Have we talked about how much I adore blogger meet-ups?
Especially ones that include cute jars of flowers dangling from the ceiling.
About a month ago I started talking to Julie from Running in a Skirt and she told me about the North Carolina Blogger Network and a meet-up they were hosting at Twisted Laurel in downtown Asheville at the end of March. I signed up for it right away!
I was super excited to go to Twisted Laurel because it’s one of the first restaurants Jeff and I went to when we visited Asheville before we moved here last fall.
Our meet-up was held in the Daphne Room, Twisted Laurel’s beautiful private dining space.
I was also super excited to meet a bunch of local AVL bloggers!
Susanna and I met a few weeks ago at Panacea Coffee Co. and it was so great to connect with her again. She and Jaime coordinated the whole meet-up and did a fantastic job!
Twisted Laurel was kind enough to provide us with complimentary appetizers from their new dinner menu.
Each one was better than the next!
Antipasto Plate: A Selection of Local Meats and Cheeses served with Peppers, Pepperoncini, Artichoke Hearts and Olives
Stuffed Fried Pepperoncini: Pickled Pepperoncini Stuffed with Ricotta and Mozzarella Cheese, Deep Fried and Served with Marinara Sauce
My personal favorite: Arancini: Creamy Mushroom Risotto Balls stuffed with Fresh Mozzarella and Served with Marinara.
The focus of the evening was Content Creation and we spent a good deal of the evening talking about our blogs and creative processes. I learned a lot and had a great time getting to know Ferriss, Felicia, Tina, Laura, Caitlin and Ginger! (Ginger hasn’t started her blog yet but was looking for inspiration and added a lot to the conversation!)
For my entrée I ordered the Seasonal Salad made with local seasonal veggies, including KALE! It was delicious. I washed it down with Catawba Brewing’s White Zombie White Ale. Perfection!
I’ll definitely be back to Twisted Laurel because I want to try so many other things on the menu, like Susanna’s Spanakopita:
And Felicia’s Twisted Nachos:
And whatever this was that Julie had:
She told me but I was too busy drooling to pay attention. Julie, help us all out and remind me what this was again!
After we devoured our entrees, Twisted Laurel surprised us with complimentary dessert! I went to use the restroom and came back to chocolate cake and baklava on the table. Best surprise ever!
Not only was the food delicious, the service was awesome! Our waiter was very friendly, attentive and very helpful when I asked him for a drink suggestion. I also love how the menu clearly noted what was vegetarian. There were also a ton of veg options, which I’ve found to be the case in most Asheville restaurants. Reason number 34,073,443 I love this city so much!
No blogger meet-up is complete without a group photo!
***Front Row (from left): Jaime, Felicia, Me, Ferriss *** Back Row (from left): Caitlin, Julie, Susanna, Laura, Ginger, Tina.
Super blurry and we’re looking in all different directions but fun nonetheless!
And to top it all off, Susanna and a few local (and non-local) businesses hooked us up with swag bags!
In the bag:
A beautiful wine glass from the Biltmore Estate
Motivational Sticky Notes from Sticky Quotes
Essential Oil Samples from Young Living
A sticker from Panacea Coffee Co. (which is on my laptop as we speak!)
Sweet! Super excited to try everything out!
What a great night! HUGE thanks to Jaime, Susanna, the NC Blogger Network and Twisted Laurel for hosting! Can’t wait for the next one!
Bloggers: Are you part of any local blogger groups? Do you connect in person? Readers: Do you like reading about blogger meet-ups?
Have a Wonderful Wednesday! <3
Note: This meet-up was held at Twisted Laurel in downtown Asheville, NC. The restaurant provided us with free appetizers and desserts. Attendees were given gift bags with products from the Biltmore Estate, Sticky Quotes, Young Living and Panacea Coffee Co. I was not asked to write this review or compensated in any other way for this post. As always, the views expressed on this site are my own.