Ice Cream and Berries and Cake, Oh, My!

There are a number of things that happen around here that I file under the category of Being a Food Blogger Does Not Suck.  Samples of fun new kitchen tools for me to play with and review.  Boxes that arrive with free cookies, bottles of liquor and all kinds of other tasty samples.  Coupons.  And the occasional really cool invitation.

Strawberry Lemonade Smash Cocktails

How cool you ask?  What would you say if you were invited to a private event at the Jacques Torres chocolate store where you could meet Mr. Chocolate himself, taste sample after sample of all his new ice cream flavors complete with outrageous toppings, sip a rum cocktail made with fresh strawberries courtesy of co-host Driscoll's Berries and stuff your face with freshly made strawberry shortcake in honor of National Strawberry Shortcake day?  You'd say hell yes, that's what you'd say!  I did, too.

The drool-worthy selection of ice cream toppings!

I brought my friend Susan from The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen because that's a woman who loves ice cream, booze and cake!  We both stuffed ourselves sick daintily sampled a variety of the offered treats and declared them to be quite fine.  Some items, like the ice creams, needed to be sampled multiple times to arrive at that conclusion but it's all in a day's work for a food blogger.

Anita (left) and Susan (right) with Chef Jacques Torres

We also both imposed on Chef Torres to pose for photographs.  I have no idea why the photographer (that would be my girl, Susan) caught me not smiling because I was pretty much grinning from ear to ear around this man.  Talent aside, he is one of the warmest, friendliest people I've ever had the pleasure to meet and his perpetual smile makes everything right with the world.

The evening's fun included a gift bag with some of the Jacques Torres chocolates, a well made whisk (can never have too many of those), the recipe for the shortcake, a pound of the plump, juicy Driscoll's berries and a container of the new strawberry ice cream line.  I wish I could say I enjoyed these items but Brian pretty much relieved me of them as soon as he was home and all I saw afterwards were empty containers and a happily smiling man.  Oh, well...

Check out this link to see Driscoll's anatomy of a shortcake and read other fun strawberry facts.  I have a long standing love of shortcake and I made my own, light version, using the beautiful Driscoll's berries in honor of National Strawberry Shortcake Day.  You can see my recipe here and check out Driscoll's on Facebook and Pinterest for more delicious inspiration.