story by KAREN ANN DAVIDSON
! n o i t c A , a r e m Lights, Ca We asked Food and Lifestyle Blogger, Karen Ann Davidson to tell us about her experience as a judge at this year's Product of the Year filming event. We appreciate Karen's involvement with the awards this year, as well as her ongoing support of BC's food and beverage industry.
The morning of the BC Food & Beverage Awards was absolutely beautiful. It was the perfect day to go into Vancouver and get a super fun series of events started. I arrived at the theatre just prior to the call time for the BC Food & Beverage "Product of The Year" presentations. What’s the first thing I did? I hugged people, shook hands with people, did some introductions, and started to get acquainted with those around me. Right off the bat, the energy was amazing. As I wound my way through the theatre, I found the set. It was full of bright lights and a sexy BC Food & Beverage mural for the background created by none other than the talented, Great Little Box Company. The set was exactly how I pictured it and more.
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There was panel style seating with 5 chairs across from a stage serving as the presentation area for the products. There were both stationary and mobile cameras, which was so neat to see in person. The production staff from Picnic Creative were delightful as they mic'd me up and ran sound checks, and the bright lights were fixed to highlight the product on a high round table. It was really hard to contain my excitement. You guys, I even had my own name plate in front of me, just like on the TV show, Match Game!
CULTIVATE
I must say that it meant so much to me to be sitting on a panel with accomplished food industry professionals. I've kept the solid practice of never being the smartest person in the room and if you are that person, perhaps you need to visit another room. There's been many variations of this quote used over the years and it's one that has served me well—today was no exception. It was me that was learning, listening, and understanding from my peers as well as welcoming with open arms the BC food producers who had come to share their passions with us. You know that Oprah GIF where she’s waving her arms in the air? That’s exactly how I felt!
FALL 2021
Once the camera started rolling, it was finally time for the presentations. Each food producer was given 10 minutes to present and for us to have a question-and-answer session, timed precisely by the Picnic Creative team. Yes, the intensity and nerves were high in the beginning, but it all ended up being such an enlightening experience to be a part of.
