Fresh Air Retreat Austin Recap

So what is the Fresh Air Retreat?

It’s a retreat for food bloggers hosted by Liz from The Lemon Bowl and Lauren from The Curious Plate. A small group of us spent a few days together in one house talking shop, getting to know the brand sponsors, and eating the MOST delicious food (thank you, Chef Trimell!).

The sponsors make it free to attend, which is pretty remarkable. And Liz and Lauren think of everything, down to the table settings and even the cutest go-bags for our wine on the party bus. 🎉

We kicked things off with a champagne toast, a poolside happy hour, and dinner al fresco by Chef Trimell, and it already felt like we’d known each other for years.

The ladies

I have to gush for a second about the group Liz and Lauren pulled together. Every woman brought something totally different to the table, so I got to learn about parts of blogging I don’t usually spend much time thinking about.

Annie from Sweet Peas and Saffron is the queen of meal prep. She and her husband run FIVE food sites, so she had a perspective on this business that not many people do.

Shaunda from The Soul Food Pot shares Southern soul food with so much heart and history behind it (plus a podcast and a cookbook on the way!). Being a fellow Southerner, talking food with her felt like home.

Alicia from The Dizzy Cook makes migraine-friendly recipes, inspired by her own vestibular migraine diagnosis. She’s also written two best-selling cookbooks, no big deal.

Yvette from Muy Bueno shares traditional Mexican recipes along with her family’s stories. She’s an Emmy-winning producer with three cookbooks under her belt, so yes, I took notes.

Mallory from Munchies by Mallory left her corporate fashion job to blog full time. She’s all about breakfasts, sweet treats, and easy dinners.

Nic from Nourished by Nic is a registered dietitian up in Toronto who makes good-for-you food feel totally doable. Her meal planning content is so good.

The biggest thing I took home

Most of our business talk happened in two Problem Solving Lightning Rounds (one of them poolside, which is my kind of meeting) and a “What’s Actually Working” speed round, where everyone shared what’s moving the needle for them right now.

I walked in with a few things I wanted help with, like getting more comfortable being the face of my brand and finding more ways to bring in revenue. And I got great advice on both!

But my biggest takeaway wasn’t even on my list. Every single woman in that room runs her business differently, and it’s working for every one of them.

It’s SO easy to scroll online, compare yourself, and think you have to be doing exactly what they’re doing to make it work.

But here I was, sitting in a room full of some of the most talented, successful food creators out there. And you wanna know what the magic formula was?

There isn’t one. It’s different for every single one of us.

Let’s talk food

Chef Trimell cooked for us at the house, and ya’ll, his lineup was outstanding. He kicked things off with an Asian-inspired night with potstickers, followed by a fajita night on Tuesday, and I’d happily do both again.

And can we talk about how nice it was to sit down to a meal someone else cooked? We’re deep in the throw-food-on-the-floor-to-see-what-mom-does phase at home, so actually ENJOYING a whole meal (while it was still hot?!) felt like a vacation by itself.

We also hit up Terry Black’s on Barton Springs for lunch. Is it VERY touristy? Yes. Does it always deliver? Also yes- it’s one of the best in town.

On our last night, we headed to the Four Seasons for happy hour and a private dinner from Ciclo, hosted by Mediavine. Our table was set up under the oak trees overlooking Lady Bird Lake, and it was such a special way to end the week.

A big thank you to our sponsors

Mediavine sat down with each of us one-on-one, and I got to meet with Christina. She was SO helpful, walking me through what brands are really looking for in the bloggers they want to work with, and sharing her insights on where things are headed as AI and LLMs move into the scene.

Church Brothers Farms set us up with a salad bar lunch featuring their Little Gems Salad Kits, and in my honest opinion, these are some of the BEST bagged salad kits out there. They’re hitting major grocery store chains over the next few months, and for my fellow Texans, H-E-B is at the top of the list!

My favorite was the Caesar kit, which Justin even said rivaled his homemade dressing. The Creamy Chipotle was a close second (I loved the kick it had!), but honestly, you really can’t go wrong.

I’m so excited for these to hit stores so we can have a quick green to go with our toddler-approved dinners on busy weeknights.

Then Sunset hosted the cutest tomato tasting with a “tomallier” (a tomato sommelier, how fun is that?!). I thought I was a Flavor Bombs girl, but after tasting their whole lineup (they have such unique varieties), the Honey Bombs have officially stolen my heart.

I’ll definitely be on the lookout for their adorable packaging on our weekly grocery runs.

A few more shoutouts

We also got a color analysis done by Kirsten at ATX Color Studio, which was SO fun.

And all of the gorgeous photos from the week are by Kimberly Mufferi. You might be seeing more of her work around here soon, since she’ll be photographing my little fam in our new kitchen in the next couple of months! 🤗

Should you apply?

If you’re a food blogger and you want real conversations with people who actually get this job, go for it. You’ll come home with new ideas, new friends, and a lot more confidence doing things your own way.

Thank you so much to Liz, Lauren, Chef Trimell, and all of our sponsors for such a special few days. You can apply for a future retreat here.