A regular attendee of Keren Brown’s Seattle Food Blogger events, it would have been foolish not be present at her inaugural Foodportunity event. I marked the date on the calendar, lightly twisted my husband’s arm to come with me, and visited the website on a regular basis. The clock was ticking, but for some reason I was not buying tickets. I decided to set a date, pay day. The message arrived via Twitter only twenty four hours before the influx of cash into my bank account – Foodportunity was sold out! I was absolutely crushed; I think I might have cried. I sent Keren a note, trying to hide my embarrassment of not buying tickets ahead of time, “Bummer! I barely missed out.”

Two days later, Frantic Foodie (Keren) was on the hunt for volunteers. It was destiny; I signed up for the task immediately. The night of the event I donned my Foodportunity t-shirt, met my fellow helpers, and parked myself at the front door to check in the K-Z attendees. I welcomed panelists Nancy Leson and Rebekah Denn, bumped into Twitter followers and followees, and reconnected with a former co-worker I had not seen in years.

When my volunteer duties had ceased, I grabbed my two drink tickets, picked up a glass of 2008 Les Amis (Riesling, Muscat, Gewurztraminer blend) from Vin du Lac, and began to wander from one food vendor to the next.

Highlights include a whole roasted pig (behind the salmon in the photo) from Tom Douglas, saint basil truffles from Intrigue Chocolates, pepper bacon-esque hummus from Sound Bites, and blueberries and corn with beef tenderloin from The Chef in the Hat.

How could I forget Serafina’s green gazpacho, Olivar’s anchovy and avocado on a toasted baguette, and the honeycomb wine pairing combo from Heavenly Honey Farm.

To top it off, On Safari Foods sent me home with a long link of lamb sausage. I tossed the souvenir with sweet onions, basil, and fresh beet noodles from La Pasta. Talk about a Foodportunity!