Kosherfest Round Up and a Kick in the @$$

Honestly, I have been feeling a bit uninspired lately. 
Setting up the rental house and being a mommy to my 5 kids. 
Sometimes we need a little motivation. 
Other times we just need a good kick. 


Kosherfest did just that for me. 

Event #1 Kosher Food Blogger Conference. 

Look who was a sponsor!

The Kosher Food Bloggers are a community of bloggers, brands, and foodies that share a common passion for good kosher food and culinary adventure. Their first ever conference was held at the Carlton Hotel in NYC.  They had some really awesome speakers like Jamie Geller of Joy of Kosher, the genius photographer Noah Fecks, and the SEO master Joe Apfelbaum of Ajax Union.  

Why did I go? Why was I a sponsor? 
It's not like I'm a foodie.....

The truth is that my pieces lend a lot to the food world, especially kosher since I'm an Orthodox Jew. Food bloggers use my pieces in their photos, restaurants use my cake domes in their displays, and event planners use my custom pieces for their clients, weddings, and parties. 

Lunch Sponsored by Fairway

The best part of doing what I do is meeting the friends that I make online and seeing them in person! Melinda Strauss of Kitchen Tested  is truly one of those people. I finally got to meet her Kosher Food Blogger buddy Shelley Serber of The Kosher Home {on a budget}. Of course we became instant friends. Meeting Leah Shapira was also super swell. Not only is she the author of Fresh & Easy, but she also runs the website Cook Kosher and is a managing food editor for Ami Magazine. 

Event #2 Pre Kosherfest Social Media Dinner 

I had the privilege of co-hosting the Pre Kosherfest Social Media Dinner with my SweetUP  partner Esti Berkowitz and the KosherEye team. 

This year, KosherEye and SweetUP served-up the best in social media networking at the 2nd Annual Pre-Kosherfest Social Media Dinner at Abigael’s on Broadway. The who’s who of foodies, magazine editors, and lifestyle bloggers dined on an exclusive menu created by celebrity Chef Jeff Nathan. In true social media style, IPhones, instagrams, Facebook shares, and tweets were just as handy as fork and knife. People followed along from right in the room to miles away by following the designated hashtag for the evening, #kfeast12.

Upon arrival, guests were treated to glasses of champagne sponsored by Royal Wine! This gave people enough time to finally meet their Facebook and twitter followers in real time. 


The sponsors of this year’s dinner were a perfect fit for the impressive group of bloggers. The room was thrilled to hear about some of these brand new products from our Premier Sponsor, Manischewitz Company: The Chanukah House, Chocolate Covered Potato Chips, and Macaroon Dough!

Look out for my next post with some more details
on this super fun project for kids! 

Food man LLC, the creators behind Matzolah and winner in the Best New Passover Product Competition that took place before Kosherfest, brought down what Moses didn't have room for, Matzo granola!

As guests were served three courses, each just as delicious as the next, the “getting to know you” chat began. Each guest presented an “elevator” speech sharing who they were, and what they were about, in no more than 1 minute!

Once the main meal was concluded, delicious desserts were served, complimented by Cherry Heering Coffee Liqueur! A bottle of this lovely liqueur was placed on each table, accompanying after dinner coffee, and miniature bottles were included in the swag bags.

As the evening was drawing to a close, our very special guest, Alex Rapaport, founder of Masbia Soup Kitchen, shared a few words about his organization. When this event was conceptualized, the importance of recognizing and giving back to a non-profit organization was essential. Masbia was that organization and proceeds from the event went towards this organization. It was a great honor to give all additional food items from our sponsors to Masbia, who have been providing warm healthy meals to families affected by the hurricane, and to the teams helping with the aftermath of Sandy. The evening ended on a very positive note.

Esti Berkowitz and me - ready to go home after a wonderful night

In the next few months, the SweetUp Team will be putting on a Chanukah Hangout benefiting the children of Chai Lifeline, A Kosher Cupcake Cook-off, Social Media Soiree and Fashion Show! True to our mission of connecting Jewish bloggers from all backgrounds with brands that want to reach these bloggers, we are you one-stop networking team! Please join us on Facebook and on twitter @sweetup2012.

Event #3 Kosherfest!

Finally the BIG day had arrived! I had never been to Kosherfest before and I was soooo excited! I got to meet some really amazing people and eat some really delicious food. I came home a bit tipsy and stuffed.  

Susie Fishbein with her new Kolatin product!

 Paula Shoyer is like my other half.
She's from Long Beach  and went to HALB and HANC.
It's like she could be me, but I haven't been on the
Food Network nor have I written a book! 

Leah Shapira of Cook Kosher signing my new cookbook
Fresh & Easy

Jamie Geller  from Joy of Kosher
She graciously gave me a new copy of
Quick & Kosher to replace the one that got
ruined in my house debacle. 

Funny costumes!
He could braid those havdalah candles quick!

7th Heaven for my husband. 

Kosherfest was just the right kick that I needed to restart and recharge my creative batteries. Can't wait to show you all the new Chanukah pieces I have been busy creating since Kosherfest! 

Till next time!
Abbey