Now I'm Fabulous and You Can Be Too

If you pay even the slightest bit of attention to local media in any form- traditional, online and social- then you know that the Fabulous Food Show is happening November 12-14 at the IX Center. As always the annual culinary extravaganza will include cooking demos, food and wine tastings, and an eclectic selection of products to browse and buy.

Sure, you can see celebrities like Jason Roberts, Alton Brown, Guy Fieri, and Giada De Laurentis and line up to get their autographs along with their cookbooks. And yes, Michael Symon will be there, whooping it up on stage for the hometown audience while he MC’s the cook off competition between three local chefs: Dante Boccuzzi, Jonathon Sawyer and Steve Schimoler. But this year also has something brand new and fabulous in a whole different kind of way.

I’ve organized a writing class for anyone who’s ever dreamed of well- being me. That is, a person who writes about food. Lots of people ask about it- they want to know the nuts and bolts of how you get into it and how you get good at it. They envy me the lifestyle (certainly not the income). Someone once told me she couldn’t decide if it would be better to come back for a second life as her pampered Siamese cat or Laura Taxel, food writer. So I’ve decided its time to share.

To help me, I enlisted my friend and colleague Dianne Jacob. She’s a former magazine editor, an acclaimed writing coach from California, and the author of the definitive book on the subject: Will Write For Food. I’m even quoted in the chapter on freelancing. Her workshops, which she’s done all over the country, in Canada, and even Mexico, draw crowds and get rave reviews.

We’re doing two morning seminars at the Fabulous Food Show. The interactive 2-hour sessions will offer tips on how to spice up your food writing skills; demystify the process of writing and selling a cookbook or an article; and explore the pros, cons, and steps for launching and maintaining a blog. We’re going to provide practical advice and real world guidance on getting started, doing it well, and what’s required to get published and get readers. The Friday workshop is strictly for chefs, other food and hospitality industry professionals, and media veterans. The focus is on building a business, a brand, and a career. The Saturday version is for the general public- amateurs, enthusiasts, and aspiring beginners with an idea or a passion. Tickets for each class are $50 per person, include same day admission to the Show, and must be purchased in advance. Buy yours and read more about Dianne and I and what we’ll be covering in each group here.

We’ve got big plans and I think these seminars are going to be very informative. But there is one thing that remains unresolved. Dianne’s excited about coming to Cleveland and checking out the local culinary talent. But I’m in a tough spot- we only have three nights. So the question is- where should we go for dinner?