Doesn't Recommend

Dennis R.

Joined 1 year ago

Total Waste of Money. We were a vendor at this show. We're were extremely upset that we were sold on how much of a food oriented show it was and how much of a draw it would be for the "foodies". There were about as many non-food/entertaining vendors as the food oriented ones. The majority of the attendees we interacted with were nowhere near "foodies" and were just there to eat. The show wasn't very well organized and the load out was an absolute disorganized debacle. Don't waste your time with this show as a vendor or attendee in any city it's at.

Doesn't Recommend

pressed4time

Joined 2 years ago

What a disappointment!. I was sorely disappointed when Paula Deen arrived over a half hour late for a one hour cooking demonstration but was annoyed further when she failed to cook anything or even mention cooking food! We ended up walking out of her "performance" and felt that we had been cheated out of what could have been a really fun hour. (In her defense, Paula came on stage and announced that she and her family had been dealing with the loss of her nephew and she admitted to being "a little off") I'll never know if it was just an off day for her or just another routine celebrity disappointment but even without food she managed to leave a bad taste in my mouth!

The vendors that were there were OK. I was surprised at how many non-food booths there were. Having said that, my friend and I enjoyed walking around more than the Paula Deen fiasco but not enough to be going back next year.

In would not recommend this event to a friend

Doesn't Recommend

ndlauren

Joined 7 years ago

Don't Waste Your Time or Your Money. Do you want to hear someone say "Paula - I've been waiting my whole life to meet you," or "Paula - I couldn't have survived my death bed without you?" Do you want to test a bunch of mattresses or get peddled by American Laser Centers? Do you wish to sit through a pitch for $2,000+ cookware for an hour with the promise of door prizes? Then, maybe this might be the place for you.

Fortunately, we didn't pay full price for tickets to see Paula, but if we had, I would have been extremely disappointed. I know it shouldn't feel like a show on TV, but by opening things up to a Q&A with a bunch of selfish people who only want to hear themselves speak instead of asking thoughtful questions, you're only asking for trouble.

And the vendors? Yeah, ok, there were a couple of good ones. Gabriels Desserts is always a crowd-pleaser. A few of the Georgia mom-and-pops with some nice dipping= sauces were ok too. But there were SO many jewelry, pyramid scheme-esque, mattress, handbag booths that it was just such a waste of an afternoon.

If you're only going to see the celebs, unless you're doing one of the up close and personal experiences, save the money, watch on TV, unless you're in the market for $2,000 cookware.

Recommends

Cyndee

Joined 3 years ago

Great Cooking Show. I had a great time at the Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show at the Cobb Galleria last year (2009). I saw Guy Fieri and the Neelys cooking shows (which were awesome!). I ran into Gina Neely in the Exhibit Hall who was so sweet and took a picture with me. So did Chef Blais and Guy Fieri (at his book signing). As soon as the tickets became available I bought them for Paula Deen, Bobby Flay and Mario Batali. Wanted to get the best seats right away. I can't wait until this year's show!!!!