I had a chance to attend this weeks GFBA and was thrilled to be able to experience the whole Mandalay Bay Resort and convention center instead of the usual Vegas trade show venues down the strip…I got there early before it started so DARN, had to go gamble at the Buffalo slots, view the pool, and check out SHARK REEF.  Not to mention that I bought a cool pair of shoes at the Mandalay Bay Shops!  You can even walk over to the Luxor and see the incredible Titanic exhibit.

The GFBA reception Tuesday afternoon featured amazing food stations, free cocktails and live music.  The vendors in the main event center the next day all seemed happy to be there with an array of tasty products, innovative food sourcing, and prominent guest speakers Larry Stuart and MasterChef winner Shaun O’Neale (I bought his cookbook.) My favorite was THE DISGUSTING MUSEUM – it was actually a real lesson in the strange things we eat throughout the world.  Just imagine, we may not like dog meat, haggis, crickets, or animal private parts…but people in Europe think our precious TWINKIES AND POP TARTS are disgusting!!! Go figure…my kids think they are a big treat!