Oh friends, I am more than a little behind, but this is too good not to discuss! Two weeks ago, Nicole invited me to attend the Hungry Cocktail Event. If you’re like me and watch the Food Network nonstop enjoy watching food/cooking shows, you will love Hungry! It’s a new youtube launch of food and cooking shows that you can watch on your own time with new and interesting content.
As soon as Nicole and I arrived, I food geeked out a little.
The event was held at Elements, a swanky Phoenix restaurant that overlooks Camelback mountain. The party was smaller than I expected, and we quickly made our way to a private room near the back. I felt fancy 😉 We grabbed some delicious hors d’oeuvres. I might have just had to google how to spell hors d’oeurves. That’s how unfancy I am.
Before we knew it, we were chatting it up with The Casserole Queens!
These ladies are a couple of the stars from the Hungry network. I couldn’t get over how nice they were! They were funny, inviting, and just so friendly! I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t dreamed of having my own cooking show (I mean I’m a theatre kid who loves food–it’s like the ultimate!), and these ladies have actually done it. They seemed so appreciative of their support and recognition. It just made me love them more!
Soon we headed into a separate dining hall where we watched a preview of the Hungry channel and learned about the process of bringing food programming to the internet. We also had an opportunity to speak with chef Beau McMillan (Iron Chef, and Elements exec. chef).
After the demonstration, it was time for dinner. Beau cooked us the most incredible meal! Full of so many things I would hardly ever eat under “normal” circumstances, and loved every bit of!
Yup. That’s a pig. And Beau in all his pig cooking glory. I would have thought seeing all the skin on it would freak me out, but I actually thought it was COOL! Maybe I’m weird?
The Casserole Queens also thought it was cool. Obviously.
Shrimp + grits
Okay, so I thought I hated grits, but these were AMAZING. Seriously. Probably my favorite thing I ate all night. They were southwest flavored with a slight kick. I must find a way to recreate these for myself! I also really loved the Casserole Queens’ recipe for Spice Mac & Cheese.
I got a little of everything.
Nicole and I were lucky enough to sit with Crystal at dinner, and hear a little bit about the journey her and Sandy took to developing their own cooking show. After we ate, we got to speak to Sandy more as well. These ladies were just so down to earth, and it was so great to hear about their experiences, and meet some other people who love food as much as I do!
Big thanks to Nicole for taking me with her! Check out her recap as well!
