Thank You from Operation Frontline + Goldstar

Thanks to you guys and gals, we not only had an absolute blast at this year's blogger prom, to date we also have raised $2,400 for our benefactor charity, Operation Frontline Los Angeles. And here's a little note of thanks from their program coordinator Catherine Luu, who was staffing the OFL:LA table at the event:

I would like to express my sincere thanks to everyone for donating to Operation Frontline Los Angeles. We had a fantastic time at Blogger Prom and really enjoyed the opportunity to meet with all those who came by the OFL table!

Thanks to you all, Blogger Prom raised $2,400, and 100% of your donations will go directly towards supporting an Operation Frontline class for underserved families in Los Angeles. One OFL course for 15 individuals and their families costs about $3,500, and your contributions will enable us to cover course costs including food, class curriculum, staff time, graduation materials, and cooking supplies.
OFL relies heavily on the resources that are available to us from our community. In our first program year since our LA launch last May, we completed 18 courses and reached over 225 low-income families. Our goal for this next program year is to offer 24 courses and reach over 275 families. Your generosity will go a long way towards empowering families with the knowledge and skills to prepare healthy meals for a lifetime. Thanks for partnering with Operation Frontline LA, Share Our Strength, and the Center for Community and Family Services to support healthy families and build sustainable communities.

A special thanks to the Blogger Prom Committee, Yamashiro, and Goldstar for making this event possible!


Best,


Catherine

And speaking of @goldstar, not only have they generously donated their energy & time to help us process our OFL:LA donations and RSVPs, they are also giving all bloggerprom donation ticketbuyers a $25 account credit good towards a future purchase from their roster of fun and significantly-discounted events! Woo hoo!

Last but not least, our Operation Frontline donation page is still up and live through the end of October, so please do consider donating more, and encourage your readers, followers, friends and fans to do so by including a link in your recap blogposts, tweets, facebook updates, etc. Thanks!

Our Leading Man & Lady Are . . .

Just in case you missed the announcement, a big congratulations to . . .
Neil of Food Marathon & Jocelyn of JozJozJoz for being crowned this year's "Leading Man" / #bloggerpromking and "Leading Lady" / #bloggerpromqueen! Enjoy your reign until next year ;)

Photo Credit: Heather Kincaid

Our Official Photos Are In!

Our official photographer extraordinaire, Heather Kincaid, has done an AMAZING job working the photobooth (right behind our live-twitter screen) and roaming around site capturing the festive action, not to mention the hard work to get it all up and ready for the day after!

Check out her photos of the event here, and feel free to blog/publish with photo credit to heatherkincaid.com/blog.

And of course, give her a big round of applause online @HeatherKincaid.

Thank You for Attending!

The committee on the day before

Thank you so much for coming, mingling and having a great time up @ Yamashiro last night! We hope you had a blast at the event and the afterparty.

The committee is busy tallying our donation total & taking care of post-event odds and ends, but we are definitely stoked to look at your photos and read your recap posts, so feel free to comment with a link to your blogposts, and share your pics on our flickr group page.

In the meantime, enjoy your gift bags (and giveaway prizes to the lucky winners,) and give a shoutout to @YamashiroLA and @ChefBrock for being such gracious, awesome hosts.

Tonight's Leading Man & Leading Lady Finalists!

OK, after our #bloggerpromking and #bloggerpromqueen hashtag tallies from the twitterverse open nomination, the ones who made the final audition are:

"Leading Man"
1. @djjewelz
2. @FoodMarathon
3. @FreshHubby
4. @Kevin_Eats

"Leading Lady"
1. @brokeassbride
2. @JozJozJoz
3. @Olivejina
4. @thegirlblogger

Blogger Prom attendees, tonight cast your ballots for the Hollywood Confidential royalty to take home the glammy & fab fedora and tiara (and maybe a surprise) and bragging rights! Stay tuned and keep an eye and ear out around 8:30 p.m. for the big announcement....

Heather Kincaid, The Official 2010 Blogger Prom Professional Photographer!

Heather Kincaid blowing bubbles at YOU!

Blogger Prom has its very own photographer! Yeah, yeah, you guys are bloggers and probably carry your cameras with you everywhere. And yes, you should bring those cameras to Blogger Prom, too. But this is different. We have an OFFICIAL photographer who will be on hand to take your portrait since you dressed up all special for the night! She’s bringing a photobooth! And her gorgeous high-res photos will be available for purchase after the event and she will also make free versions available. We are SOOO excited!!!

Heather Kincaid is an incredibly talented photographer based in Los Angeles who does shoots all over Southern California. Take a look at her website. It’s not your average business website, it’s a very personal, intimate blog of her adventures photographing interesting people. She lets you inside her world. For example, she shoots a wedding, and then gives teasers of photos to come, or posts her favorites from the event. Plus she adds colorful commentary and kind wishes. And these photos! They are wonderful, moving photos that really capture the moment. Creative, clever compositions in color or black and white.

If her photography skills weren’t already enough, Heather is a warm, fun-loving person. So in every way, Heather will be a fantastic addition to the 2010 Blogger Prom. We are SO thrilled that Heather will be at Blogger Prom to document the evening for us!

The Drinks of the Night . . .

We got eats, we got swag bags and giveaways, we even got an afterparty -- last but certainly not least, we got the drinks on too! Whether you prefer sipping on our signature cocktail, a simple glass of wine, or an exploration through beers or fine spirits, we got you covered.
First, we welcome Pinky Vodka back again; in addition to supplying our swag bags with mini bottles of their product, they also teamed up with our committee member Natalie (a.k.a The Liquid Muse) to create the signature cocktail of this event! Coasters with the recipe will be available tonight, but just to give you a little preview, here's how it's made:

Pinky Confidential
2 ounces Pinky vodka
1 ounce Chambord
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
½ ounce simple syrup
½ ounce egg white (optional & NOT used in the bloggerprom version)
Powdered sugar (for garnish)

Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Dry shake for 15 seconds. Add ice, shake again. Strain into a powder sugar-rimmed martini glass.

Additionally we are partnering with the fine beverage sponsors below:

Cabana Cachaca, which will be making caipirinhas on-site.
Zaya Gran Reserva Rum and Casa Noble blanco and reposado tequilas, which you can enjoy straight-up or in a cocktail.
The Beer Chicks will be doing refreshing tastings with locally-made Eagle Rock Brewery beers.
And The Dalmore representatives will take attendees on a tour through their range of Single-Malt Scotch Whiskys.
For wine lovers, Fresh & Easy is again providing some wines that taste great and is even better for the value! Here are their notes on the white & red wine of the night:

The Vine Yard Chardonnay, 2008 – Under $12
From the Columbia Valley of Washington State, the Vine Yard Chardonnay is a fruit-forward wine with impressive length and well-balanced finish. It has fresh green apple accompanied by generous amounts of ripe juicy pear and framed by warm vanilla and a hint of citrus. Pairs well with seafood and white meat dishes.

Chianti Re De Castello, 2007 – Under $10
Coming from the beautiful area of Tuscany, the grapes are picked at optimum ripeness. It has brilliant ruby red color with bright raspberry fruit aromas and a touch of spice. Harmonious and well structured, this is a full-bodied red with persistent length of flavour. Ideal with Bolognese and strong Italian cheeses such as Parmesan.

Finally, another official note from the committee: This year, to ensure everyone has a wonderful BUT safe time and so that all attendees gets to try a little of everything, we are providing each attendees with 3 drink tickets. Each ticket is good for 1) our "Pinky Confidential" signature cocktail, 2) Cabana Cachaca Caipirinhas, 3) the featured red & white wines from Fresh & Easy 4) drinks made with Zaya Rum or Casa Noble Tequila OR 5) for you teetotalers, a non-alcoholic beverage of your choosing. Additionally, each attendee will have an opportunity for a beer AND a Scotch tasting. Afterwards, a cash bar is available for additional drinks.

And if you do feel like you've had too much to drink, Y Drive LA will be on hand at the valet stand ready to drive you and your car safely home. They'll offer all Blogger Prom attendees 10%. Stop by their table for more information!

So raise those glasses and toast in style, and don't forget to tip your hardworking bar staff. Cheers!