A room full of foodies, a sprinkling of media types, a singing chef, bagfuls of swag… and me.
It sounds like the start of a bad joke, but in fact, it was an informative, fun-filled event that had me walking away with an armload of contacts, new ideas and a stunning Cuisinart coffeemaker. What on earth am I talking about? The Kosher Food Blogger Conference, held annually in Manhattan, known by the acronym KFBCON.
The Kosher Food Conference began in 2012 to give kosher food bloggers and vendors the opportunity to enhance the value of their food-related brands. The brainchild of bloggers Melinda Strauss, whose blog Kitchen Tested challenges followers to step outside their comfort zones, and former food blogger Shelley Serber, KFBCON is an opportunity for bloggers to get together and learn about new technology, social media, branding, marketing and more. While the idea of a conference for food bloggers was not a new one, KFBCON is the first to cater to the kosher market.
“There are tons of conferences out there but they are usually on the weekends and there is no kosher food for miles,” Strauss told The Jewish Press. “Shelley and I planned the first KFBCON in 2012 in New York City and it was such a great success. We had around 50 attendees and we couldn’t have been more proud.”
When the second conference grew to include 65 participants, Strauss realized she was onto something exciting. Strategically timed for the day before Kosherfest, the world’s biggest kosher food show, KFBCON draws worldwide participants, many of whom are already flocking to the New York area to take part in the annual food expo.
If you think food bloggers are a bunch of women who share dinner menus with an adoring public, you are only partially right. Yes, these writers do have many avid followers, but they come in all shapes and sizes, and from just about everywhere. I met Carol Unger from Israel, currently working on a book exploring the connection between Jewish spirituality and food. I ran into Miriam Pascal, a former classmate of my daughter’s, whose Overtime Cook magically churns out one hit recipe after another – and whom we interviewed in our December 20, 2013 issue.
I sat with Arlene Mathes-Scharf from Sharon, Massachusetts, who uses her food science background in kashrus and has been issuing alerts, recipes and articles for 17 years. And lest you think all bloggers are female, I chatted with Chicago’s Daniel Peikes who professed to “being sick of the same old brisket” and blogs about interesting endeavors like grinding your own sausage and making pickles at home.
There is a lot of creativity in the food blogging community and not only in the kitchen. Marketing is an important part of any business and names like Much Ado About Stuffing, Beauty and Some Beef, Kiss the Kosher Cook and AliBabka were clear evidence that cleverness counts when you are trying to get your name out there. Equally important is creating a niche of your own, with Vicky Cohen of May I Have That Recipe devoting her site to recipe makeovers, Melissa Kaye of Lil’ Miss Cakes specializing in baked goods and Tami Weiser of The Weiser Kitchen showcasing historical Jewish recipes.
In addition to offering a demographic that typically works in solitude the opportunity to meet face to face and forge a larger sense of community, KFBCON was a treasure trove of information, much of which is relevant on a broader scale. In addition to a sponsorship presentation from Burn Jel (let’s face it, even talented cooks burn themselves or slash their fingers dicing onions), there were fascinating sessions targeted to helping bloggers gain greater exposure.
