International Home + Housewares and a Giveaway!

This weekend, my friend Joelen invited me to tag along with her to the International Home + Housewares Show here in Chicago. Being that “home and housewares” = food, I definitely couldn’t turn down that opportunity! Joelen and I got to sample tons of great food, see some new, innovative kitchen products and meet a few celebrity chefs. We also snagged some free stuff and a lot of trade magazines.

We were able to meet and get (free) cookbooks signed by Cat Cora (Cooking from the Hip), Todd English (The Figs Table) and Curtis Stone (Cooking with Curtis). All seemed really nice but Curtis was my favorite. He was seriously hilarious! After Cat realized I was Greek, she let me know she had dinner with Nia Vardalos that weekend. Greeks unite! Hah.

As a bonus, we got Pam Anderson’s The Perfect Recipe cookbook for free, too. I also hung around Joelen as she got a book signed by Rocco DiSpirito, who was a lot friendlier and warmer than I imagined, to be honest. And did I mention gorgeous? *swoon* Although the line to meet Alton Brown and get his Gear for Your Kitchen book was ridiculously long (and they ran out), I did see Alton on my way to the bathroom so I said hello to him, as well. I *heart* Alton.

Cookbook Giveaway!

To spread the love, I want to give away an extra cookbook that I was given (not autographed): Cat Cora’s Cooking from the Hip. So, if you are interested in the Iron Chef’s cookbook, please comment on this post by Sunday night. On Monday morning, I will randomly select a comment to win the book. Please be sure to leave your email address or blog URL if I don’t already “know” you so that I have a way to be in contact if you’re the winner!