I was invited to a fabulous Chicago Foodie blogger event hosted by Chonani at Boka Restaurant in Chicago this week. I have used Chobani products before in the past (here and here) as well as snacks at work but I never took notice to the company behind the brand until I met with some of their ambassadors at the Boka/Chobani event.
My fellow Chicago foodie bloggers and I were all able to taste some of the chef’s Chobani-inspired creations. From beet salad, to braised lamb, every course incorporated the yogurt in a different way. It was such an honor to be cast in a group of such phenomenal local foodie bloggers, and it was a wonderful opportunity for us to all meet each other in person, as we all know each other in such a different way through the wall of a computer screen. It is so odd as a blogger to do a meet-up event, because where it would otherwise be awkward coming up to someone asking if they are –insert twitter name–, here it was the norm.
The first course was a “Hay Roasted Baby Beets and Blueberry Salad with CHOBANI Greek Yogurt, Fir Tree Honey and Pepper Wheat Cracker”
The second course was “Soft Shell Crab and Grilled Prawns with Chobani Greek Yogurt Grits, Morel Mushrooms and Beet Braised Kohlrabi”
The third course was a “Rack of Lamb, Rooibos, Bulgur Wheat, Roasted Baby Vegetables, Purples Fingerling Potatoes, Fava Beans, Roasted Eggplant and CHOBANI Greek Yogurt Sauce”
And finally for dessert we had “CHOBANI Greek Yogurt Panna Cotta, Plums and Honey”
It is so hard to pick a favorite but if I absolutely had to, I think it would be the the soft shell crab and grilled pawns. I thought the chef’s use of Chobani in grits was so creative and unexpected and the varying flavors and textures made every bite of this dish mouth-watering.
A big thanks to Boka for their superb service, amazing food and their patience with all of our photo-taking! I can’t wait to go back for dinner sometime. The outdoor patio looked so cute! I met some amazing people and hope we can all get together again soon! Bloggers do it better!! Here is the whole crew:
Hats off to Chobani (and their lovely ambassadors Emily, Jackie, and Amy) for bringing us all together and organizing this fabulous dinner. I learned so much about the company and it inspired me to think out-of-the-box when it comes to putting a meal together. One other thing that you may not know, Chobani is sponsoring Team USA on their journey to the Olympic Games in London. They are naturally powering our athletes with the protein they need to bring home the GOLD! Tweet #chobanipowered to show your support!
Other attendees included:
Kelsey at Ready Set Feast
Carly at Create Live (event recap)
Cate at Good For You Blog (event recap)
Katie at Peace Love and Oats (event recap)
Marisa at Mind Over Booty
Lindsay at Running Windy City (event recap)
Molly at Hungry Hungry Runner (event recap)
Joelen at What’s Cooking Chicago
Megan at Braise the Roof (event recap)
