every year, i attend the most wonderful conference with the most wonderful people in the most wonderful part of the country. it’s the pma foodservice conference held in monterey, california each july [check out photos from last year’s conference here and the year before’s here], and gosh, i have so many great memories here and have learned so much. it gets better and better each year as i meet more and more people in the industry, and i just really love produce people. :)
my supervisor colista and the produce sourcing manager, morgan, joined me on the trip. we were in monterey for four nights and we went with CH robinson this year, who manages our produce program. here were some of the highlights from this year:
{we flew into phoenix and then directly into monterey this year instead of flying into san jose or san francisco. it was an interesting descent as we got to see all the beautiful monster homes up on the hills of the monterey area.}
{the weather was AMAZING… anything would have been better than 100+ degree texas, but 60s and 70s? the best. the first thing we did when we arrived was walk over to fisherman’s wharf and enjoy a seafood lunch, sitting outside right on the water.}
{we had some time to relax before we headed to dinner with the california strawberry commission… we always have a great time with our friend peggy [and kim too] – they’re always so kind to invite us to wonderful events that they host featuring the best produce. to start the meal: on the left, baked alaskan halibut, warm potato salad, shaved asparagus, and CA strawberry gazpacho. on the right, the intermezzo – CA strawberry-lime granita.}
{on the left, the entree: bakers bacon chop, CA strawberry-pepper glaze, grilled broccolini, and polenta croutons. on the right, dessert: compressed CA strawberries, bitter chocolate streusel, brie cheese brûlée. …they managed to incorporate CA strawberries into every course! we even had strawberry cocktails!}
{my ladies!}
{the next morning, we headed out to some strawberries fields with the california strawberry commission. the best part was that we were taking the tour with a whole bunch of people who i used with work with at my previous company. they also knew colista since she used to work with us there too… thankfully, we’re all on good terms; in fact, we were SO excited to see each other. it made the tour that much more fun.}
{from the fields}
{aren’t they gorgeous? i think strawberry fields might be my favorite.}
{we got to pick them right off the vine and eat them…}
{the scenery is so pretty too, with the hills surrounding the fields.}
{strawberry fields forever.}
{picking strawberries!}
{after our field tour, we had lunch at the beautiful home of the strawberry growers, ed and jean kelly.}
{aren’t their yard and house just beautiful? we couldn’t get over them…}
{strawberry bruschetta and strawberry napkins.}
{they had a beautiful round table that sat 22 people.}
{the cutest.}
{strawberry lemonade + an avocado stuffed with strawberry salsa and grilled prawns. to die for.}
{roasted salmon with strawberry sriracha glaze and a spinach salad with strawberries, goat cheese & candied pecans + THE BEST DESSERT EVER: strawberry chocolate chip shortcake. i was in heaven.}
{and strawberry poppyseed cookies to take home. i was pretty sure that i was going to turn into a strawberry by the end of the day, but i was impressed by all the delicious ways to incorporate strawberries into a meal! it really was a lovely time.}
{that night, i went out with all my former coworkers and it totally made my weekend. i love them dearly!}
{and then i ran the 5k bright and early the next morning with my people. always a great way to start the day!}
{a few pictures i snapped along the run of monterey bay. it was stunning.}
{lovely monterey}
{next up were lettuce fields with CH robinson!}
{looking oh so cute in our hairnets.}
{tasting lettuce straight from the ground!}
{they look like flowers}
{you’d think we were a bunch of lunch ladies if you didn’t know better.} ;)
{because i believe in taking a good outfit photo every now and again… and it’s a good thing, too, because after this occasion, i washed this dress and it shrunk.} :(
{love them!}
{when we found out we were sisters… #inthebond #deltagamma} ;)
{cloudy morning on the bay.}
{the biggest pancakes i’ve ever seen, literally falling off the plate, at lou lou’s on the wharf!}
{on our last night, we had dinner at roy’s at pebble beach. always great views and great food.}
{we saw our former coworkers out at roy’s that night too, so we got to say hi to them. i also had drinks with some friends of mine in the younger generation of “produce people” before and after dinner, which was a blast.}
{we got to see the bagpiper!}
{my ONLY complaint is that i’m in love with the butter fish at roy’s but the surf ‘n turf was recommended to me by a friend – he said to ask for the butter fish and the short rib and that i wouldn’t be sorry. well, i wouldn’t have been, if they had brought me out what i ordered! they sent me another fish that wasn’t butter fish and i was so disappointed! i should have sent it back in hindsight, but i didn’t realize it until later, after a few bites and me thinking, gosh, this just doesn’t seem as good as i remembered. and then i realized that everyone who had ordered the butter fish had a different fish than me. but i’m never one to want to cause a scene. anyway, the short rib was very good, and i will order the surf ‘n turf again, but it’s going to be butter fish and the short rib, very loud and clear!}
{the sunset was just beautiful.}
{after dinner, we sat out by the fire, and then headed back to monterey. i may or may not have stayed out til 2 am that night [a rare occurrence for me these days!] and had to wake up at 4 am for our flight… so yeah. totally worth it though!}
thank you for the awesome trip, CH robinson!