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A Fall Getaway in Stowe, Vermont

0 · Nov 12, 2018 · Leave a Comment

Moving to New York City last year meant being nearby so many cities and states in the Northeast that I wanted to explore. Vermont had always been high on my list – the fall leaves and the maple syrup were two top priorities. I mentioned the trip idea to a few girlfriends, and they were all in! We found the cutest little AirBnB, packed our bags and headed up to Stowe to escape the city for a weekend.

I had originally wanted to go to Burlington, but luckily one of my coworkers, Allison, has been going to Stowe for years and years with her family and gave us the complete scoop about visiting there. She told us the low-down of where to eat, explore and shop, so I’m going to share with you!

Where to Go

Cork is a super cute wine bar downtown with a wine shop inside. We got lucky and happened to walk into an orange wine tasting (I had never heard of this before!) and it was a perfect Friday night experience.

The Bierhall at Trapp Family Lodge has an amazing story. The website tells a whole story, but essentially, “the von Trapp family toured the United States as the Trapp Family Singers before eventually settling in Stowe, Vermont.” Their storyline was inspiration for The Sound of Music! Now there’s a lodge, restaurant and brewery where they settled in Stowe!

Cold Hollow Cider Mill is a cute shop with “legendary” cider donuts, as they said, and lots of locally sourced products you can take home – think scone mixes, maple syrup, sauces, jams, jellies, etc.

If you didn’t pick up maple syrup at Cold Hollow, you can swing by the shop on the side of the road called Stowe Maple! We met the man who runs it and he gave us samples of the syrup and explained how the make it.

The Ben and Jerry’s Factory is a must if you’re in Vermont! It’s a quick 30-minute guided tour and it’s amazing to see how all the ice cream gets made. It felt kind of like we were in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! The best part – a really decently-sized sample at the end of the tour.

Harvest Market was my favorite little place we visited! It’s a little specialty food shop where it feels like Ina Garten could walk out at any moment. They’re known for incredible baked goods, so pick up some scones and muffins, focaccia and other bread for dinner while you’re swinging by. It’s a *little* pricey as far as groceries go, but their pre-made foods are perfect to pick up for a picnic or outdoor adventures.

Other things we didn’t make it to because of the rain: Moss Glenn Falls hike, which Allison says is a “beautiful uphill wooded area with a pretty waterfall,” Mt. Hunger hike and the hike to Sterling Pond. Alchemist Brewing and Doc Ponds for beer and food, plus the Grey Fox Inn for huge, dutch pancakes!

Cooking in Vermont

While it was raining and we were feeling cozied up in our home, the girls and I cooked a few meals that I’m still dreaming about. On my Instagram Story you’ll see we made a Creamy Chicken Pot Pie soup. It was SO good and I cannot wait to make it again! We ate so fast I didn’t get a picture, but you can see videos of it on my story highlights. Inspiration from Gimme Some Oven!

With the syrup we got from Stowe Maple and the pancake mix we got from Cider Hollow, we had a glorious pancake breakfast in our home before leaving. The lighting, scenery, company and food couldn’t have been better. So grateful for these girls!

We met ALPACAS!

On the drive out of town, we decided to take a detour to an alpaca farm we saw on Instagram. A woman, Karen, and her husband take care of the alpacas and they were beyond kind showing us around and taking us literally INTO THE FIELD to play with them. I just wanted to hug the furry friends and snuggle up and become best friends with them! If you’re in the area I completely recommend you swing by, learn about the animals and get some epic photos along the way.

I hope this weekend trip was just one of many coming up with this group of girls. We had a blast, got to caught the incredible fall leaves, cook and eat some amazing food, and spend time together. Next I have my eyes set on Montreal, Canada. Let me know if you have any recommendations for there or any favorite spots I should add to the list for Stowe!

Love food. Love self. Love life.
Gabriela

My Fall/Winter Bucket List

0 · Oct 7, 2018 · Leave a Comment

I love to make a bucket list to inspire my adventures with the change of every season. The weather is slowly becoming more crisp in the city and the leaves are changing. Fall is here and I’m ready for all the classic activities (apple picking! pumpkin patch!), plus some new things in the city. Here’s what’s on my bucket list. Now that I’m reading these things back, they’re not tooooo fall inspired, so as I keep adding things, I’ll update you on Instagram!

Go to an indoor roller skating party (check!)
Go apple picking upstate (check!)
Make fried chicken from scratch at home (check! Tyler Florence’s recipe was amazing.)
Girls weekend trip to Vermont
Karaoke in Korea Town
Bingo at The Standard Hotel
Go on a pizza crawl, mainly visit Scar’s Pizza! (inspired by this)
Eat the French Onion burger at Little Prince
See Justin Timberlake at Madison Square Garden
See the Nutcracker Ballet in December

The apple orchard and pumpkin patch my girlfriends and I visited was an absolute blast. Here are some snapshots from our day. I completely recommend Outhouse Orchards and Harvest Moon (they’re right next to each other!) if you’re looking for spots just outside of New York City.

What else do you think I should add on my list? Comment below!

Love food. Love self. Love life.
Gabriela

What I’ve Learned from One Year in New York City

0 · Sep 10, 2018 · Leave a Comment

Me and my #1 bae, Audree. New York City wouldn’t have been the same without her this year!

It’s official – one year in New York City! This last year has been full of so much fun, the best food I’ve ever eaten, so much adventure, great people and incredible memories. I’ve grown so much at work, made an amazing group of girlfriends, settled into my apartment, found my favorite spots around the city and don’t feel like a tourist anymore.

Over the last year, I’ve been collecting some lessons about life in the city. I think the most hilarious thing is that a majority of them involve transportation. So much to learn there, hah! I can’t wait to see what year two brings.

10 Things I’ve Learned About Living in NYC

You will be spoiled with some of the best food in the entire world at your fingertips. (I’m looking at you Los Tacos No. 1 in Chelsea Market!)
Add 10 minutes to every directions you get from Google Maps. Everything ALWAYS takes longer.
You will do more online shopping than ever. (Hate you but love you, Amazon Prime!)
Crying in public actually feels so liberating.
Every street and avenue are filled with gems that you have to walk by to find out about. Take a different route as you’re walking to and from the same spots.
There are multiple exits that you can walk out of each subway station. Read your Google Maps directions to see which you need to exit to perfectly position you on your way. (You’ll also feel like such a rockstar when you master which one you should take for your most efficient exiting at frequent spots!)
Make your home an oasis. After a long day of the chaos in the city, there’s nothing more valuable than coming home to a quiet, cozy slice of the city that’s all yours.
The busses are completely underrated! Take them – it will save you so much time.
Try to do one new thing a week in the city – even if it’s something as small as walking into a new coffee shop or swinging into a cute bodega.
There will be days when the city drives you CRAZY, but then minutes later, something magical happens and you realize how much you love it.

Year two – let’s do this!!

Photography by Mason Huckabee.

Love food. Love self. Love life.
Gabriela

What It’s (Really) Like to Run a Blog

0 · Aug 17, 2017 · Leave a Comment

When I was a freshman in college, I learned about this thing called WordPress. The sophomores in our journalism school were all working on a project – creating a blog – for their digital media class. I was so interested in it and thought I would give it a try myself. After a few entrepreneurial projects throughout my childhood like starting a babysitting business and taking it 100% seriously to creating a cake decorating business called Cake Girl, I thought the blog would be another fun venture. Initially I combined my love of food with writing and documented my freshman year. My posts ranged from restaurant reviews to microwave meals to travel stories. After sophomore year, things really picked up and by senior year I completed my honors thesis creating a three-part web-series for Gourmet Gab.

I love writing Gourmet Gab more than anything, but maintaining this hobby after four years has certainly had it’s ups and downs. Here are five things to know what it’s really like to run a blog.

You are Your Brand

By junior year of college, people were calling me “Gourmet” or “Gourmet Gab” sometimes more than Gabriela. Once you build your blog brand, people will automatically reference it often and it’s hard to get a break. I like to take off my Gourmet Gab hat every once in a while and not feel hypocritical. Eating unhealthy food (fried chicken! dessert! In and Out!) feels off-brand to me, but it’s important to show that I’m a real person.

Just like in cooking and entertaining, blogging is all about the details.

You Have to Keep Up with It

Blogging takes a lot of time. It’s not just as easy as pulling in photos and writing a few quick paragraphs. There is SEO optimization, tagging, categorizing, building social promotion around posts, creating Pinterest-worthy images, building an email list, creating newsletters and more! Not the mention the behind-the-scenes dashboard things like keeping WordPress updated, renewing GoDaddy domains, updating plug-ins, researching customizations, etc. Beyond creating great content, there is also a lot of time spent making sure things are done well behind the scenes, too.

Do it For the Blog

Everyday life, cooking, travel or nights with friends now automatically turn into blog content. It’s challenging for me to not think about photographing, taking video or remembering certain stories that I can write about. People also automatically assume I will blog about everything. It’s nice to take trips, make new recipes or simply live life beyond thinking about how it will translate into a blog post.

Are we Dating?

I have been single for a few years now and I truly believe it’s been a blessing because I have spent all my free time and energy into building my blog. This year alone I’ve launched a new brand, created a shop, filmed videos for Food Network Snapchat Discover, mentored my first intern and published dozens of posts. I spend an average of probably 15 hours a week on Gourmet Gab and after seven years, this blog is certainly my longest relationship.

In a Sea of Many

There are millions, literally double digit millions, of WordPress blogs around the world. (These stats are unbelievable.) It can be easy to think blogging is no longer relevant unless you have boomed into popularity or your content went viral. For me, writing Gourmet Gab is my creative outlet. It’s how I document my growth and experiments in the kitchen. Writing this blog is a part of my daily life, whether I have hundreds of readers or thousands.

Go for It

If you’re thinking about starting a blog, go for it! There are so many resources out there about how to go about it and what to do first. Bloguettes is my go-to source for blogging and learning tips and tricks. Jenna Kutcher is rocking it with her Goal Digger Podcast for entrepreneurs. Minimalist Baker, chloedigital and The Everygirl are among a few others that have great resources! The most important things I’ve learned: define your niche, have lots of content ready to publish before you launch, know that not everyone will read your work and be okay with, and finally, remember that you will not be an overnight success – you have to work for it.

Have questions about blogging? Want to learn more details about my Gourmet Gab journey? Comment below!

Love food. Love self. Love life.
Gabriela

A Day in the Life of Gourmet Gab

0 · Jun 20, 2017 · 1 Comment

Many of you know me for my love of food, writing, videos and social media presence as Gourmet Gab. What you may not know is that I have a real job, too! By day I am working at a nonprofit doing social media, marketing and public relations, by night I’m testing recipes, working behind the scenes in WordPress and chatting with Mariah, the digital marketing intern. Today I’m giving you a look into a day in the life of Gourmet Gab, beyond just what you may see on Instagram Stories.

A Day in the Life

6:30 am: The Best Meal of the Day

Rise and shine! Make coffee and a quick breakfast, simultaneously get ready and head (okay usually run) out the door to work. For breakfast, my go-to is yogurt with sliced banana or fresh berries, a small scoop of granola and cinnamon, plus a slice of peanut butter toast. I will make scrambled eggs with Tuscan kale and hot sauce if I have a few extra minutes or just eat oatmeal at work if I’m really in a hurry.

7:30 am: You Better Work

When I arrive to the office, I usually catch up with my co-workers, read through my inbox and take a look at my to-do list for the day. Between meetings, working on social media plans, editing videos, dreaming up future plans and overseeing our organization’s blog, the time flies by!

10:00 am: Snack Time

Like clockwork I get hungry at about 10:00 am almost everyday. I bring a “hummus of the week” with carrots, make my own trail mix, snack on apples and peanut butter, or grab a Lara bar. The cashew cookie flavor is like dessert to me!

12:30 pm: Lunch

I head upstairs to our lunch room to chat with co-workers and get a break from my computer screens. I am a huge fan of salads at work, so I usually bring my big bag of lettuce, toppings and dressings. Then I assemble my salad in a big white bowl you’ve seen pictured here and here on Instagram.

1:00 – 4:00 pm : Keep Trekking

I always get a little sleepy after lunch, so I love having a tea every afternoon at my desk. (This Trader Joe’s ginger turmeric tea is my current favorite.) It breaks up the water and helps curb my sweet tooth. Throughout the afternoon, I continue on creative projects and check off my to-do list until the day wraps up.

4:00 pm: Gym Time

With new summer hours at work, I’m stil getting into a new evening routine. I usually will go to an Orangetheory class or for a run on the Monon Trail in Indy. If I don’t workout, I’ll usually be on a Google Hangout with Mariah talking about blog plans or running errands.

7:00 pm: Dinner Time

Doing meal prep on Sunday usually means I have a meal waiting in the fridge for me, which is THE BEST part of putting in a few hours of cooking ahead of time. Right now I’m on Season 5 of Parenthood so I’ll watch an episode of that while I eat! (What shows are you watching this summer?)

8:00 pm to 10:30 pm: Quality Time with Gourmet Gab

It’s time to give the blog some quality time. I answer any emails I’ve received throughout the day and make sure the next blog post is ready for publishing. That includes editing recipe photos, writing the content, entering the recipe, optimizing the SEO, prepping everything for social, and double checking it all.

After everything for the next blog post is ready, I work my way through a never-ending wish-list for Gourmet Gab. Between updates to the site, growing on Pinterest, working with Mariah on the next newsletter or researching opportunities to collaborate with people and brands–the fun never stops! It’s hard for me to stop once I get in the groove and get working because I love building Gourmet Gab and have such big visions for it.

11:00 pm: Must Sleep

I always have the goal to get to bed by 10, but to be honest, it never happens! I love packing as much as a I can into each day and would prefer to stay up than to sleep. The #sidehustle is real.

That’s a Wrap

I wake up and do it again – Monday through Friday. There is never a dull moment, lots of great food along the way and plenty of creative projects happening both at work and in my mind for Gourmet Gab. I am a big believer in hard work and love spending my free time making Gourmet Gab happen. Let me know what you thought of today’s post and I can write a weekend edition, too!

Love food. Love self. Love life.
Gabriela

Photography by Brooke Marcella and cozy beach people top by Muse Apparel in Phoenix, Arizona. Shop it online here.

Reflections on Fall

0 · Oct 21, 2016 · 2 Comments

I always admired fall from far away, pretending that we had some kind of a season change in Arizona, even when it was still 85 degrees on Halloween. Every Thanksgiving I tried to wear sweaters and tights and bundle up for the cozy holiday. That would quickly result in an outfit change hours later when my family would want to go for an afternoon walk post-turkey in shorts and a t-shirt. From far away, I could tell that fall brought about changes beyond just clothing. Because I was never totally immersed in it, I could not experience the full potential of change that a new season brings about.

A year ago while I was writing this I was sitting on the porch of my apartment in Indianapolis. The tree outside my balcony gently swayed in the breeze with the orange-tinged sky in the background. Some golden yellow leaves still remained, while others had collected on the ground below. Still, the branches of the tree were scattered with the dainty golden leaves. As I watched them hold on as the wind danced through them I began to understand the essence of change in the season. I saw up close the details of fall.

The weather cools down. Nature does it’s innate process of adapting to the chill. The leaves turn a range of fiery hues. Once they’ve held on for as long as they can, they release themselves falling to the ground to allow for a new start, a new season. The bark is left barren until it gets the cue to bloom and start the cycle of rejuvenation again.

What is next and new in our lives will bring a different kind of beauty that we may not be ready to embrace until it is before our eyes.

As I stared at the details of the branches and the felt the coolness outside, I reflected on my own life and thought about how I could relate to this pattern. It is easy to be constant in one thing, one pattern of living, but harder to evolve and see the time for newness. I think of the vibrant green of the leaves at their prime. It would be easy for them to hang on and hold tight to stay right there all year. It would be easy for us to be resistant and stubborn to what is next. Those golden leaves shimmied off and drifted away from the tree because something new was coming. Although it seems like sometimes we have to hold on, we can learn from the dance of the leaves. What is next and new in our lives will bring a different kind of beauty that we may not be ready to embrace until it is before our eyes.

What changes are you feeling coming on for fall? If there are things you’re holding on to, maybe now is the time to reflect on them and move forward. Whether it’s a pleasant surprise or something long awaited, I hope you find beauty in what unfolds throughout this season.

Love food. Love self. Love life.
Gabriela

Gourmet Gab in Tampa, Florida

0 · May 11, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Sunny skies, palm trees and amazing food…that’s what I found in Tampa, Florida. Growing up on the west coast in Arizona, I always wanted to venture to Florida to connect with my Cuban culture. This year, I had the chance to visit Tampa for work five times. Over the course of my adventures, I got to know the city and the food culture a bit. I wanted to share some of the spots I tried (and would visit again!)

Scenes from Oxford Exchange near Downtown Tampa.

Oxford Exchange
I could spend a whole day in here. This venue hosts a restaurant, coffee shop, bookstore, new Warby Parker eyeglass shop, and you can even get married here! Every angle you turn inside OE is photo-worthy and their Instagram proves it. Their food is equally as amazing. Breakfast may be my favorite thus far. These chorizo breakfast tacos pictured above, plus a cappuccino, are be a perfect combo.

Bartaco chips and guacamole, margarita and tacos.

Tacos on Tacos
From what I’ve found, Tampa is not short on good taco places. Bartaco is located in Hyde Park, an outdoor shopping park growing with new restaurants and stores. Sit on the bartaco patio with a cocktail, like the blood orange margarita pictured above. Order a large guacamole. It will vanish before your eyes because it’s delicious, especially when paired with tortilla chips you break up on the spot. Scan the menu of their upscale tacos. They are tiny, but that means you can order a tray with a variety of options for sharing. I loved the fried oysters and sesame ribeye tacos.

Left: The Ahi taco is my favorite at Green Lemon. Middle: Giant frozen margaritas with salt. Right: This bowl from Fresh Kitchen had it all!

Mark off your happy hour time slot for Green Lemon. This trendy place in SoHo, or South Howard district, has great deals on modern Mexican cuisine. Try three tacos for $8 and order one of the massive margaritas (pictured below) for a steal. The queso, guacamole and salsa trio will pair with your drinks as you catch up with friends.

Unrelated to tacos, but owned by the same restaurant group as Green Lemon is the restaurant Fresh Kitchen. Their fresh, healthy bowls (picture right, below) are completely customizable. Balance out your endless margs and queso the next day with a kale bowl topped with delicious veggies.

Brunch outdoors on the patio at Cask.

Breakfast
On the weekends, it’s hard for me to turn down brunch outdoors on the patio, especially if it involves bottomless mimosas and a live DJ. Cask was such a great find. They had both mimosas and a DJ, but also popcorn included for the table and dishes ranging from the chicken and waffles (pictured above) to classics like eggs, potatoes and bacon.

Top: Buddy Brew coffee mural. Bottom left: Breakfast bowl at Daily Eats. Bottom Right: Toast at Buddy Brew.

If you’re looking for good coffee and a smaller bite, try Buddy Brew. I tried two of their toasts – avocado toast with olive oil poached eggs and peanut butter toast with a creme brûlée banana – and they were amazing!

Experiment with breakfast at Daily Eats. This diner-style restaurant in SoHo has some awesome breakfast bowls like this Captain Crunch cereal French Toast in a bowl with maple syrup eggs. I’m so glad I tried it!

The Columbia Restaurant in Ybor and lunch from their location at the Tampa airport.

Tampa Classic: Columbia Restaurant
The Columbia is a famous spot in Tampa’s Ybor district. If you’re going to check out a more touristy place, this could be it. I really did enjoy the Cuban food, fused with Spanish influences. Their tapas were delicious – I even wrote a whole post about them! If you’re stopping for lunch at the airport, you can eat a half Cuban sandwich and half Columbia salad. That’s my favorite airport food in Tampa without a doubt.

There are so many places I wanted to visit in Tampa, but didn’t have time to. I would love to dine at Ulele next time and more spots in the heart of downtown. Not listed above, but other places I enjoyed, included: Datz, Mr. Penguin Gelati, and Boca (especially the garden wall of lettuce). Comment below with any other suggestions! Overall though, I really enjoyed the city of Tampa and even got to sneak in a beach trip to Siesta Key. I’ll be back in September for work again and will try to sneak in as many new places as I can.

Love food. Love self. Love life.
Gabriela