Oh, what a night! Taking a moment to share and re-live the launch party for The Ultimate Guide to Keto Baking. So much fun!

What do you do after you write your magnum opus? You throw yourself a big old party to celebrate, that’s what you do!

And so on January 25th, I hosted a big keto gathering here in Portland, and was absolutely thrilled with the turnout. What a fabulous evening of keto desserts, sugar-free cocktails, and fun raffle prizes. It was truly a joy to meet and greet, chat and eat with so many wonderful keto friends.

And I couldn’t have pulled it off without the help of so many wonderful people. Big shout outs to Bob’s Red Mill, Swerve Sweetener, and Victory Belt Publishing for all their help.

But the people I really need to thank are you, my readers. This simply would not be possible without your support for The Ultimate Guide to Keto Baking. It’s already been a #1 Best Seller several times over, and I am ever so grateful.

The Eats

Many thanks to Chef’s Table Catering for being willing to make six of my dessert recipes from the book itself. We had a lovely selection of bite sized treats, including:

• Classic Lemon Bars
• Coconut Macaroons (some plain, some dipped in chocolate!)
• Ricotta Cheesecake
• Dairy-Free Peppermint Patty Brownies
• Mini Vanilla Cupcakes
• Pecan Snowballs

I have to admit, I was so busy chatting with everyone, I barely got a chance to taste things. But the treats got rave reviews and I did manage to wolf down at least 2 of the brownies. They were fabulous!

The Drinks

It’s not a cocktail party without cocktails! Or wine, for that matter.

From the moment I conceived of this party, I knew I wanted a signature keto cocktail from none other than the crazy duo behind Boozy Ketones. I had the pleasure of meeting these two lovely ladies back in June last year and I instantly fell in love. They are both smart, funny, and a little crazy, but also two of the warmest and sweetest people you could ever hope to meet.

So I invited them to join us as special guest stars, and they created The Daydreamer cocktail for the event, a sparkly grapefruit tequila concoction.

A special shout out to Secco Wine Club for providing us with their fabulous PALO61 wines. The best low carb, low sugar wines out there, in my opinion.

And Kyla Hard Kombucha came in from Hood River to give out samples. Their drinks are deliciously refreshing and only 2g carbs per can. I love to use them as a mixer in other keto cocktails.

The Peeps

You can’t have a party without people! When I first announced the party, I worried no one would come. But it ended up being a sold out event and I had numerous people asking if they could be on a waitlist. There were over 150 attendees.

I charged nominally for tickets only so we could have an accurate headcount, and all proceeds will be donated to Let Me Be 83, a keto-friendly diabetes non-profit.

And it wasn’t just Portland locals who came – we had people from Washington, California, Idaho, and Utah. And one woman flew in from Minneapolis, and another from New York City. I never imagined my book and my recipes would be such a draw. It was an absolute honor to meet everyone and to have you there.

A special shout out to some of our local groups, like the Portland Keto Meet Up group and the Oregon Physician’s Moms Group. It was so great to hang out with you all again. And thanks to my awesome volunteers who kept things running smoothly for check in and check out.

The contributors

While much of this event was out of my own pocket (or rather, was sponsored by All Day I Dream About Food LLC!), I have some wonderful sponsors and contributors to thank as well.

Sadly, the marketing manager from Bob’s Red Mill, who I consider a friend, was ill the day of the party and couldn’t make it. But Bob’s was the headlining sponsor of the party, and was featured heavily in all the desserts of the evening.

I was absolutely delighted that so many of the Swerve Sweetener team came out from New Orleans. As I make abundantly clear, Swerve is my favorite keto sweetener, not just because I think it’s an exceptional product, but because the people who work there are awesome. It’s a small company that truly cares about the keto community, and I am fortunate to count them among my friends.

Other brands I must thank for their wonderful contributions to the raffle prizes and/or the VIP Swag Bags:

• Lily’s Chocolate
• Rebel Creamery
• Good Dee’s
• ChocZero
• Cabot Creamery Co-operative
• HighKey Snacks
• Primal Kitchen
• Legendary Foods
• The Sprinkle Company

My support team

The biggest shout out of the evening goes, of course, to my husband Tim. He’s seen me though thick and thin, and all the ups and downs of writing a cookbook and throwing a big party.

He’s the tall dude next to me. Yes, we are a wee bit mismatched but we make it work. The funny part is that he doesn’t even read my blog, so he won’t see this. But I am putting it out into the universe: Thank you, Tim, for everything.

And to three of my dearest friends in the world, and my running buddies, Emily, Kachina, and Mindee. Your support and friendship over the last 5 years has enriched my life in ways you can’t even imagine.

A few final thank you to my event awesome planner, Misty of Luxe Designs, and the The Evergreen for a beautiful and elegant venue.

Let’s do it again sometime?

Readers, I would love to do something like this again, perhaps in a different locale. I never tire of meeting people who love my recipes and who want to talk about all the ways that keto has made a difference in their lives.

You have all made a tremendous difference in my life, and I thank you for that.