Last week, one of foodie dreams came true.  THIS happened.  I got to meet In Garten!

My dad proved how awesome he is and got Jake and me tickets to the Pittsburgh stop on her speaking tour and I was pumped.  Then, about a week before the show, I found out that I had won a VIP package from Giant Eagle to go backstage and meet her before the show. Jake said that he has never seen me so flustered and excited before, but wouldn't you be?  I mean, she hugged me!  The show was such an inspiration for a non-chef like myself because she started out as a budget analyst for the federal government and entered the specialty food industry on a whim.  While I'm happy in my career (believe it or not, there are some people who enjoy HR!) it is still really interesting to see how people's careers evolve.  Michael Ruhlman, a cookbook chef and celebrity in his own right, interviewed her, which was a lot of fun.

Also included in the package from Giant Eagle was a signed copy of Foolproof (Ina's latest cookbook) for both Jake and me, and to help celebrate hitting 1,000 Facebook fans, I'm giving one to a lucky reader! Keep and eye out because there are more giveaways in the pipeline.  Just click the entry button below to confirm that you are a Facebook fan (if you aren't, you can become one now right in the entry form).  If you don't do Favebook, you can just use your email address.  How easy is that?  :) a Rafflecopter giveaway