I Met Dorie Greenspan at #IFBC

“Say yes and follow your dreams.”

Dorie Greenspan is the reason I signed up for IFBC.  She needs no introduction. Around My French Table is one of my favorite cookbooks and she has inspired me so much in the kitchen. After baking her gougères, I felt as if I could do anything.

She came out onto the stage . . looking just as she appears in all of her photographs. So lovely. And then she started speaking. Dorie has the best voice. So cute and full of energy. We were all glued to our seats, listening closely and hanging onto every word Dorie was saying.

Dorie talked about life in Paris, some of her favorite pastry chefs, working with Julia Child but what I loved the most was when she started talking about her baking groups, Tuesdays with Dorie and French Fridays with Dorie. How the internet helped her connect with her readers. How Tuesdays with Dorie was like the first baking group – baking their way through a cookbook- on the internet. Ever. No one was doing this and up until this point, she really had no idea how people were experiencing or doing with her books and recipes. She said one day I think she googled something and found a page where people were sharing comments, ideas and experiences from baking her recipes.

Dorie said she was reading everything for like an hour and walked out of the room with tears in her eyes.  Up until this point, she, like many other cookbook authors, had no idea how people were receiving her recipes, books and stories.  I’ve never thought of the internet this way. I think it’s amazing now that authors, chefs, celebrities, whoever- can connect with their fans and get feedback, good or bad, instantaneously.  Shortly after this (I think), Dorie started her own blog but her work and cookbooks are her priority. She blogs when she can. She comments herself. So, if you get a response to your comment or a tweet or whatever, that is coming from Dorie herself. Not an assistant.

She even shared this great story about a recipe in one of her cookbooks that was published with a typo! Missing an egg from the ingredients list. . ok, maybe not a great story but it was corrected. .  but she definitely lost some sleep over that one.  Hey, we are all human. And even editors and publishers miss things. We are all human.

Listening to Dorie speak was so inspiring!! I cannot even begin to tell you how wonderful that time was for me and how much I will cherish listening to her speak and meeting her. So much great advice and words of wisdom. In the words of Dorie, “Speak from the heart. Focus on the work. Say yes and follow your dreams.”

In blogging, I hope I am doing this. Being authentic. Being real. Speaking from the heart.

In another session, not Dorie’s keynote, some “experts” were giving us pointers on blogging. .  someone said blog everyday, and keep your blog posts short. If you have a lot to say, say it over two posts. When I have long blog posts, it’s because I want to share something with you all.

So, if you are reading my posts and reading the entire thing, from the bottom of my heart – Thank you.

And I will keep doing what Dorie said. Dorie, if you read this post, Thank you for being such an inspiration.