Back from the Big Easy

I just spent this past weekend at the national conference for Women Chefs and Restauranteurs, which was a blast. New Orleans is still a far cry from the city as I found it seven years ago, but it does seem to be coming along. The people are just different there, they seem to be more vibrant and often rather eccentric. I noticed even that the men who made cat calls were somewhat different, not yelling, but rather greeting me with a kind word or two.

The food there was absolutely wonderful, but what else would you expect for a group of such talented individuals? We dined out Saturday night, and then were fed in the hotel by many top-notch chefs for the remainder of the conference. I must mention also that the wine flowed freely, and not the cheap stuff either. Women do these things right.

Many of the attendees were famous faces like Elizabeth Faulkner, Barbara Lynch, Leah Chase and Gale Gand, but at meals and sessions they were completely casual and extremely personable. I've never met so many people in just over two days, and now just have to make notes and remember them all.