Matt (@mmWine), a friend and wine enthusiast from West Palm Beach was the internet host and sat in front of the camera describing the wines and food to hundreds of viewers while I served the guests (visible in the background) with the wines and foods from Piemonte. Some of the viewers had actually purchased the same wines, and tasted them at home at the same time! The guests in our home were all users of the “Twitter” social network, and could be seen texting away at the dinner table, some of the guests like Ashley (@theBeerwench), used both their laptops and phones simultaneously to describe the food and wines to all their friends.

(photo courtesy Jeff Houck, Tampa Tribune)

I cooked some of my favorite recipes: Stuffed Mushrooms, Spiced Lamb Pillows, Beef Tenderloin cooked in Barolo, Herbed Polenta, and Stuffed Peaches. Jeff Houck, (@TheStew) the food writer for the Tampa Tribune was there with his wife Grace, and they seemed to love the food! Jen Straw, (@missattitude), of blog fame, “Advice with Attitude” echoed the sentiment that the Stuffed Peaches were the top dish of the evening. Click here to check her out..

It was such a pleasure to take relationships developed on Twitter to the next level. Normally we think that it is nice to be able to put a face to a name after meeting someone in person, in this case it is great to be able to place a voice to those great avatars we see on a daily basis. The party was a fun way to meet people in person whom I spoke with online every day through Twitter. The viewers at home seemed to enjoy the live show as well. Barry, my husband, and I are so excited to have been able to host and deepen these friendships.

Matt and I are already planning our next live event with Beerwench for April 4, 2009 as well as a future event to be hosted by ChefJerseyGirl. The April 4th event will not only focus on Italian food from the Amalfi Coast accompanied with Italian wines, but Ashley will be pairing beers as well and will be having you, the taster decide which pairs better with each dish, the wine or the beer! WHAT FUN…..I can’t wait! Mark your calendars now; even if you can’t join us in person, there is always the internet! See you there!