Category Events

Foodies Club Give Back Day @ PAO Cafe

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Come out the PAO Cafe for the Foodies Club at USF Give Back Day on Friday, March 27th, 2015 from 12PM-8PM! We’ll be fundraising for the Foodies Club and a portion of the proceeds will go back to the Foodies Club for future events.

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We’ll be curating a special menu just for the Foodies Club that will showcase different fusion food from around the world.

In addition, there will be an Open Mic @ PAO Cafe from 4PM-8PM! If you have singing talent then sign up! JAMMA will be performing!

Let us know if your org wants to throw its support behind our event!

Tickets will be on-sale for PhilFest 2015! PhilFest is one of the biggest Filipino festivals in the nation and showcases Filipino culture through food, dance, and cultural traditions. Don’t miss it!

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Foodies Club Florida State Fair 2015 Food Thoughts

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We visited the Florida State Fair yesterday and tried a wide-variety of food at various vendors. Everything we tried was great and truly left a great impression. Here are our thoughts:

We started off with the ramen pizza. We will admit that when we first heard of the ramen pizza, we didn’t think it would be incredibly appetizing. Boy were we wrong, the ramen tastes like a delicious portable spaghetti, especially the pepperoni ramen pizza. It was great and presented by Chai Yo Thai Cuisine, based out of Riverview.

Next we tried the Funnel Cake Cheeseburger at The Best Around Concessions. The funnel cake burger features a cheeseburger packed between two funnel cake buns with glazed drizzle on each bun. This burger blew us away and was certainly a contender for the best burger at the Florida State Fair. The buns were perfectly cooked and had a crunch that complemented the meat and toppings inside.

 

The owner of the stand told us customers would constantly ask her to make a funnel cake burger and this year she decided it was time to add it to the menu.

We also sampled the Red Velvet Funnel Cake – another delicious and sweet offering at the fair.

After that, we made our way over to Over The Top Burgers. Over The Top featured the Ramen Burger last year, which was a huge hit at the fair. This year they have a Parmesan-Crusted Burger with a twice-fried burger patty coated with a potato chip/parmesan-romano cheese mixture until crispy.

 

We were big fans of this burger and it was the winner of a contest held by Over The Top for which burger would be their new menu item for 2015.

We also tried the Jalapeno Crusted Burger. The taste of the burger was similar to loaded nacho chips in a burger format.

As if that was not enough, we also tried the doughnut burger with a special mac-and-cheese spread on top of the burger meat. This was seriously some tasty macaroni-and-cheese.

If Over The Top has a chance they should consider entering their mac-and-cheese into the Mayor’s Mac and Cheese Throwdown.

We took a trip over to Polar Bear Ice Cream afterwards. Polar Bear has been at the Florida State Fair for almost 30 years and consistently pumps out great ice cream every year.

Finally, we finished our food journey at The Amish Baking Co. with freshly-baked doughnuts and pretzels. The Amish Baking Co. serves authentic Amish baked goods and can be found at various fairs and festivals.

We also spotted the White Caste Crave Mobile on the way out of the fair.

The last day to visit the Florida State Fair is Monday, February 16th, 2015. Make sure you try some of these awesome food items before they are gone.

BOGO Burritos for Valentine’s Day @ Qdoba Mexican Grill for a Kiss

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Qdoba Mexican Grill is offering customers in Tampa and Orlando an opportunity to get a buy one, get one free (BOGO) Smothered Burrito offer for Valentine’s Day on Saturday, February 14th, 2015. All you have to do is give a kiss or peck to someone in line whether it’s a lover or friend. “We’ve been serving up free burritos on Valentine’s Day for the past few years and are amped to celebrate the day with our fans by bringing back this annual offer,” said David Craven, Vice President of Brand Marketing.

Qdoba will have a new smothered sauce called savory queso, which is “a rich and creamy smother that takes a savory spin on the sauce that started it all”.

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Find a Qdoba Mexican Grill near you.

Florida State Fair 2015 Happening Now – Food Highlights

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The 2015 Florida State Fair is in town. Tickets can be purchased online at http://floridastatefair.webconnex.com/2015floridastatefair. Unlimited ride armbands are available on different days. Check out this page for more details: http://www.floridastatefair.com/events/2014/fair-tickets–armbands. Parking is FREE.

Don’t miss! Tuesday, February 10th: Families Helping Families – $2 Tuesday, Bring 2 items of non-perishable food and get in after 5PM for $2 admission/$2 rides. Ride Armband – Valid only after 3pm, $30 advance purchase, $35 purchased at the gate. Weekday Super Saver Armband – Valid only after 5pm, $20 advance purchase, $25 purchased at the gate. All donated food will go to Feeding America Tampa Bay.

Here are some new things on the food menu this year that we are looking forward to:

Burger of the Gods: A beef patty topped with brie, bacon, and an apple, maple compote on a toasted bun.

Deep Fried Oreo Burger: A beef patty fried on the griddle then dredged through an Oreo cookie batter and deep-fried. Add bacon, glaze, and crumbled Oreos. There’s even an extra Oreo included for dessert!

Holiday Express Burger: Thanksgiving on a bun! A beef patty topped with Havarti cheese, bacon, stuffing, sweet potato fries and a cranberry-orange marmalade sauce on a toasted bun.

Jalapeno Crusted Burger: A twice-fried burger patty coated with a corn chip/jalapeno mix until its crispy. Then topped with shredded Mexican-style cheese (melted with a kitchen torch), guacamole, salsa, and sour cream.

Parmesan Crusted Burger: A twice-fried burger patty coated with a potato chip/parmesan-romano cheese mixture until crispy. Topped with bacon, a mayonnaise-parmesan sauce and torched until melted. Finish with your favorite condiments.

Some other notable food highlights include:

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Cronut™: The bakery sensation that’s been sweeping the country arrives at the Florida State Fair. A light and fluffy hybrid of a doughnut and croissant, which has created lines around New York City and other metros.

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Funnel Cake Cheeseburger: A juicy cheeseburger nestled in between two, crunchy, glazed funnel cakes, topped with bacon, lettuce, tomato, and a pickle.

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Ramen Pizza made with ramen noodles as the crust.

We can’t wait to visit this upcoming week! The Foodies Club will visit the fair this upcoming Friday, but there is no reason to wait. Tuesday you can help support Feeding America Tampa Bay and enjoy some of these foods at the same time.

 

Recap: Burrito Eating Competition + Social with Qdoba Mexican Grill

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The Foodies Club at USF hosted their first burrito eating competition and social at Qdoba Mexican Grill located at 5001 East Fowler Avenue Tampa, FL 33617 from 5:00PM-8:00PM on Tuesday, January 27th, 2015. We would like to thank the people who came out to make this event a success!

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Six teams of four students competed to be eligible to win free burritos for a year*. Free samples of Qdoba’s menu including chips and salsa and quesadillas as well as Qdoba sunglasses were given to spectators at the event who cheered on participants.

The competition was held in relay format and the team with the lowest overall time score won the contest. All contest participants received a free entrée for their next visit to Qdoba Mexican Grill regardless of their placement.

The team times are as follows:

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1st place: Team Jamaican Hopscotch Mafia (Winners of free burritos for a year) 12 minutes 15 seconds 05 milliseconds

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2nd place: Team We Hungry 12 minutes 20 seconds 18 milliseconds

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3rd place: Team Uptown Funk 13 minutes 07 seconds 50 milliseconds

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4th place: Team Diversity from USF International Student Association (ISA) 14 minutes 10 seconds 39 milliseconds

5th place: FARM Squad 5 from USF FARM (Food Activists Revolutionizing Meals) 14 minutes 31 seconds 76 milliseconds

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Team Clean Eating: Timed out

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Team Jamaican Hopscotch claimed the winning prize of free burritos for a year with team members Jowel Antiquino, Matt Newman, Jason Russ, and Corey Atkins. The Foodies Club at USF would like to congratulate these students on their achievement.

*12 entrees per team member

Foodies Club 1st General Body Meeting of Spring 2015

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Hey guys!

Come out to the 1st Foodies Club meeting of the semester on Wednesday, January 21st from 5:30PM-7:15PM in Marshall Student Center Room 3709. We will inform you of our plans for the spring semester and seek some input on what you want to do this year. We will also enjoy FREE food courtesy of sponsors in town.

Make sure you come out and feel free to bring your friends!

-Foodies Club

Continue reading “Foodies Club 1st General Body Meeting of Spring 2015” →

RSVP: Foodies Club at USF Social with ISA @ Naga Tea

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Hey Foodies!

Don’t forget to RSVP to our game night/boba social at Naga Tea for this upcoming Wednesday, January 14th, 2015 from 5:30PM-8:30PM. We will enjoy a game night with the International Student Association (ISA) at USF and sample products from Naga Tea. Naga Tea is a new bubble tea shop located at 10950 N. 56th St. Temple Terrace, FL 33617 that serves fresh, herbal, milk, and fruit teas.

Use #NagaTea for a chance to win a giftcard at our event on Wednesday! Must be present to collect!

Shoot us an e-mail at USFFoodiesClub[at]gmail[dot]com to secure your spot at the event.

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First USF Farmer’s Market of Fall 2014

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Today the Food Activists Revolutionizing Meals (FARM) at USF held their 1st Farmer’s Market of Fall 2014. The Foodies Club helped promote the market because it supports the mission of growing the local food movement at USF Tampa. Local vendors came out and setup their stands along Sessum’s Mall (between Cooper Hall and the Rec Center by Pollo Tropical). The message was fresh and organic.

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We were excited to shop around and check out the vendors for the first market. The FARM Club was selling pumpkins from Bearss Grove for $3 and we couldn’t resist picking one up for some Halloween decorations.

One of the first booths we visited was Lutz Nutz Company which has been in business for over a decade and provided tasty nuts for people to eat. We sampled the Bodacious Blend, a mixture of cashews, almonds, pecans, hazelnuts, shallots, garlic, and spices. It was great! We really liked how Lutz Nutz packages their nuts as well making them perfect for grabbing a gift for a friend or family member. The prices were also very reasonable compared to how much nuts cost at grocery stores.

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After Lutz Nutz, we made our way over to Grandma Grace’s Goodies. This vendor sells various jams, jellies, and salsas and has won awards at both the Florida State Fair and the Annual Strawberry Festival in Plant City.

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There was a wide variety of jams and jellies to choose from, but we leaned towards the Habanero Pepper Jam which is one of Grandma Grace’s award winners. Picturing the jam with cream cheese and crackers or a bagel was too tempting to pass up. The prices were very fair with a small jar at $4.00 and a large jar at $6.00. You can also receive $0.25 back if you return your jar after use. Pretty neat.

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A great eye-catch was these bees at the My Sweet Bees vendor booth. Raw local honey is always awesome to grab for things like fruit and cheese platters (don’t forget nuts as well). The local owner was very kind and allowed us to sample some honey while also showcasing some lotions and skin products that are used with the same local honey.

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We wandered over to Two Seeds in Pod afterward which sells organic heirloom seeds and produce. Free range happy hens were also on-sale.

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Overall, we had a really good time at the 1st USF Farmer’s Market of Fall 2014 and are looking forward to the next ones. The next dates will be 10/21, 11/4, and 11/18 so mark your calendars!

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Foodies Club FIRST Social @ Graffiti Junktion USF

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Graffiti Junktion is a new burger bar that recently opened just minutes from USF on 56th Street. When we first checked it out during their soft opening, we just knew we had to have an event there…our first event for the Foodies Club at USF! The inside of Graffiti Junktion is awesome with designs covering all the walls. Sports fans can also enjoy watching the game on the various TVs spread around the restaurant and bar.

Specializing in burgers with names such as Iron City (Canadian bacon, egg, fries, American cheese, and onions) and Brotherly Love (peppers, onions, mushrooms, and provolone), most burgers are $10-$12 and served with french fries and are made fresh, never frozen. Wraps are also available for meat-conscious diners. Specials are held everyday of the week with Trivia Night Tuesdays and 1/2 off Appetizers Fridays from 4PM-7PM being two things that particularly caught our eyes.

Graffiti Junktion provided our members with complimentary samples of their Brotherly Love and Lone Star burgers, Graffiti wings, Turkey Graffito Wrap, Macho Nachos, and Zucchini Fries. Members were also able to order additional items at a 20% discount during our social. Some of the things members tried included the Buffalo Chicken Tots, Chili Cheese Fries, and Chocolate Cake.

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Our event was held in a private back room that can be rented for private parties or catering functions. Two dart rooms were available for play in the private room and the main stage setup is not too far from it as well. Music can also be played in the room or turned off depending on whether you are having a meeting or social function.

The management and staff were very friendly towards our group and we especially loved our waitress who handled our party that was moving around the room very well and who consistently made sure that we were having a positive experience.

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Our members used the hashtag #BullsLoveGraffiti to promote the event on Twitter and Instagram and to share their photos and feedback. On Twitter our tweets reached 7,167 people and 99,026 Twitter Timelines. See a full Twitter report on Hashtracking. See another report on Keyhole.

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We had a blast Graffiti Junktion USF and our members really enjoyed the food. The proximity of Graffiti to USF makes it a great contender for specials events and the assorted specials make it friendly towards college students. College students can also take comfort in the fact that Graffiti Junktion is open late from Monday-Sunday until 2AM.

Make sure to call ahead to make sure the kitchen is still open if you want to order food as the closing hours in the kitchen vary.

We are truly wishing Graffiti Junktion the best of luck at USF and hope everyone goes out to try them and give them a shot! We will be back soon!

Graffiti Junktion on Urbanspoon

Restaurant Name: Graffiti Junktion USF

Cuisine: American, Burgers

Address: 11401 56th Street Tampa, FL 33617

Phone Number: (813) 983-9000

Website: http://www.graffitijunktion.com/

Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1ue8XW4

3rd Annual Tampa Bay International Curry Festival

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The 3rd Annual Tampa Bay International Curry Festival is coming up this weekend and tickets are on-sale now! Enjoy 2 food-filled events with a pre-festival VIP event on Friday, October 3rd, 2014 starting at 7PM at Marriott Westshore Tampa​ (1001 N WestShore Blvd. Tampa, FL). Dr. Kiran and Dr. Pallavi from Patel Foundation for Global Understanding and Georgetown Wesleyan University, USA (GWUA) will host Friday’s event.

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Tampa Bay’s best Professional and Amateur Curry Festival Food Competition will take place on Saturday, October 4th, 2014 at the Vinoy Park (701 Bayshore Drive NE
St.Petersburg, FL 33701) from 12PM-8PM. Enjoy live music and local entertainment, curry cuisine from around the world, dozens of vendor booths, children’s activities (including bounce houses), and an evening concert.

Chefs participating in the event include Chef Rosni Gurnani (FOX TV’s Hell’s Kitchen, winner of Food Network’s Chopped), Chef Sam Kumar, Chef Gaston, Chef Suman Roy, Chef Andrew Ashmeade, Kash D. Ramnarain, Chef Massimo, Chef Syed Asif Rasheed, Chef Vicky Ratnani, and Chef Jason Peru. Read more information on the chefs: http://www.tbicf.com/site/entertainment-schedule/chefs

The Patel Center for Global Solution and Dr. Kiran Patel are presenting sponsors for the event. Charity Partners include You Inspire, Derek Brooks Charities, Golfers vs. Brain Cancer, Helen Ellis Memorial Foundation, Georgetown Wesleyan University of the Americas (GWUA), and Save Abee, The Children of Tomorrow.

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Win FREE tickets to the Tampa Bay International Curry Festival by entering our giveaway: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/c9f54ff31/

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Event name: Tampa Bay International Curry Festival

Date: October 4th & October 5th, 2014

Buy tickets: http://www.ticketfly.com/search/?q=curry+festival

Website: http://www.tbicf.com/site/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/InternationalCurryFestival