Eat Boutique Local Market: Meet and Greet, Wine and Dine

I guess you could say that my love for all-things-related-to-food has always existed. Growing up, food was pretty much one of my major hobbies; obviously eating it everyday during multiple meals and snacking periods, from listing it down as my interest on Facebook to actually developing the passion to something beyond the surface. A blog post and a photo of a coffee mug later, I made it clear to myself that venturing out to local cafes and small boutiques was something I enjoy on a leisurely basis. Then I discovered the SoWa Open Market, a gathering of farmers, artisans, vendors, and boutique owners all there to sell their vast array of goods, creating what I think is the ideal world for a shopper's experience. I loved it. And it was then that the possibility of perhaps other gastronomic events being held somewhere in the city could hold true. And long and behold, it did.

From a simple tweet I found out about Eat Boutique, an online food magazine focusing on "authentic food, independent vision and old-fashioned hospitality", and that is what i find extremely heartening. And after surfing their site, I found out that they were holding their first Boston Local Market event at Twelve Chairs. I couldn't miss this; so I immediately responded to reserve a ticket. So finally, on September 24th at 1PM, I attended my first ever food event and let me just put this out there, I was so so SO SO nervous.
The minute people walked in, they were greeted with an Eat Boutique volunteer/representative offering sweet (gourmet) marshmallow squares in little plastic cups: what better way to set the tone? And as soon as you walked up those steps you enter a sizable room, adorned with furniture already placed, tables all ordered with several boutiques showcasing their delicious goodies all reflecting the talent and care for food. And the best sight of all, crowds of people from all different backgrounds: foodies, gastronomers, food bloggers, food photographers, all under the umbrella of being food lovers. I was just nervous: a newbie and youngin' like me amongst such sociable, hip, knowledgeable, experienced people. I'm not going to lie, I was just plain awkward. But I tried my best to explore and take pictures and talk to at least ONE person. I was happy to have a small conversation with the founder of Eat Boutique, Maggie Battista. It was so great to be able to speak to her and gain insight on how and where she started with food blogging etc. She was absolutely adorable and she did an amazing job putting together a fantastic event. You might be wondering which vendors were present. Well, this is most, if not all, of them: Fat Toad Farm known for their goat dairy, Didi Davis Artisan Food and their condiment blends, sophisticatedly sweet Elaine Hsieh Chocolatier , Chococoa's whoopie pies, Yummy Mummy Brownies, Lark Fine Foods and their "cookies for grown-ups", the care for cupcakes from The Cupcakory, the best nuts for snacking from Q's Nuts, The Stand's concoctions, The Wine Bottega, and The Equal Exchange Free Range coffee truck. And how could I forget the  Poor Girl Gourmet cook book by Amy McCoy and a signing with Flour Bakery's owner Joanne Chang. Long story short, there were a ton of things to see, taste, smell, enjoy, appreciate, and to savor the memories, BUY!

Originally, I wasn't going to blog about this event because I felt that my photos weren't up to my potential and that I didn't interact as much as I would have liked. But I realized that it was probably one of the greatest experiences for me as far as my food blogging goes. It was a first for me so I guess I have give myself some relief. To me, that's something worth talking about! And fortunately, very recently, Eat Boutique has officially announced the date, time, and place for their Eat Boutique Holiday Local Market event. The more and more I eat, the more I hear about and attend such amazing food events such as these, and the more I blog about how much I enjoy everything about it, I feel that I am slowly becoming more reassured that this is truly a passion for me. I am most definitely going to the Holiday Local Market without a doubt. And this time, things will be different. With a more open mind, a new camera, and a stronger desire to taste food handled by great craftsmanship, I simply cannot wait for this event to come!