I recently had the opportunity to accompany my friend Rhonda to California for an amazing, all-inclusive, Bosch "Savor The Details" Event. Rhonda entered one of her delicious recipes for Blueberry Bread into the Bosch contest and finished in 4th place out of over 1200 entrants. The top 10 won the grand prize worth $7,500!
So before I tell you all the details of the trip, I want to tell you about Rhonda.
Rhonda is a very special person, not just because she chose me to experience this wonderful trip, but because she has such a beautiful soul. She is kind as well as generous and the type of person that will go out of her way to help someone even if it meant taking from her own needs. She is honest to a fault, funny and just an all out great friend to have on your side. I feel blessed to have met her and I couldn't see anyone more deserving than her to win this trip.
I'm sure you all want the juicy details from the trip but I want to also share that we almost didn't get the chance to go. Just days before we were scheduled to fly out, Hurricane Florence made landfall in Wilmington NC. Rhonda lives just across the bridge in Leland NC. With the damage from wind, rain and massive flooding, her little town and many around it completely stopped. The entire North Carolina coast was devastated. Trees down, no power, extreme flooding and unfortunately...lives were lost. The airports were closed and I wasn't able to get to her due to all the flooding. But I will talk more about this in another post.
Thankfully, I was able to "back road" down to where she is and the airport opened the day before our flight. We celebrated by going out for a drink!
Rhonda never gave up hope that somehow, some way, we would be able to go on this trip!
So there we were all packed and ready to go, headed to the airport at 3 am (I hated her at the moment...sooooo early) lol
When we arrived in Santa Ana, we were greeted by our own welcome driver holding up a sign with our names on it! We felt like celebrities already! He carried our bags for us and even opened our doors. A true gentleman!
So, I'm sure you are wondering exactly what she won right? Rhonda won a trip to meet Chef Curtis Stone! Oh my goodies, I just can't explain how ecstatic we were.
We checked into the hotel, got settled and then met everyone downstairs for a welcoming celebration like no other. Everything was perfect from the food to the company...and the drinks, the drinks were divine. Of course, everyone got to choose their own beverages, but we tried what's called a Blackberry Mint Mule. I'll leave the picture and recipe for you later! 😉
The Bosch team spared no expense and welcomed us all as if we were family. Everyone was amazing. Rhonda and I made instant and lifelong friends from all over. After the party, we went up to our room and crawled into bed excited about what Bosch had in store for us the next day.
The main event wasn't until 5 pm so Rhonda and I went out for an adventure to the pool, shopping and site seeing. I began my day in the fully equipped gym located in the hotel. I know...it's vacation, but I still enjoy getting a little sweaty in the mornings.
After the gym, we cooled off in the pool and walked around the Irvine Hotel to see it in all its splendor.
After the pool, we went on a bit of a site seeing adventure to Balboa Island and made a lot of new friends along the way! We rode the Farris wheel, ate corndogs, and talked with people on the boardwalk. Even our amazing Uber drivers got in on the fun and took selfies with us!
We barely made it back in time to change before we had to leave for the main event! We got to the lobby by the skin of our teeth 😅 We were all driven to the Bosch HQ, handed a glass of Champaign, toasted to our new found friends and taken on a tour of the Bosch kitchens. Which were amazing by the way.
Once we finished with the tour, we were stopped in a huge kitchen and given glasses of wine and Oysters with Caviar. (I passed but Rhonda took full advantage of it)
All of the staff from Bosch made us feel extremely welcome and treated us with the upmost respect. We were showered with gifts and never had an empty glass. They were all on top of it.
Once everyone was settled, We were introduced to the main guest!
Chef Curtis Stone
Not only is he handsome but he is also down to earth and just an all out great person. A few of the winners were able to cook with him and show some of the amazing recipes that were entered into the contest!
Rhonda was selected to go up and help and even got a hug from Chef Curtis Stone. I do believe that made her life worth wild right there! She was definitely in heaven.
Once we finished up with the pre-cooking event, it was time to move on to the main course.
When we walked into the dining area we were mesmerized by all the elegance that surrounded us. Everything was so beautifully prepared. The table setting was just breathtaking.
I had never been to anything so elegant in my lifetime.
After the dinner, we all got a chance to get our photo taken and talk with Chef Curtis Stone. It was such an amazing experience that I wouldn't trade for anything. He was courteous as well as professional in his demeanor. Very down to earth and totally the opposite of how you think a celebrity would act. I was very impressed! I have met a few and not all are created equal. Chef Curtis Stone and all the Bosch team were impeccable!
We ended the night with some great friends by the fire pit and a beautiful view of Hotel Irvine.
Rhonda and I had a fantastic time and met some amazing people while we were in California. I could not have asked for a better friend to experience this with than her. Once everything was said and done...neither one of us wanted to come back!
Thank you, Bosch, for such a great experience. Everything you did was PERFECT!
So now on to the recipe I promised you in the beginning 😄
🍸Blackberry Mint Mule🍸
*This recipe is not mine and was shared to you from The Food Network Website.
However, the photo was taken by me*
Ingredients
3 ounces lime juice
1/3 cup mint leaves, plus 3 mint sprigs, for garnish
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh ginger
15 blackberries
6 ounces vodka
12 ounces ginger beer
Directions
Special equipment: a cocktail shaker, muddler, 3 Mason jars, toothpicks.
Add the lime juice, mint leaves, ginger and 9 of the blackberries to a cocktail shaker. Muddle until the mint breaks down into small flecks, the blackberries into small pieces and the ginger into pieces half their original size.
Add the vodka and some ice to the shaker; shake until combined. Strain into three Mason jars. Pour 4 ounces of the ginger beer over each cocktail. Garnish with a mint sprig and 2 blackberries held together with a toothpick.
ENJOY!
I'm sure you all want the juicy details from the trip but I want to also share that we almost didn't get the chance to go. Just days before we were scheduled to fly out, Hurricane Florence made landfall in Wilmington NC. Rhonda lives just across the bridge in Leland NC. With the damage from wind, rain and massive flooding, her little town and many around it completely stopped. The entire North Carolina coast was devastated. Trees down, no power, extreme flooding and unfortunately...lives were lost. The airports were closed and I wasn't able to get to her due to all the flooding. But I will talk more about this in another post.
Thankfully, I was able to "back road" down to where she is and the airport opened the day before our flight. We celebrated by going out for a drink!
Rhonda never gave up hope that somehow, some way, we would be able to go on this trip!
So there we were all packed and ready to go, headed to the airport at 3 am (I hated her at the moment...sooooo early) lol
When we arrived in Santa Ana, we were greeted by our own welcome driver holding up a sign with our names on it! We felt like celebrities already! He carried our bags for us and even opened our doors. A true gentleman!
So, I'm sure you are wondering exactly what she won right? Rhonda won a trip to meet Chef Curtis Stone! Oh my goodies, I just can't explain how ecstatic we were.
We checked into the hotel, got settled and then met everyone downstairs for a welcoming celebration like no other. Everything was perfect from the food to the company...and the drinks, the drinks were divine. Of course, everyone got to choose their own beverages, but we tried what's called a Blackberry Mint Mule. I'll leave the picture and recipe for you later! 😉
The Bosch team spared no expense and welcomed us all as if we were family. Everyone was amazing. Rhonda and I made instant and lifelong friends from all over. After the party, we went up to our room and crawled into bed excited about what Bosch had in store for us the next day.
The main event wasn't until 5 pm so Rhonda and I went out for an adventure to the pool, shopping and site seeing. I began my day in the fully equipped gym located in the hotel. I know...it's vacation, but I still enjoy getting a little sweaty in the mornings.
After the gym, we cooled off in the pool and walked around the Irvine Hotel to see it in all its splendor.
We barely made it back in time to change before we had to leave for the main event! We got to the lobby by the skin of our teeth 😅 We were all driven to the Bosch HQ, handed a glass of Champaign, toasted to our new found friends and taken on a tour of the Bosch kitchens. Which were amazing by the way.
Once we finished with the tour, we were stopped in a huge kitchen and given glasses of wine and Oysters with Caviar. (I passed but Rhonda took full advantage of it)
All of the staff from Bosch made us feel extremely welcome and treated us with the upmost respect. We were showered with gifts and never had an empty glass. They were all on top of it.
Once everyone was settled, We were introduced to the main guest!
Chef Curtis Stone
Not only is he handsome but he is also down to earth and just an all out great person. A few of the winners were able to cook with him and show some of the amazing recipes that were entered into the contest!
When we walked into the dining area we were mesmerized by all the elegance that surrounded us. Everything was so beautifully prepared. The table setting was just breathtaking.
I had never been to anything so elegant in my lifetime.
We ended the night with some great friends by the fire pit and a beautiful view of Hotel Irvine.
Rhonda and I had a fantastic time and met some amazing people while we were in California. I could not have asked for a better friend to experience this with than her. Once everything was said and done...neither one of us wanted to come back!
Thank you, Bosch, for such a great experience. Everything you did was PERFECT!
So now on to the recipe I promised you in the beginning 😄
🍸Blackberry Mint Mule🍸
*This recipe is not mine and was shared to you from The Food Network Website.
However, the photo was taken by me*
Ingredients
3 ounces lime juice
1/3 cup mint leaves, plus 3 mint sprigs, for garnish
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh ginger
15 blackberries
6 ounces vodka
12 ounces ginger beer
Directions
Special equipment: a cocktail shaker, muddler, 3 Mason jars, toothpicks.
Add the lime juice, mint leaves, ginger and 9 of the blackberries to a cocktail shaker. Muddle until the mint breaks down into small flecks, the blackberries into small pieces and the ginger into pieces half their original size.
Add the vodka and some ice to the shaker; shake until combined. Strain into three Mason jars. Pour 4 ounces of the ginger beer over each cocktail. Garnish with a mint sprig and 2 blackberries held together with a toothpick.
ENJOY!
We had such a great time, didn't we? I am so glad I had you there to experience this with me. I could not ask for a better friend. I love you to the moon and back sis 💗
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