We are truly blessed in the Bay Area to have access to so many wholesome food vendors. They need to change the name of this event from the Eat Real Festival to Eat Yourself Senseless.  This past weekend, Oakland hosted a food lover’s paradise.  The festival included the opportunity to learn how to make your own cheese at home, grow your own mushrooms, watch a hog butchering contest, and a host of cooking demo’s, tastings, and more.  All food vendors provided foods that were made from scratch, preservative free – yay!!   I’m glad I took the time to drag myself out of the boondocks for this one.

Jaynelle of PieTisserie

Of all the tasting and nibbling I did, I would have to say the beet pie, yes beet pie, from a sweet young lady named Jaynelle of Pietisserie was my absolute favorite.

chocolate cream pie from PieTisserie

Or maybe it was the awesome watermelon beverage from Estrellita’s Snacks.

Watermelon drink from Estrellita’s

Or possibly the banana beignets from Solei’s African Kitchen.

Banana Beignets

And the most intriguing had to be the whole beast.

Lamb at The Whole Beast

Or possibly the bacon and egg popsicle, and the fact that it was sold out.

Fat Face Popsicles

Or the bacon meatloaf – I’m speechless at the idea.

Bacon Meatloaf Sandwich

One of the most sentimental events was the opportunity to share your own personal food story.  There was a makeshift booth on site, where anyone interested could speak for a few moments about a food event or story or dish that meant a lot to you.  The project is a food archive with plans to be housed somewhere like the Kennedy Center.  And I got a chance to be a part of it – isn’t that awesome?!

I’m so glad I was there live and in person.  For those who couldn’t make it, I ate as much as I could on your behalf.  I hope the pictures help. 😉  For more photos visit me on facebook.