Fresh Air Retreat Palm Springs

The Fresh Air Retreat in Palm Springs was such an inspiring and rejuvenating experience. Surrounded by stunning desert views and filled with energizing conversations and delicious food, I left the retreat with a heart full of gratitude and a notebook brimming with new ideas.

Why I Attended the Fresh Air Retreat

It’s been one of my goals this year to get out of my comfort zone and connect with other food bloggers. I learn so much from them and I always leave any retreat or conference refreshed and inspired to try new things.

I knew that a few days with some bloggers I look up to would be just what I needed heading into Q4 to learn and grow. The Fresh Air Retreated was just what I needed to meet my goals and finish the year strong! We’re a few months out and I still text with these ladies daily, which makes the value of this retreat go far beyond just the few days we spend in sessions. Bonus that I’m also in talks with some of the brands I met there!

During the retreat, I found myself deeply moved by the kindness and support of everyone and their willingness to share their knowledge and resources.

And what I wasn’t expecting but would for sure go back again for: the attention to detail, the amazing food, the laughs, the friendships, and just the overall ✨vibes✨.

Sponsors Who Made it All Happen

The Fresh Air Retreat was made possible by some amazing sponsors, whose generosity and support made the experience truly memorable:

• Happy Egg Co.: They are committed to creating a happy, healthy environment for their hens, which results in high-quality eggs. We enjoyed their delicious eggs during breakfast, and it was a joy to connect with their team.
• California Walnuts:  We learned all about harvesting walnuts and the many different ways to use walnuts for the holidays instead of just in baking. I was so inspired I put them in my pumpkin and feta salad this year!  
• Onions 52: We go to try the Smiley’s tearless onions and they were incredible! They’re completely TEARLESS and have a mild and sweet flavor. They’ve spent 3 decades of farming creating this special tearless onion, but they also have yellow red and white onions. I love they they also focus on sustainable farming practices. I’ll be using them in all my Thanksgiving recipes.
• Albertsons: They kept us well-fed, especially with their exclusive Signature Select brand, which provided an amazing range of tasty, high-value products.
• Visit Greater Palm Springs: They hosted a memorable dinner offsite, and the meal was outstanding, especially the ravioli! This was one of my favorite meals of the trip.
• Grocers List: Ben from Grocers List is a genius and he’s creating products specifically for food bloggers. I’ve grown my email list by almost 10k in the short 2 months I’ve been using it. He’s also coming out with some amazing affiliate products for deep linking!
• California Dates: Our date tasting was so fun and eye-opening. They set up a “date flight” for us, and I was amazed by the variety in flavor and texture. It’s sparked a new obsession—I couldn’t wait to try the viral butter-stuffed dates as soon as I got home!

The Hosts and Other Bloggers

The retreat wouldn’t have been possible without our wonderful hosts:

• Liz from The Lemon Bowl: Liz has been organizing these retreats for years, and her passion and attention to detail shines through. She brings the perfect blend of warmth and efficiency, making sure everything flows seamlessly. She thought of every detail, even making sure candles were burning at all time for a cozy aroma. Her website focuses on Lebanese recipes and her classic hummus is the best!
• Lauren from The Curious Plate: Lauren’s creativity and love for food blogging brought a unique energy to the event and her sense of humor had me LOLing. She also created stunning tablescapes that blew me away each time we gathered.
• Chef Trimell: Our in-house chef for the retreat was an unexpected treat that really made the trip for me. I learned so much about techniques and knife skills while I was watching him, which was such a bonus. His approach to food really inspired me!
• Jean from What Great Grandma Ate: She focuses on real food recipes and loves sharing food for her toddlers. The way she creates Instagram reels is unmatched!
• Ansley from The Fit Peach: she focuses on healthy recipes and loves making desserts and meals approachable for her family. She’s also a whiz at accounting!
• Jordan from JZ Eats: we met in the spring and I couldn’t wait to spend more time together talking all things food blogging. She is such a joy to be around and knows food and ingredients so well. I love her approach to recipes and passion for this job! Her oven baked chicken tenders are a staple at my house for lunches.
• Shelly from Cookies and Cups: aside from having the best fashion sense EVER, she’s a gem and super smart when it comes to building a business that spans decades. She’s your go to for all things baking!
• Christina from Dessert for Two: she specializes in small batch desserts and recipes. She left me with so many nuggets of information that I’ll remember forever.
• Sarah from Live Eat Learn: she a wizard at all things vegetarian and is the queen of chickpea recipes. We got the chance to room together and I loved getting to know here and bonding over Taylor Swift.
• Lexi from Lexi’s Clean Kitchen: I’ve admired Lexi and her work for YEARS and I was so excited to meet her in real life. She’s a gem of a person and full of years and years of brilliant information.

Day 1: Welcome Dinner

We arrived in sunny Palm Springs (it was 112 degrees!) and settled into our stunning accommodations, which featured a large pool and sweeping desert views. After a welcome happy hour, we enjoyed a delicious dinner by our chef, followed by a relaxed evening with s’mores—a perfect kickoff to the retreat.

Day 2: Connecting, Onion Cutting Demo, and A Night Out

The day started with a delicious breakfast featuring Happy Egg Co. eggs, and we dove into a meaningful conversation with their representatives about working with brands and influencers. Later, we had a roundtable discussion with Ben from Grocers List about automating Instagram DMs, which was eye-opening. The problem-solving lightning round was a highlight; each of us presented a business challenge, and everyone else had two minutes to offer solutions. It was amazing to leave with so many fresh ideas!

We also had an amazing lunch and learn with the Onions52 team. We had a onion cutting demo with Chef Tremell and got to experience first hand how their Smiley’s onions are completely tearless. So cool! We finished it off with a lunch tasting, where the chef even incorporated their sweet tearless onions into a dessert!

In the evening, we were treated to a fantastic dinner hosted by Visit Greater Palm Springs at a local restaurant, with the standout dish being their incredible ravioli.

Day 3 Recap: More Connections and Delicious Food

We started Day 3 with another delicious breakfast, courtesy of Albertsons. Throughout the morning, we shared our business goals and challenges in a final roundtable. After lunch, we enjoyed a fun date tasting with Natural Delights. They even provided a flight of different dates—such a fun idea!

Our retreat wrapped up with an unforgettable mocktail and spiced walnut demo with California Walnuts (I so many ideas for the holidays coming up!), followed by an amazing multi-course dinner from Chef Trimell, each course playfully paired with Drake’s music.

My Key Takeaways

I arrived hoping to gain professional insights, but I left with that and so much more. The friendships, support, and collaborative spirit at the retreat left me with a renewed sense of community and purpose. Here are some things I learned!

• The bloggers in this community are amazing, brilliant, and generous
• I need to get help with my SEO!
• Affiliate content is an area I can really grow in.
• I am in fact an enneagram 2 and not a 3:)
• I need to work on streamlining my processes.
• Double down on the things I’m good at and enjoy.
• What motivates me and my understanding my goals.
• All the awesome tools and resources everyone else is using.
• Tricks for editing Instagram reels.

#FreshAirRetreat!