Fresh Air Retreat in Miami, FL

The Hosts

This was the 11th Fresh Air Retreat! Our marvelous hosts Liz, of the Lemon Bowl, and Lauren from The Curious Palate covered every detail over the span of the 3-day retreat. They brought along Chef Trimell who cooked our incredible meals at the house and Amanda Kamppinen, the photographer, who is not only so talented at capturing food, but people as well! It was so nice to have her filming all the small moments so we could focus on learning and building relationships! All the photos in this post are credited to her!

The Food

At the house

Chef Trimell spoiled us and cooked up some incredible meals for us at the house. It was nice to have a little break from our own cooking to focus on the business side of things! The first night he kicked things off with pork belly bites using Flor de Cana rum as a glaze with fresh orange wedges and a refreshing shrimp ceviche. Of course to show off the rum, he lit it on fire for some banana flambé! From breakfast to dinner he always had us covered with delicious meals. Highlights from Wednesday’s dinner included lamb gyros and Korean BBQ bao buns. 

We were lucky to be hosted at some of the city’s spectacular restaurants by the Miami Tourism Board, and since I spent a few extra days, I had some time to explore the city myself. Before dinner we were hosted by the Social Club for some happy hour cocktails and light bites including a citrusy tuna tartare. 

Restaurants

For dinner we got to sample an Izakaya style tasting menu featured during Miami Spice Months at Sérêvène. Chef Pawan Pinisetti indulged us with some incredible creations. Favorites included a tableside beef tartare, a lobster uni-alfredo with butter poached lobster and a light and creamy uni and parmesan sauce topped off with caviar. Dessert featured a foie gras crème brûlée with a cotton candy topping torched tableside for a spectacle. 

We also stopped by Finka Table and Tap for lunch. Of course we had to give the alligator bites a try! When in Florida! The crispy bites were paired with a Peruvian-inspired aji amarillo mayo. I’m a sucker for a specialty pizza. The croqueta pizza came topped with chopped fried croquetas (made with ham and a roux), mozzarella, Swiss cheese, maple bacon sauce garnished with lime zest and cilantro. The brisket ravioli came wrapped in wonton wrappers and bathed in a rich and creamy mango-cheese sauce,which I would love to recreate, and a drizzle of eel sauce.

The Retreat

You may be curious – what do food bloggers do at a retreat? It’s a good place to ask questions of peers and engage in conversations about our experiences, both the good and the bad. I left the retreat with a renewed sense of purpose and excitement about my work. I’m excited about my strategy surrounding sharing recipe content, as well as keeping in touch with the new friends I made! 

One of my favorite parts of the retreat was our problem solving lightning round. Each person had 3 minutes to describe a problem they were having, and then we went around in a circle and everyone else had 90 seconds to provide an answer. This provided thoughtful input from numerous people who have had similar experiences and may even be having similar problems. Shoutout to Liz for moderating and keeping everyone on track!

If you are interested in attending one of the upcoming Fresh Air Retreats (the next one is in Palm Springs!) you can apply here.

Our Sponsors

A huge shout out to the incredible brands and companies that help make the Fresh Air Retreat Miami possible. From presentations to hands-on brand activations, it was so nice to spend time getting to know them. 

Grocer’s List

We had breakfast with Ben, the founder of Grocer’s List, and got to chat with him about his app. I have since signed up for Grocer’s List and am loving the functions! If you comment asking for the recipe on any of my latest Instagram posts, it will deliver the website link directly into your inbox. Not only is it a time saver but people can link directly to the recipe! 

Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau

We had the opportunity to live like a Miami local and experience some of the featured restaurants of Miami Spice Months! Running from August through September you can try 3 course meals at participating restaurants for $30/$35 for lunch and $45/$60 for dinner!

Minute Rice

With an assortment of toppings to choose from and 6 convenient individually portioned Minute Rice flavors, we got to build our own rice bowls for lunch! I went with the jalapeño rice and an Asian-inspired rice bowl. The rice bowls are a great way to quickly spice up a sad desk lunch! 

Flor de Cana

I loved getting to try Flor de Cana rum during our poolside happy hour! The rum is sustainably crafted and naturally aged. It’s both carbon neutral & fair trade certified, using 100% renewable energy for the distilling process. One of my favorite ways to enjoy it was in place of Bourbon in an old fashioned cocktail.

Current

Dinner on our final night at the retreat was created using Current’s backyard electric grills! The electric grill gets up to 700ºF (370ºC) and heats in as little as 10 minutes. It’s Wifi enabled so you won’t forget and overcook your meat! Chef Trimell made a delicious assortment of grilled meats for various tacos served bar style. 

The People

In the competitive and comparative world of social media it’s hard to find a group of women so willing to build each other up and share their experiences and strategies. It was truly a special experience. I am so grateful to these women for all they taught me, and I value their continued friendship!

Other attendees included: 

• Lexi Harrison – Crowded Kitchen 
• MacKenzie Smith – Grilled Cheese Social 
• Shannon Epstein – Fit Slow Cooker Queen
• Aleka Shunk – Aleka’s Get Together 
• Michelle Hoover – Unbound Wellness 
• Bita Britnell – Food with Feeling 
• Kim Lee – Kim’s Cravings 

The House

The retreat took place at a private residence in Kendale Lakes allowing for a more casual accommodation than most retreats. The lakefront setting was serene, plus there was a pool! The pool was the perfect place to brainstorm over some of Liz’s spicy jalapeño margaritas of course!