2011 International Food Blogger Conference in New Orleans

The 2011 International Food Blogger Conference will be in my hometown New Orleans, LA! It’s August 26 – 28, 2011 at the regal Hotel Monteleone, located on Royal Street. It’s just a quick walk to some of New Orleans most famous landmarks such as Jackson Square, Café’ Du Monde, and the French Market. As someone who has an appreciation for New Orleans cuisine, I really think that this conference is a great fit for my goals as a blogger. I started Nola Mommy as a way to share with others across the country how special New Orleans, its people, and its cuisine are. We are such a unique breed and the common thread that ties us all together, in good times and in bad, is food. Actually, a New Orleanian is a lot like the food that we eat which is BOLD, UNIQUE, and depending on the situation, can be a bit SPICY.

I wish I could say that I went to a prestigious culinary school but I can’t. What I can say is that I learned to cook from one of New Orleans’s best. Of course, I mean my grandmother. Widowed in her 40’s, she raised 7 children while working 2 jobs. One of those jobs was at the infamous New Orleans bakery McKenzie’s Pastry Shop. She always cooked enough to feed an army and was insulted if you only had one plate. She taught me so much, but more important than her recipes was her love of family. In her mind, food and family were intertwined. She always served Southern, comfort food and to this day it reminds me of her. That’s the type of meals that highlight the spirit of New Orleans and are featured at Nola Mommy. They are recipes that make you feel good and bring your family around the table. For example, today is Monday and that means I have a pot of red beans on the stove and tonight my family will share in the New Orleans tradition of eating red beans and rice on Mondays. My Red Beans and Rice post highlights this tradition and gives step by step directions with photos on how to cook a traditional pot of creamy red beans and rice.

After looking at the conferences agenda, it looks like an amazing learning experience and opportunity to meet incredible bloggers. I attended the New Orleans Academy of Fine Art in Photography and Digital Editing and worked for a well-known New Orleans wedding photographer. My camera and I are really good friends, but I would love to learn more about the art of food photography and how to make my dishes look as appealing as they taste.

It was then that the course on Food and Culture caught my eye and I almost fell out of my desk chair. Wow! That is what Nola Mommy is all about! It’s about integrating the food of New Orleans with its culture. New Orleans recipes are influenced by the Spanish, French, African, and Caribbean cultures to name a few. The history of each dish and the traditions are staggering. I would really benefit from learning the best ways to integrate the two. Then, I would love to attend the course on marketing the brand. Words are not worth the paper they are written on if they are not read. I want to get my writing and recipes into the hands of people who will enjoy them. Also, I think the course on Blogging your Values could be really helpful. Recently, I posted about Camp Pelican, a camp for children with respiratory diseases hosted by a local charity organization and I would like to do more of that in the future. I would love to highlight causes such as Habitat for Humanity, which is still helping to rebuild homes after Hurricane Katrina that made landfall in 2005. I want to find out how to showcase their efforts and the efforts of others.

I am a mom and so that automatically makes me in need of all of the time management tips and all the advice that I can get. I want to be able to manage my time blogging with the time I spend with family and friends. As a mom, wife, nurse, and blogger, the more efficient that I can be with time it will benefit my entire family. Finally, I would really like to attend the course on reviewing restaurants. Here in New Orleans there is a restaurant at every corner and everybody is a critic. I want to review them in an honest, professional manner.

I am trying not to sound like a panhandler on Bourbon St., but I really think the courses offered at the International Food Blogger Conference are in tune with Nola Mommy and what I hope to accomplish through it. To top it all off, it’s being held right here in New Orleans! Sounds a little like fate if you ask me. Reading the names of the local chefs and businesses taking part in the conference reads like a list of New Orleans all-stars. I am glad that New Orleans was chosen to host such a great event and hope that bloggers from all over the world are treated to New Orleans hospitality.