I had the opportunity to travel to Cincinnati with Bayer to participate in the launch of their “Take Care, Now” campaign in collaboration with Kroger and Luke Bryan. Here’s the recap!
Hello hello!
If you follow me on InstagramYou may have seen that I was in Cincinnati last weekend! I traveled there with a sponsorship from Bayer to help launch their “Take Care, Now” campaign that addresses food insecurity in rural areas across the country. The launch began with a press event on Saturday afternoon and ended with a Luke Bryan concert that evening.
You may remember that last fall I went to Minnesota for the Luke Bryan Farm Tour and the show had to be cancelled due to poor weather conditions. That’s why I was thrilled when Bayer reached out to me this time around to do it again!
My role as a dietitian was to prepare an easy, healthy summer recipe using ingredients from the local food bank and fresh ingredients from Kroger so that the media could try it out. I chose my black bean and avocado salad because of its versatility and base of canned beans and corn.
Friday: Trip + Coastal Walk
I had flown there the day before, on Friday. The flights were great and I arrived with plenty of time to walk around downtown Cincinnati. It was my first time in Cincinnati and it was very pretty. It reminded me of Richmond, with the river and the bridges.
The Reds baseball game rocked the coastal area!
Dinner at Metropole
I met the Bayer team in Metropolis for dinner that night. (A late dinner at 8:15pm!) Metropole is in the 21C hotel, which is a chain I have also visited in Durham, NC, so it looked familiar!
We had a few drinks at the bar before our group of 9 was seated in a semi-private room. I had the Hay Fever (a bourbon cocktail with rhubarb bitters) which was fantastic.
The dinner was delicious and I really enjoyed meeting the Bayer team. They flew in from all over. We shared oysters, salads and appetizers to start.
And for dinner I had a halibut covered in breadcrumbs.
I didn’t go to bed until midnight that night!
Breakfast at the Sleepy Bee
I was pretty sleepy from being out late, so I went to Sleepy bee Next door for breakfast.
I sat alone at the bar and had a latte and their famous Bee Cakes.
I then took another walk along the coast before heading to my room to prepare for the press event.
Take care of yourself now
Our group caravanned to the Riverbend Music Center, where the press event would be held following the concert. I arrived at a table filled with ingredients and cooking utensils (but no kitchen!) and got to work making a double batch of the recipe.
I felt a bit like I was on Top Chef having to put together a recipe in record time before the media started arriving!
Luke arrives
The media arrived around 3 and so did Luke Bryan. I heard and recognized his voice before I saw him and tried to stay calm haha. Shortly after the speakers started he made his way over to my table and tried several Bean salad cups! I whispered to him, “Do you like it?” and he nodded enthusiastically and gave me a thumbs up.
Check out some videos at This Instagram post!
We also heard from Ohio’s governor and first lady, along with leaders from Bayer, Kroger and Feeding America, who are part of this initiative. More than 44 million people in the U.S. face food insecurity, including 13 million children.he “Take care of yourself now” The campaign has the potential to reach 200 food banks and more than 60,000 partner agencies, food pantries, and meal programs, positively impacting thousands of people in rural America. To raise awareness about “hidden hunger” and promote solutions, the campaign will stop at several events, including the Luke Bryan Farm Tour concert series. (This year, it’s coming to Virginia and North Carolina!)
Luke Bryan Concert
After the press event, we had a break and then a buffet dinner.
They gave me a Luke cap which they also autographed for me!
After dinner, we walked to the concert to meet Luke privately. His tour bus has a front porch 😉
We had a beautiful view of the river where we were awaiting Luke’s arrival.
I was thinking all day about something witty to say to him and the only thing I could come up with at the time was, “I made that bean salad you liked. And I’m a huge fan.” Haha! Luke is my favorite country star and I love a lot of his songs (“Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye” is my favorite).
We enjoyed the concert on a perfect night.
I think this was my fourth Luke Bryan concert. See you next time!
Day trip home
I was up until 1am tonight and had to leave for the airport at 8. Unfortunately I’m not someone who can sleep on planes! Especially since my flights were so short haha. I was able to use my Capital One Venture X Card and its associated Priority Pass membership to enter THREE different lounges on my trips. So much money saved on food and coffee at the airport!
And speaking of travel cards, if you’re looking for a new one, the Capital One Venture We just launched a new promotion where you’ll receive 75,000 points AND $250 travel credit after you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months. If you’re in the market for a new travel card, this is a great option! The annual fee is just $95 and you’ll also receive up to $100 credit toward your Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee.
Thanks to Bayer for sending me on this trip and for the opportunity to meet Luke!
