Despite suffering a broken right foot, just two days prior and a strong internal reluctance to shed my introvertedness, I flew to Salt Lake City, Utah and had an incredible foodie adventure, dining out and attending the Everything Food Conference.
Because of my recent injury, I failed to plan a strict foodie itinerary; nevertheless, my husband and I found some excellent restaurants to recommend.
Not only did I speak to strangers at the conference (a huge obstacle for me to overcome), I spoke to them about what I do for a living – write about food!
Starting the Adventure was tough
Reading about the 2018 Everything Food Conference last year, I desperately wanted to attend in 2019. As a struggling writer, funds just are not available for this kind of expense.
However, I was a very lucky winner of the Everything Food Conference Instagram Giveaway! I could not believe it! My husband visited Salt Lake City on several occasions to ski and was anxious to fly with me.
We booked our hotel and airplane tickets, then, two days before we were schedule to fly, I was in a hurry to get out of my husband’s truck….fell…and broke a bone in my right foot.
This is actually the first time, I have ever suffered a broken bone in my life!
An emergency room doctor sold me a walking boot and encouraged me to limit my walking – yeah – at a conference?
Using a rented, medical, steerable knee scooter at the airport was grueling! Going through security was a 45-minute ordeal. I was hand-searched from head to toe….had to remove my walking boot, for closer inspection…my conference backpack was taken apart and hand inspected.
Relieved to finally board the plane for Utah – I was completely unaware of the NIGHTMARE we would endure trying to return home.
More Foodie Adventures
Take a Cocktail Crawl in Greenville, South Carolina
Top Five Places for Foodies to Eat in Greenville, South Carolina
Attending the Everything Food Conference
I have to admit, Kami Kilgore coordinates an incredible line up of speakers, food brands and meals for this conference.
Three days of informative presentations by You Tubers, elite bloggers, Instagram influencers, SEO professionals and so on….
An entire ballroom of the Davis Conference Center was filled by food, cookware and software companies eager to speak with food bloggers.
I was forced to get over my introvertedness pretty darn quick, if I wanted to compete with the many, many influencers, also in attendance.
Each day my husband would drop me off and pick me up, right at the entrance, so I would not need to “wheel” too far on my scooter.
I was blown away by the helpful, friendly volunteers at the conference. A few carried my plate to my table during meals. It was very difficult to carry a plate and steer that knee scooter.
Not to mention the SWAG bag! I have obtained SWAG bags before – especially from being one-half of the professional competition barbecue team, Smokin J’s Barbeque; however, NOTHING, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, COMPARES TO THIS SWAG BAG!
Weighing in at an estimated 20 lbs, my husband relieved me of toting it around the first day, by taking it back to the hotel, as soon as I checked in at the conference.
Filled with pancake mix, pizza dough, meat rubs, cooking utensils, snacks, kool technology gadgets and more! I intend to try everything in the bag and let you know my favorites.
Beauty in Salt Lake City
I will not bore you with details of everything I learned during the conference; however, what I will share with you are several places we visited during our trip.
As I said, my husband has skied in Utah on several occasions, therefore, he knew the most scenic spots to take me – especially since I could not do any hiking (what we normally would have done).
Although mild in Salt Lake City, temperatures dropped dramatically as we drove up the Rocky Mountains towards Park City, a ski resort town about 45 minutes east of Salt Lake City.
I was mesmerized by the beauty of the Rocky Mountains. This was my first visit and I desperately want to return during the winter months.
Enough snow remained, several ski lifts were still operational.
However, it was the snow melting and water cascading throughout the mountains, which I loved the most.
Living in the Appalachian foothills, I see waterfalls and mountains everyday – but not on this immense scale. Some scenes were straight out of an oil painting.
We also visited Antelope Island, near the Great Salt Lake. We saw plenty of bison and mule deer. I highly recommend visiting but not during the month of April. The biting No-See-Ums are hatching and sound like rain pellets on your windshield. They are annoying and fly in swarms.
Food in Salt Lake City
Our first night, we ate dinner close to the hotel. MacCools Public House in Layton, Utah, within walking distance to the Davis Conference Center.
Established in 1984, the restaurant is in need of serious updating! Despite an early clue – a dilapidated menu, I ordered the Bangers and Mash with Finn Skins; while, my husband tried the Fish and Chips.
My sausage was almost past the point of being edible. The Finn Skins were sliced potatoes covered – I mean drowning – in cheese, scallions, and bacon. The fish and chips had a very light batter, but nothing to write home about. Despite having a large craft beer selection, I would not revisit.
However, during our excursion to Park City, we ate at Squatters Pub Brewery. A large, casual restaurant with a decor that would rival any outdoor recreational store. My Club Sandwich with roast turkey, Daily’s bacon, jack and cheddar, lettuce, tomato, cucumber and mayo on a fresh Ciabatta bun was amazing. Paired with wedge fries, it was a very refreshing, but filling lunch.
My husband had the Broadway Cheese-steak – he found it to be delightful as well.
With a very large craft beer menu, they serve breakfast and have a gas fireplace as a focal point in the dining room. Something skiers would appreciate in the winter.
I can also recommend ‘BoutTime Pub & Grub in Layton, Utah. Offering diners karaoke, trivia, and food specials, this is your typical sports bar, but with above average service!
My bacon cheeseburger was cooked perfectly and severed promptly. The dipping sauce with the french fries was awesome! The loaded nachos my husband ordered, would have been enough for two!
Although ‘BoutTime looked dark from the outside, like a smoking lounge, it was far from it. Family friendly with outside dining and a pool table. Plenty of televisions to watch your favorite team and sports memorabilia adorning the walls. I would definitely eat there again.
Foodie Adventure Summary
Although I had reservations about the worthiness of attending the Everything Food Conference, I do not regret it at all. I learned so much on how to improve my business and blog – and hopefully, you will enjoy it too.
Despite our return flight being canceled, which caused us to sit in the Salt Lake City Airport for 20+ hours, waiting on another flight – AND then, instead of the direct flight we paid for, had to make a lay over in Dallas, Texas for 2 hours (which that flight was delayed for another hour)… AND, American Airlines never putting our single checked bag on a plane – we finally arrived home about 24 hours later than we had planned.
All-in-all, I learned a lot, made a few new friends, ate some good food and saw some of God’s most beautiful country…it was a good adventure.
Have you experienced an exciting foodie adventure? Please share in the comments….
