Fresh Air Retreat

A recap of my time spent at the Fresh Air Retreat in Park City Utah in October 2022! Keep reading to learn more about what I did and the other amazing food bloggers that I met.

7 attendees of Fresh Air Retreat in Park City, Utah posing in front of a beautiful fall tree at Deer Valley Resort.

All photos by Arrae Creative.

At the beginning of October, I had the privilege of attending the Fresh Air Retreat, an intimate retreat for professional food bloggers with the goal of connecting in person, learning from one another, and building lasting relationships with other food creators.

It was the first real business retreat I’ve ever been on (and the first time I was away from my one year old daughter for more than a day!), so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Thankfully, it was a blast!

The retreat was held in BEAUTIFUL Park City, Utah and was organized by Liz from The Lemon Bowl and Lauren from The Curious Plate. These two women are absolute powerhouses and have been hosting retreats for years, and it showed.

They brought in a chef to cook all our meals so we wouldn’t have to worry about cooking and could focus on really enjoying ourselves and connecting, and they even had a photographer to document the week!

Photos of various dishes made by Chef Trimell Hawkins at Fresh Air Retreat in Park City, Utah.

The food

It wouldn’t have been a proper food blogging retreat if it wasn’t filled with amazing food at every meal, am I right?

Most of the meals that we ate were prepared by the amazing Chef Trimell Hawkins. We’re talking elaborate 5 course meals. Things like the most amazing braised lamb I’ve ever tasted, baked brie with an apple honey cherry chutney, marinated eggplant, and a beautiful spread of whole roasted fish.

And that isn’t even half of it.

He kept us all well fed and fit right in with all the food bloggers.

Starr Ranch Growers JUICI Apple, Creminelli Fine Meats, Justin's nut butters, High West Saloon, and Tupelo Restaurant.

Amazing sponsors and Brands

Liz and Lauren did so much work organizing the retreat, and it really showed with all the amazing sponsors and brands that we got to meet and talk to in person.

One of the mornings we had a delicious breakfast bar that showcased JUICI apples from Starr Ranch Growers. If you’ve never had one, RUN to your nearest grocery store and go pick some up! They’re sweet with a hint of tartness, and have THE BEST CRUNCH of any apple I’ve ever had.

Another morning we had an Instagram-worthy breakfast bar full of nut butters and treats from Justin’s, followed by a really great fireside chat with two of their brand representatives. We went on a hike afterwards and you better believe I stashed a whole bunch of their individual packs of nut butter in my hiking bag.

One of the most fun things we did was take part in a charcuterie board workshop hosted by Creminelli Fine Meats. Everyone, including Chef Trimell, made their own personal charcuterie board and we learned fun ways to style and place everything. I finally even learned how to make a little charcuterie rose!

Collage of images of attendees of Fresh Air Retreat enjoying the outdoors and exploring Park City, Utah.

The view

We stayed in a gorgeous house in Deer Valley Resort that had a picturesque view of the mountains right off the back deck.

I spent my fair share of time sitting outside to take in as much of the view as I possibly could, because let me tell you, I DO NOT have those kinds of views here in Oklahoma City.

We also spent some time exploring the cute downtown area of Park City, and we even took a really great (and much needed) group hike one morning. It was a pretty easy hike overall, though the first 10 minutes or so were a pretty steep climb that had my heart rate going for a bit.

Many of us don’t live in areas with such high elevation, but surprisingly we all did great!

Attendees of the Fresh Air Retreat posing in front of the picturesque Rocky Mountains in Park City, Utah.

The people

There were a total of 6 other food bloggers who attended, including the hosts Liz and Lauren, and it was so refreshing to get to know everyone in person and take a moment to step away from our computers and recharge.

Food blogging can get a little lonely at times. So much of our time is spent in front of the computer screen, in the kitchen testing and photographing, and on our phones posting to social media and interacting with our readers online.

It was really nice to be able to take a few days and surround myself with other business women who just “get it.” In person. Sitting around the fireplace, having some drinks, and just chatting. It was exactly what I needed.

Here are the other amazing food bloggers that also attended: