Bucket List & Food Festival

I have a few things on my bucket list.

For example, I'm going to have my own chickens someday.

You can laugh if you want.  I'll still bring you farm-fresh eggs.

We'll see who's laughing then.

The Food Network Wine & Food Festival has also been on my bucket list.

I went with my two favorite girls.

My wonderful mom!

Me 'n my Katie

Oh look!  We met Alex Guarneschelli.  I like to think that we would be friends.

The Food Festival exceeded my expectations.

I did not expect to like Alton Brown.  I loved him.  He was hilarious.

He's from the South and there's just some things that only Southerners understand.

We understood.

And we were the only three people in the audience that did understand his humor.

Bobby Flay was... well, he was Bobby Flay.  He was nothing short of fabulous, of course.  What would you expect?

He made paella as easily as some people pour a bowl of cereal all while explaining what he was doing, why he was doing it, and taking random questions from the audience.

We sat behind his mom.  She is a proud mom.  Who can blame her?  And she is adorable.  And she loves to be on camera.  Bobby said she comes to these events to get her "face time" in.  So she introduced us...

And then Bobby (we're on a first-name basis) asked us where he should eat in Lexington, since he comes there all the time to run his horses at Keeneland and everything.

And I refrained from saying "just give me a call and we can meet at Malone's" and instead I just casually mentioned that he might want to try Ramsey's.

I was cool. Not.

Oh, and then Katie and I met Bobby and Jamie Deen for at least the third time.

I joked that we had stalked them from Savannah all the way to New York.

And Bobby said, "Well, I've been stalked a lot more than that."

Um, awkward.  I was just kidding, Bobby.  I hope he knows that.  I'll just reiterate it the next time I see him.

So long, New York.  Keep on doing what you do (name that show) and we'll come again someday.