Adventures in Seattle at IFBC Part 2

On Friday evening we went out in search of dinner, and we found our way to M.O.D Pizza. It's this awesome pizza place, near the convention center in Seattle, WA. I decided to get what they were calling their Seasonal Pizza Salad. It's crust with cheese, in theirs it was asiago, and the salad part was romaine, black olives, diced tomatoes, tossed in ranch dressing. It was so delicious that I just had to create my own version when I got home. 

Caesar Salad Pizza
Ingredients:
Krusteaz Flatbread Mix (Italian Herb)
1/2 Cup Aged Cheddar Cheese
1/8 Cup Chipotle Cheddar Cheese 
Hearts of Romain
8 oz of grilled Chicken, chopped
Black Olives, chopped
1/2 Green Bell Pepper, chopped
Favorite Caesar Dressing







Directions: 
1. I used Krusteaz Flatbread Mix (Italian herb), and followed the directions on the box. This was given to us at IFBC, and oh my goodness it's good. It's also super simple to make, took me maybe five minutes (+10 mins for the dough to rise). 
2.Before putting the flatbread in the oven I added cheese to the crust, we like a lot of cheese, but using however much to your hearts content is best. 
3. While the crust is baking, mix up all the salad ingredients, and toss with Caesar dressing. 
5. Grill chicken till cooked, I used a foreman grill, and then chopped the chicken into bit sized pieces. 
4. When the crust comes out, cut with a pizza cutter, then add the salad and chicken on top, and enjoy! 

Adventures In Seattle at IFBC Part 1

Last week we went up to Seattle and had a really wonderful time attending the International Food Bloggers Convention. They said there were around 310 participants and representing at least 27 different states as well as 7 different countries. Thats pretty impressive! 

Before the conference kicked off they offered pre conference excursions and we choose to go to the headquarters of Chef'n. If you don't know a whole lot about Chef'n, no worries, we didn't either. But we found out they are a really cool company and group of people. Based in Seattle, WA the company started in 1982, by  David Holcomb who is an inventor as well as the companies CEO he can be spotted in the bottom middle picture (above). For him it all started with a garlic press, and a trip to New York to pitch his revolutionary product. Since then he has gathered a crazy amount of pattens, 300+. 

We toured their industrial studio, test kitchen space, and the delightful penthouse. Their work space reminded me a lot of Wieden + Kennedy's offices in Portland, OR. They have the same vibe, really wanting to have inspiring workspaces and departing from the stagnant corporate america vibe. After meeting Mr. Halcomb I don't really see how anywhere he worked could be boring, or plain, or corporate. His energy is reminiscent of a that from the 80's and hanging out on a beach some place. Very relaxed, and energetic. I really loved seeing their industrial workshop, they had so many tools at their disposal. Above you can see an ice cream scoop being formed from PVC. They also have a 3D printer which was also working on its own project. I was really great to see how technology is playing a key role in their designers lives and how as technology is becoming more accessible they are able to make better use of such a resource. 

In the bottom right corner of the image above is one of their designers who created what they call Poptop. It's awesome, and I totally want one. What it does is essentially is air pops popcorn in the microwave. I love making my coconut oil popcorn by stove top, but if I could do it in the microwave that would be pretty awesome. Inside there is even a little place to put butter, or oil whatever you prefer for popping your popcorn in. 

We had a great time touring Chef'n and we want to thank them for opening their office and workspace up to us. They were truly amazing hosts, and we can't wait to see what they will create next!