The People

Getting to know and connect with a new group of bloggers each retreat is honestly my favorite part. Check out our wonderful attendees!

We were also so excited to have Executive Chef Trimell Hawkins return for another Fresh Air Retreat. With help from Sous Chef Matthew Sutton, they made sure we were well fed with delicious meals, drinks, and snacks. We were also joined by the amazing Amanda Kamppinen for all of our photo needs.

The Activities

With this being our 12th retreat, we feel we have a pretty great routine in place. We always start with a welcome dinner followed by happy hour to continue talking and really get to know those we would be spending the week with.

Happy Egg joined us our first morning for breakfast. This included a taste test of their free range Heritage Eggs, which have a rich amber yolk and quality you can truly taste! I also love how they support local family farmers.

We really hit the jackpot with our round table discussion with Grocers List. Sitting down with an expert on all things SEO, website traffic, and beyond is more than any of us food bloggers could’ve hoped for.

Onions 52 came to showcase their Smileys Tearless and Sweet Onions. They are naturally tearless, and grown to be sweet and mild, making it easy to incorporate into any dish. They did an excellent knife skills demo where they also showed off the tearless effect of the onions.

While food was the name of the game, most of us are also promoters of healthy living. We were thrilled to have Power Yoga Palm Springs come and do a private yoga class to start our 3rd day with the right mindset and energy.

Date tasting with California Date Commission was a unique and fun event, where we went over the different varieties, flavors, and pairings for each.

With relaxation being one of the goals, we also scheduled plenty of free-time to either explore Palm Springs, or soak up some sun by the pool our house had! We also enjoyed fireside s’mores and cocktails.

Last but certainly not least, California Walnuts came by to do a cooking demo for spiced walnuts and some mocktails, perfect for entertaining this holiday season!

The Food

Of course I have to highlight the delicious food we ate, we were all food bloggers after all! Breakfast with Happy Egg consisted of delicious deviled eggs with crispy chicken skin and a couple Chef Tee specialties.

Onions 52 used their signature Tearless Smileys along with red and white onions to make a delicious taco bar for lunch. The knife skills demo helped to whip up some delicious toppings, like fresh salsa and guacamole!

We were spoiled by Albertsons, who kept us stocked for snacks on day one and breakfast day two.

Their power breakfast bar was incredible, featuring many of their Signature Select products.

We were able to enjoy an exquisite dinner at Porta Vía, thanks to Visit Greater Palm Springs for hosting.

Porta Vía offered a great selection of pasta, seafood, and steak. I especially enjoyed the grilled skirt steak with chimichurri and the butternut squash ravioli!

Tasting 7 different varieties of dates and learning more about their flavor pairings with California Date Commission was a delicious way to learn. Medjools are commonly known, but branch out with your date selections!

Lunch at Fuzion Five was a fun way to get out of the house for a bit and enjoy some more tasty, local food. While the starters were great, we were all blown away by their authentic Vietnamese pho.

California Walnuts helped us to work hard and play hard simultaneously with their yummy mocktails during their cooking demo.

We then got to devour the fruits of our labor from the cooking demo with a giant charcuterie spread, featuring the spiced walnuts of course.

Our final night, Chef Trimell surprised me with a “Drake on a Plate” themed tasting dinner. Each course was set to the soundtrack of a different Drake song. I will never forget it!

Cocktails, salad, steak, lobster. Everything to the end of dessert was absolutely incredible, and made for the perfect final evening.

I’ll forever feel blessed to have the opportunity to meet with like-minded individuals twice a year for Fresh Air Retreat. From the food to the people, it is truly a priceless experience that I get to have over and over again! If you’re a food blogger looking to join us, we’d love for you to apply. I’m so grateful for those who decided to join us for Fresh Air Retreat Palm Springs, and look forward to planning our next retreat in the spring!