Taking it to a Whole New Level

I'm The Next Food Network Star! Ok, so maybe I didn't participate in a Top Chef-style reality show, out-shining and out-cooking other contestants to win bragging rights and my own celebrity-chef cooking show, and maybe my blog didn't gain so much over-night popularity that it's being turned into a movie starring Meryl Streep...but I WAS on Food Network's 'Unwrapped' last night! Until my IMDB profile is updated with my professional television acting experience, I'll give you the low-down right here on Loves Food, Loves to Eat!

My dear friend and old college roommate, Bree, is the marketing genius at Seattle's very own DRY Soda Co. DRY Soda is 'a line of all-natural, lightly sweet sodas, flavored with fruit, flower or herb extracts, and sweetened with a small amount of pure cane sugar.' Several months back I received a call from Bree, informing me that Food Network's Unwrapped was going to be filming for an episode about fun drinks...right there at DRY... two blocks down from my office!


My (now ex-coworker) CK and I high-tailed it to the DRY tasting room, where we pretended to randomly stumble in on the taping of a popular Food Network television show (wow! and we just wanted to do a tasting!). We participated in a long, extensive DRY Soda tasting, where we tried all the delicious soda varieties, such as the newly released can't-believe-it's-not-booze juniper berry soda. We also spouted off insightful one-liners and provoking descriptions of the soda, as well as some high-class, pinky-in-the-air styled soda drinking...trying to land a brief cameo on the show...

And land a cameo we did! Not only were we featured several times, tasting and sipping and enjoying (the enjoying part was no act), I was also granted a speaking part in last night's performance. On my favorite television network-right there beside Florence, Flay, and Bourdain, in an ode to Cora, Batali, and Morimoto- I raised my glass of DRY Soda, and made my entrance into the Food Network hall of fame with "It really takes soda to a whole new level!

WHAT!? That's what I said? My big break and I come up with THAT!?! So long Batali, Bourdain, and dreams of grandeur...that cheesy quote is going to get me a seat next to Sandra Lee, Rachel Ray, and Paula Dean.

Oh well, at least I made it on tv. And I got to drink a lot of delicious, subtly sweet, slightly bubbly, and super fun soda.