On Friday I attended TechMunch, a conference hosted by the Atlanta Food Blogger’s Society, bringing in BakeSpace founder Babbette Papaj and a wonderful program aimed at Food Bloggers. It was held in the event space at Monday Night Brewing, one the west side not far from the Water Works.
I have to admit to a bit of a fan girl crush. I got to hear Virginia Willis speak on a panel with Bakerella Angie Dudley. Virginia seemed to be speaking directly to me when she said “You Have To Focus!” 🙂

Among the many fantastic sponsors of the event was a product that surprised me. Beyond Meat is a company that features plant-based protein, charmingly and compellingly presented by company rep Justin Moore-Brown. The product comes in two forms: Beyond Chicken strips, and Beyond Beef crumbles, made with pea protein, amaranth, and other gluten-free, GMO-free ingredients. I told Jason that having worked in the natural food industry for many years, I was skeptical. He laughed and agreed, saying he had felt the same way before going to work for them. At the break they served some to us in samples; the chicken strips in a cold chicken salad and the beef crumbles on a taco. I was amazed. This is not your grandmother’s TVP! (In fact, it isn’t like tvp at all. While the chicken strips do contain some soy, the beefy crumbles are soy-free.) The chicken strips have a very meaty mouth-feel and are very tasty. The beef crumbles were indistinguishable from any taco meat I’ve ever had (in a good way). The products are currently in Atlanta stores at Sprouts, Whole Foods, and Publix in the freezer section.

COUPON GIVEAWAY!
I have 3 coupons for a free package of Beyond Meat. I will give them to the first three people to leave a comment on this blog post (a comment on my FB page doesn’t count!) The coupons expire on November 1st of 2014, so use them quickly!
Finally, I got a goofy pic of me in the Big Bad Booth‘s photo booth. 🙂I am so happy to have had the opportunity to attend the TechMunch program this year. I have loads of ideas to work on, and new topics to blog about. As always, keep those questions coming, because they form the heart of Ask Chef Christy!
Sounds wonderful. Can’t wait to hear more about your experience and yes I DO want a coupon!
You got it! 2 More coupons to give away!
I love the stuff, I can put it in dishes and my non vegetarian son will eat, instead of pick it out.
You got it, Chris, I will bring your coupon tomorrow.
1 more!
I’d love to try these. I’ve not had good experiences in the past. Might be a nice change of pace from all the chicken and turkey we do, with occasional lean ground beef.
Ok, Heather, you get the 3rd free coupon! If anyone else would like to try out the Beyond Meat Products, there is a link for a printable coupon on their site for $1.00 off!
http://beyondmeat.com/stores/