Kelly the Culinarian: January Chicago Food Swap Recap

Monday, January 13, 2014

January Chicago Food Swap Recap

It's the first food swap of 2014! I was so excited for this rendition of the Chicago Food Swap because it was an advanced-level swap. It was limited to swappers who had attended at least one other swap, so I was pumped to see a lot of familiar faces and fabulous food.

We met at Mac and Cheese Productions, a space/home in Roscoe Village owned by Saya. She coordinates events there aimed at providing new ways for people to connect in genuine ways. It's for singles and people seeking friends in the city, which I thought was a unique concept. She started the business when she got laid off, and I was pretty inspired by her  fortitude to break out on her own.
I set up my little table with my offerings: Kombucha starter, naturally, and my rosemary olive oil cake with lemon glaze. The set up turned out super cute, and I had samples to share, too.


Anyhow, the treats did not disappoint this month. I'm always downright giddy at these events tasting all the treats and talking to my fellow foodie friends. People are so enthusiastic about their dishes and more than happy to spill the beans on their secret recipes. This advanced-level swap featured a huge selection of different types of food, from vegan lentil shepherd's pie to coffee, pecan tarts and spicy mustard.


I was in food heaven, naturally. A homemade, sugar coma heaven.

So shall we take a look at the goods?

And even a closer look?
Bloody Mary, pesto, tiramisu, raw milk cheese, hard cider mustard, key lime curd, bourbon fig jam, macaroons, harissa
Sri Lankan spiced marshmallows, smores macaroons, rosemary garlic bread, vegan lentil shepherd's pie, quince tart with homemade creme freche, garlic and meyer lemon salt

This time, I made a conscious effort to not just get a ton of cookies/fudge/candy. And I didn't need to, either, because Christina of My Homespun Home brought cookies to share. Instead, I tried to get some real food, along with some of the unique offerings this swap afforded.
And the best part of the advanced-level swap was that we got goody bags! Special thanks to Cabot, Argo Tea and Savory Spice Shop for the delicious parting gifts.


New to swapping? Here's what I learned from my first food swap.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Haha, glad I could help with the cookies! Can't wait to try the cake, it smells so good.

Unknown said...

Lovely to host you Kelly, and great write-up! You really captured the spirit of the event.

Thanks for the Mac & Cheese mention as well! Just to clarify, though YES! tons of singles participate in my offerings, so do tons of married/dating folks as well. There's just the twist that you often have to participate solo, so that you're meeting new people and challenging yourself to be out and about with the security blanket of your significant other, roommate, coworker, etc. But you needn't be single.

See ya around town I'm sure, seeing that we run in the same circles, e.g. MsTECH!

Unknown said...

Lovely to host you Kelly, and great write-up! You really captured the spirit of the event.

Thanks for the Mac & Cheese mention as well! Just to clarify, though YES! tons of singles participate in my offerings, so do tons of married/dating folks as well. There's just the twist that you often have to participate solo, so that you're meeting new people and challenging yourself to be out and about with the security blanket of your significant other, roommate, coworker, etc. But you needn't be single.

See ya around town I'm sure, seeing that we run in the same circles, e.g. MsTECH!

Losing Lindy said...

so awesome!!! I am not adventurous enough for this, I wouldn't know what to do with some stuff.

Losing Lindy said...

so awesome!!! I am not adventurous enough for this, I wouldn't know what to do with some stuff.

Valerie said...

Holy cow that stuff looks tasty- especially that pecan pie tart thing! And I JUST read about that venue from "MWF seeking BFF"! Sounds like a great space! Valerie
www.the-style-files.com

Candace Karu said...

Looks like it was a really successful Swap. Wish I could have been there!

RunToTheFinish said...

oh my gosh this looks like such a neat idea!! I've never seen anything like it!