends rock. When Stef, Stacey, Laura, Kimberly and I started this last year, we did it because we wanted to learn from all the talented people in our community. The same is true for this year, and we are stoked to make it bigger and better. This is truly a labor of love for us, and that alone makes it worthwhile.

4. Photographers. St. Louis has several food publications, and many many talented photographers. For Food Media Forum we have 4 of our favorites teaching photography topics from basic to advanced, and we've added some hands-on this year, too!



5. The food. Being a conference for FOOD writers/bloggers/photographers, we can't just serve up the usual boring conference food. The food has to be good. And it will be! St. Louis Originals is one of our sponsors and the restaurants they are bringing in to feed us at the Keynote party are some of St. Louis' favorite!

6. Never stop learning. You will hear this advice from many a wise person. Don't ignore it! To think that you know everything or know enough will keep you stuck. Open your mind, listen and hopefully learn something. Everyone will walk away knowing more than when they started.

7. New Friends! A bunch of people who want to learn how to express their passion for food, all in the same place. You will surely walk away with some new bonds.

8. St. Louis! I love this city, especially it's food community. If you are from out of town you will have no trouble finding great places to wine and dine. If you are from St. Louis, you might just discover something new about your city! We are so proud to showcase what this region has to offer.

9. Variety. The Food Media Forum is designed to help as many types of food media people as possible. Better writing, better photography, better SEO, feature writing, video... we are offering it all, and the people presenting on the subjects are some of the best in the industry. Check out the schedule and click on the individual classes to learn more.

10. Last Year's was AWESOME. Just read some of the recaps by Stacey, Diane Jacob and myself.


So what are you waiting for? Go get tickets!

:)

avocado garbanzo jicama chicken salad

Pinterest introduced me to the idea of using avocado as the creamy element for a chicken salad. Hallelujah! I have an aversion to mayonnaise (worst foodie ever, I know), so I'm always excited to find new ingredient-binding possibilities.

Inspired by guacamole, I decided to make the whole chicken salad Mexican-influenced. Instead of celery for crunch, I used Jicama, and I added garbanzo beans, cilantro and cumin to add to the south-of-the-border gusto. I also added a little bit of Créma, a Mexican sour cream, for added tang and richness. If you are going for lower fat or vegan I don't think the salad would suffer without it.

This is my new favorite quick meal, I think. The big drawback is that avocado browns quickly. My salad stayed mostly green overnight, and even when it got a bit brown, it still tasted okay. Anyway, plan to make this for several people, or halve the recipe, as it just doesn't last long.

Avocado Garbanzo Jicama Chicken Salad

-2 ripe avocados

-juice from 1 lime

-1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

-1 small jicama, peeled and cubed

-1 cup cooked chicken, chopped

-1 handful cilantro, chopped

-2 Tablespoons Créma or Sour Cream

-1 teaspoon cumin

-salt and pepper to taste

Mash the avocados with the lime juice until creamy. Fold in the rest of the ingredients. Serve immediately in a tortilla (I loved it in a wheat tortilla that I heated up over direct flame for some charred spots!), on bread or on some fresh greens. Garnish with tomatoes, cilantro and fresh lime. And Tapatio hot sauce, duh.

Related posts from the archives:

Radish Garbanzo Salad

Roasted Veggie Burrito

Build a Better Taco Salad

Black Bean Balls with Avocado Buttermilk Sauce

Salmon with White Bean Salsa

Salmon with Cilantro Gremolata