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I don’t talk about the behind-the-scenes of running Choosing Chia all that much on here, but every once in a while something happens that feels worth sharing, and this was definitely one of those things. A few weeks ago I had the chance to fly down to Atlanta, Georgia for the Fresh Air Retreat, and honestly it was one of the best experiences I’ve had in a long time.
Thank you to Amanda Kamppinen (@amanda.kamppinen) who was our photographer for the entire retreat. All of the beautiful photos in this post are hers, she’s incredibly talented and so fun to be around.
What Is the Fresh Air Retreat?
The Fresh Air Retreat is an exclusive retreat for food bloggers hosted by Liz Della Croce of The Lemon Bowl and Lauren Grier of The Curious Plate. Liz and Lauren have been running these retreats for years and the idea is simple but really special: bring a small group of food creators together to connect, learn from each other, and just have an open, honest conversation about what it’s like to do what we do. No competition, no performance. Just real talk about the industry paired with really good food and really good company.
This was my first time attending and I came home with a full heart and a very long notes app list.
The People (Honestly the Best Part)
Something I don’t talk about enough is how isolating working from home can be. I love my job more than anything but I spend most of my days in my own little bubble and I don’t often get the chance to sit across from someone who truly gets what this career is like. There’s no office, no co-workers to bounce ideas off, no “water cooler talk”. So being in a room with eight other inspiring women who are all living this same creative, ever-changing, kind of unpredictable blogging life? It was was not only refreshing but extremely rewarding.
Everyone was so warm and open. There was zero sense of competition, which I think says a lot about the kind of people Liz and Lauren gather. We did a lightning round problem-solving session where we went around the table and helped each other troubleshoot real business challenges and it was one of the most useful things I’ve done for Choosing Chia in a long time. Sometimes all you need is a fresh set of eyes, and having that many smart, experienced people in the room was such a gift!
Here’s who was there. (give them all a follow if you’re not already!)
- Grilled Cheese Social
- The Recipe Rebel
- Eating Bird Food
- Jar of Lemons
- It’s a Flavorful Life
- Foodess
- Dinner in 321
And a big shoutout to Chef Trimell (@cheftrimell) who cooked all of our in-house meals throughout the retreat. Every single dish was incredible and he is so talented. Definitely give him a follow!
The Food (Obviously We Need to Talk About This!)
We’re food bloggers. The food was always going to be a highlight. Our meals throughout the retreat were incredible, we had a mix of meal cooked by Chef Trimmel at the house and a lunch and dinner experience out.
Dinner with SUNSET® Produce
On night two we had a stunning dinner prepared by our private chef using a full spread of SUNSET® produce, and it was one of those meals where you just keep going back for more because everything tastes so good. SUNSET® is all about bringing bold, beautiful produce to your table, and this dinner was a perfect showcase of exactly that.
We started with a chilled tomato gazpacho that was so fresh and flavourful, homemade pickles, and a crudité and burrata board with toasted bread that I could have honestly made a whole meal out of! Then came shrimp and grits topped with roasted SUNSET® Flavor Bombs® cherry tomatoes, which were so juicy and sweet against the creamy grits, and we finished with a beautiful steak served alongside pepper potatoes and asparagus.
The Flavor Bombs® cherry tomatoes were definitely the star, but the Pop Its® mini cucumbers and Wild Wonders® colourful mini peppers on the crudité board were also so sweet and flavorful. The whole dinner had this effortless summer entertaining feel that I’m very much planning to recreate at home. (Especially the stunning table!)
If you see SUNSET® at your grocery store, especially the Flavor Bombs® tomatoes this spring, grab them. They’re 100% worth it!
Lunch with Amylu Foods
The next day we had a lunch hosted by Amylu Foods where we got to build our own bowls which was straight up my alley! We even got to sit down and talk with Amylu herself which was such a cool experience.
I am a bowl meal person through and through (from my Dragon Bowls to my Greek Power Bowls), so getting to pile on different grains, toppings, and greens and then load them up with different Amylu Foods proteins was my ideal meal.
What I loved about Amylu Foods is that their products are exactly the kind of thing I actually want in my fridge. They make chicken sausages, burgers, meatballs, and breakfast items using simple all natural ingredients, antibiotic-free chicken, and no nitrates or nitrites. As a busy mom to a toddler, having something in the freezer that I can heat up quickly and know is made with quality ingredients is so helpful. The Korean BBQ Chicken Crumbles were so good on the bowl, and I’m already thinking about how I’d use them in a weeknight meal at home!
The build-your-own bowl format made it so fun to experiment with different combinations and it was a great way to see how versatile the products really are. You can use them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and they bring real flavour to whatever you’re making!
You can find Amylu Foods at retailers across the USA, and I’d especially recommend the Caramelized Onion & Gouda Chicken Burgers and the Roasted Garlic & Asiago Chicken Sausage if you spot them.
Knife Skills with Zwilling
Zwilling hosted a knife skills demo that was such a fun and genuinely useful refresher. As someone who’s in the kitchen every single day, it’s easy to overlook the basics, and a little time focusing on technique goes a long way.
I was able to test out several different knives and work on my pinch grip which is now the only way I want to hold a knife!
Dinner with Mediavine at Ray’s on the River
We wrapped up the week with a dinner hosted by Mediavine at Ray’s on the River, and it was the most beautiful way to end the retreat.
The location right on the water was absolutely gorgeous. (The kind of setting where you just look around and feel genuinely grateful to be there.) We had a quick brainstorm session with the Mediavine team earlier in the day, which was really useful, and then getting to close out the week over a stunning dinner with everyone felt like the perfect send-off!
What I’m Taking Home
Beyond the great meals and the new city, what I’m really taking home from this retreat is a renewed sense of motivation. It’s easy to get caught up in the day to day of posting, creating, optimizing and just…being stuck on the hamster wheel without stepping back to think about the bigger picture. Being around other creators who are just as invested in their work, who share the same challenges and who are rooting for each other reminded me why I started doing this in the first place.
A huge thank you to Liz and Lauren for putting together such a thoughtful, well-run retreat, to Amanda for capturing it all so beautifully, Chef Trimmel for cooking up a storm, and to SUNSET® and Amylu Foods for making the whole experience even more delicious.
If you ever get the chance to attend a Fresh Air Retreat, I can’t recommend it enough.
