Okanagan Food & Wine Writers Workshop 2010: Recap #3
What are the dos and don'ts of pitching a food or wine story to a busy magazine editor? How do you craft a pitch that results in an article assignment? These are the questions that NUVO magazine editor, Claudia Cusano answered in her Pitch Perfect professional development session to start us off on Saturday. She gave us a glimpse into the daily life of an editor at a busy magazine, and showed us some real life pitches, both great and bad.
Next it was time to head off to the outdoors and see the bounty of the Okanagan right on Main Street, Penticton. Unfortunately, it seems to be a tradition that in the sunny and dry Okanagan, it rains on the Saturday Penticton Farmers' Market tour. I even booked our group into the Penticton Lakeside Resort hotel because this incredible farmers' market is right out the front doors. Oh well. We managed to get around to the stalls in between raindrops.
Afterward, we returned for a lunch at the hotel and a multi-media bootcamp talk by the Okanagan's own social media expert, Allison Markin of All She Wrote Consulting, sponsored by Destination Osoyoos, a wine and food region to watch in the Okanagan Valley. We barely scratched the surface of new media in an hour and a half.
After lunch, we headed out to Gartrell Farms, a "century orchard," for an apple orchard tour, picking demonstration, and a winecheese tasting by Summerland's 8th Generation Vineyard. Who knew that food writers had so many questions about apples and pears. This tour, presented by the BC Tree Fruits people, was definitely a hit in terms of our "field trips."
And after a bit of free time...we were gathered around a lovely long table at Bogner's of Penticton...for a final meal. By this point, we were friends swapping stories, eating and clinking glasses together. Darin Paterson, chef and owner of Bogner's put on a farm-to-table meal that we will remember for a lifetime. (Oh that beet and Stilton pairing with Blue Mountain Chardonnay...)
Maybe next year's workshop should be longer?
Okanagan in eating & drinking
Reader Comments (1)
I started my post for the F&W Writers Workshop but have been having trouble collecting my thoughts after all the wonderfukl adventures we had. I have decided I will post a piece at ast a time:D