After the hoopla of fall travel and the winter holidays, Dave and I decided we would not travel at all until the summer. But you...
Read MoreBook Signing Recap: A Story In Photos
How much fun was the Well Fed signing at CrossFit Center City last night?!
So much fun that I’m currently holed up in our temporary Philly digs in my eye glasses, with bedhead and no makeup, planning a luscious nap that I will dive into as soon as I finish this post.
Thank you so much to everyone who came out to visit with us last night. It was a treat sweeter than Sunbutter to meet so many blog readers in person! In all, there were about 75 new friends there to eat paleo snacks and get down with the foodie talk. I signed many lovingly dog-eared, food-stained copies of Well Fed and was the recipient of lots of great hugs.
But enough blah blah blah. Let’s see some pics, right?!
CrossFit Center City
If you’re in Philadelphia and looking to have your butt kicked in the best way possible, I encourage you to check out CrossFit Center City. All CrossFit gyms are not alike, and the programming at CrossFit Center City is first rate — as are all of the people I met who work and workout there.
This is me with Meghan Ramos (director of marketing and communications, nutrition consultant, hostess with the mostest), and Erin Davidson (owner, coach, all-around badass). We were being nice…
… then we felt like being mean.
We started the evening off with a Q&A about the ins-and-outs of adopting Whole30/paleo eating habits. It totally looks like Brandi (that cutie in the seafoam dress) and I are doing jazz hands! But really, she was graciously interpreting my yammering into American Sign Language — and I was probably just being overly dramatic, as usual.
Man! I miss my CrossFit workouts, and images like this are why…
When we were all talked out, we got down to the business of signing books. And I received these lovely cherry wood cooking tongs from blog reader Elise. (Thanks, Elise!) If you want some of your own — and really, you should get some — visit her dad’s web site. Even more exciting than the tongs? That beautiful key that Elise made herself.
I also met lots of other extremely cool blog readers who made me feel so welcome; it was lovely. I wish I had photos of every one of you!
Then it was off to dinner. On the way, we found an homage to my style inspiration at Bettie Page Clothing, and I slowed our group with my window shopping. (Leopard print cape at Juicy Couture!)
Then we finally arrived at Parc Brasserie in Rittenhouse Square.
The food was perfect: roast duck, salade verte, braised short ribs. And how could we not enjoy ourselves with these fantastic dinner companions?!
Meghan and I think French food is really funny.
It was after 11:00 when we finally packed it in and grabbed a cab back to our neighborhood, stuffed with good food, warm and fuzzy from good company.
Thank You, Food Sponsors!
Sweet Freedom Bakery
This gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, corn-free, peanut-free, sugar-free cookie cake was scrumptious. And it disappeared into attendees’ bellies in a nanosecond.
Lava Lake Lamb
The $50 gift certificate and hat from Lava Lake Lamb were a huge hit. And you don’t have to wait for a book signing to get yourself some 100% grass-fed lamb and beef from this family-owned ranch in Idaho. (Read my previous review here.)
Primal Pacs
My favorite on-the-go, take-it-anywhere, especially-on-the-plane paleo snack. Organic, grass-fed, grass-finished jerky (sugar free and made with a family recipe) packaged with high-quality dried fruit and nuts.
Sea Snax
Irresistible roasted seaweed (gluten free and Non-GMO Project verified) with a little olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. They’re like the Nori Chips in Well Fed only you don’t have to make them yourself!
Sunbutter
Who can resist the allure of Sunbutter?! No one. Made from specially roasted sunflower seeds, it is completely peanut-free, tree-nut free and gluten-free.
Kasandrinos Olive Oil
Delish! Samples of 100% pure, Kasandrinos Extra-Virgin Olive Oil. Erin, the CrossFit Center City gym owner, actually visited the olives in Greece last year. This stuff is legit!
Paleonola
Crazy-good, tastes-like-candy, grain-free granola. Read my previous review here; this stuff is redonk.
Wonderful Pistachios
In addition to the tasty, irresistible pistachios we could eat, Wonderful also gave us a bunch of these squeezable pistachio stress balls. Adorbs!
And finally…
As always, my deep gratitude to Dave for being a patient handler, staff photographer, itinerary planner, navigator, and all-around, one-man support system for me so that all I had to do was put on my eyeliner and brush my hair.
The end.
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Jonathan’s stuff is the best! Every year they are at the PA Fairie Festival and every year my SO and I pick a new implement for the kitchen. Our favorite is the spootle, it fits perfectly in your hand and is great for all sorts of cooking:
http://www.woodspoon.com/spootle.aspx
I also get their left handed spoons for my mom.
I also love the Moonspoon (their other line’s) salt spoon. I have one to use for glitter, too.
http://www.moonspoon.com/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=2
Sounds like an awesome time!
MEL and DAVE, thank you so much for making this such an incredible event. CFCC absolutely loved you and we hope you’ll come back as often as you can! Thank you also for making our little home look so GREAT in photos! These are gorgeous!
We couldn’t have planned the laughing food picture any better! Love it!
Can’t wait til you get to come back to Philly. No promises that we won’t continue to stuff you with fabulous food options every time you visit, though.
this was such a fun night! thanks again for the wonderful wrap-up post 🙂 can’t wait to cook my way through THE BOOK.
As a 5’0 180 pounder, I love to see that the paleo girls look like me, yay team thick thighs!!! Changin’ stereotypes and takin’ names!!! Keep up the awesome work!!!
It was so great to meet you and hear you talk! You’re even better in person!!!
How fun! So glad to see you enjoying so much success with the cookbook 🙂 I’m a longtime reader, and your recipes have majorly helped in the transition to Paleo. Thanks so much!
All my teeth are sweet and that cake looked fabulous!
We couldn’t have planned the laughing food picture any better! Love it!