Bon Appetit R Home

So this usually contest unlucky lady won tickets to an event in Richmond put on by R Home Magazine called R Home for the Holidays. The fabulous blogging couple behind This Young House held a contest last week to win tickets to the event. I entered and did not win but lucky for me one of the winners was unable to attend and so I entered the contest again. This time-success!

So...Jeff and I left right after work and headed straight to the Virginia Historical Society for a night of food, drink, crafts, Christmas decor and most importantly Barbara Fairchild and Matthew Mead. Barbara is the Editor-in-Chief of Bon Appetit magazine and Matthew Mead is an entertaining and lifestyle guru. Barbara and Matthew were both selling and signing their books. I quickly bought the latest Bon Appetit cookbook called Bon Appetit-Fast, Easy, Fresh. It has 1100 recipes that are quick and easy and perfect for weeknight meals meaning it is absolutely perfect for me. I waited in line and Mrs. Fairchild thoughtfully signed my book with a personalized message. I also found the courage to ask her for a photo and so here I am with the Editor-in-Chief herself.

In another room, there were multiple Christmas trees that had been decorated by local designers, artists and students. Jeff made our rounds to check them all out and had an immediate favorite. The company Ink + Paper had decorated their tree with paper ornaments created from the cutest paper. The tree topper was our favorite part of the tree. This will be our third Christmas in our house and we have never had a tree topper due to the fact that we have never found one that isn't tacky. So-we quickly purchased the paper topper you see below and I cannot wait to put it on top of our tree in a few weeks.

Later in the evening we went into the auditorium for a talk by Barb (my new best friend of course). She talked about her career at Bon Appetit, her family Thanksgiving traditions, insider information about the production of the magazine, Bon Appetit's newly redesigned website. She was quite interesting and I am excited I had a chance to listen to her and meet her.

Jeff had hit his limit after Barb was finished so we snuck out and went home so I could sit on the couch and read my new cookbook! One of the most exciting parts of attending this event means I get a free subscription to Richmond Magazine AND Bon Appetit. Yesss!