I had such a great time today at The Chicago Food Swap! Every month a group of food enthusiasts meets at a different place to share their love of food. This month it was hosted a mile from my house at Green Home Experts. (they have tons of great items!). So, since it was so close to my house, how could I not go?
I met one of the founders Emily – and we met for lunch a while back to get to know each other better. She and her friend are the ones who find the different places to house the event and make all the arrangements.
I was a little nervous going in. I wasn’t sure what to expect. The best way to describe it is like a giant bake sale. (except no money is exchanged!) People make all different things: infused vinegar’s, jams, seasoned salts, homemade soda, breads, cookies, candy, etc… I made a roasted red pepper spread and South Carolina mustard bbq sauce.
You can bring whatever quantity you want – I brought 12 jars each of the spread and bbq sauce.
Once I got to the event, you could just choose a table or space and start setting up your stuff. Everyone sets out samples so you can taste what everyone brought.
After everything is set up, you get the opportunity to walk around and if you see something you like, you write your name down on a piece of paper and you also write what you have to swap with. Nothing is in set in stone, it’s all negotiation once the swapping begins.
When I got back to my table, I was excited to see a lot of people wanted what I brought! So I would find the person who wanted my bbq sauce for example, and if I like what they brought I would trade. If I didn’t want what they brought, you are free to say “no thanks”. Some people had dietary restrictions, so sometimes a swap wouldn’t work if someone was vegan or dairy free for example.
I met a lot of great people, had nothing left that I brought and came home with quite the loot!
My daughter Claire came with me and she was a great help and organized all our stuff to bring home. She also loved tasting all the treats that were set out!
This is all the item I got to bring home.
The next time, I would spend more time on packaging – making cute labels. But all in all – I think for my first rodeo I did pretty well!
Have you gone to a food swap before? They have them in lots of states. Maybe if there isn’t one in your city – you can start one!!
The next one in Chicago is September 15th. It’s a free event, but sometimes there is a restriction to how many people can attend depending on the size of the venue.
Go to Chicago Food Swap and check out their website. They also have a Facebook Page HERE .
Nice to meet everyone today and I’m excited to eat all the treats I got today!!
