I got to meet Bob Blumer! Omigosh, I’m still so excited!!
Bob Blumer! Sitting right in front of me!!!
Ok, got to control my excitement for now. I was very honored to be invited by Discovery Travel & Living for a cooking workshop with Bob Blumer, celebrity chef/host of Surreal Gourmet and his latest series Glutton for Punishment. The other 40 or so participants were winners of a lucky draw conducted by Discovery Travel & Living. This hands-on workshop was held at At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy at Fort Canning on July 18, 2009 (Saturday) from 7:30pm to 10:30pm.
I took many pics! Feast your eyes!
The participants...
...all eagerly waiting for Bob to appear.
Ready to cook up a storm!
That’s Keropokman and Momo posing for me in the aprons we were given. They are very shy to show their faces, so they asked me to “cut off their heads”, haha!
The lucky draw winners were invited to bring a guest, and at the workshop, had to pair up with another pair of participants to form a team. Keropokman, Momo and I formed a team. We were very lucky to be seated in the front row!
Before Bob appeared, we watched a video presentation for the new season of Glutton for Punishment.
Omigosh! Bob Blumer!
It was such a surreal moment, seeing Bob Blumer in the flesh! I’m a huge fan; I never get tired of watching him on TV (yes, Discovery Travel & Living re-runs his shows very frequently!). So, you can imagine how fast my heart was pounding when he appeared and sat just right in front of me!
Bob demonstrating how to make chicken popsicles.
After sharing with us some funny and fascinating behind-the-scenes moments, Bob demonstrated the first dish of the workshop. We were supposed to do three recipes. I recognize them from the Surreal Gourmet series. The first was Lemon-Glazed Chicken Popsicles.
Bob skewering the chicken popsicles.
Cooking up a storm!
After the first demo, it was our turn to get busy!
Guess who's that happy gal with Bob?
The chicken popsicles, which is actually a fancy version of chicken nuggets, tasted really good! Very easy to make too. Together with the quirky presentation, this will be a wonderful dish for a party!
Our team's coconut shrimp lollipops.
The second dish, Coconut Shrimp Lollipops, looked just as stunning. But grating the fresh coconut was a bit of a pain. We loved the apricot ginger dipping sauce. It’ll go well with other deep-fried foods as well, we think!
Chocolate kiss wontons, ready to be deep-fried.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time for us to do the last item, Chocolate Kiss Wontons. Bob demonstrated it for us. While the participants were busy cooking the shrimp lollipops, the chefs at At-Sunrice wrapped and fried the wontons for us.
Chocolate kiss wonton!
Enjoying the fruits of our labour!
Everyone wants Bob's autograph and a photo with him!
Say, "Popsicle!"
Everyone had a blast! As for me, I had so many questions to ask Bob. But when I saw him, my knees went weak and I couldn’t find my tongue. 
Freebie mug!
At the end of the workshop, everyone got a goodie bag. One of the goodies was this Glutton for Punishment mug!
If you think the first two seasons of Glutton for Punishment were great, then you mustn’t miss the new season. Season 3 promises to be even more riveting! We saw the trailer for the first episode of World Pizza Cup. We were like, “Wow!” And I’m definitely not gonna miss the episode where Bob goes diving to harvest sea urchins. He told us that during an underwater filming scene, he had a near-death experience!
Btw, there are too many pics I took for them all to be posted here, so for the complete album, view my Flickr set.
Other food bloggers who attended this cooking workshop are thebakerwhocooks, Divine Essentials, and Keropokman.
Later today, a few food bloggers and I will be going on a makan tour with Bob. Yay, I can’t wait to see Bob again! Check back for more exciting updates!
Many, many thanks to Stephanie of Discovery Travel & Living, and Rita and Priya of Weber Shandwick for the invitation!
Season 3 of Glutton for Punishment premieres on Thursday, 23 July, 2009 at 10:30pm (Singapore/Hong Kong) on Discovery Travel & Living (Starhub Channel 16).
Hear Julia on radio every Thursday at 11:10am & 12:10pm as she shares a Foodie Lunch Pick on 938LIVE's Lunch Box with hosts Howie Lim and Desmond Wong. 
Wow… Looks like you more than enjoyed the session.
awww looks very fun, sister! can sense yr excitement
he looks quite clean cut huh, unlike his surreal gourmet days where he was always sporting unkept hair hehe. wish i was there!!
That boneless chicken is great for party. I would added a dipping sauce inside the cutout pineapple and also fruits and vegetables on the sticks too. Have you ever heard of watermelon chicken been looking for a recipe of it?
You are the luckiest one of all – you got to go for the workshop AND the food tour!
Oooo looks so much fun…we also won but was not able to attend:( Is this gonna be aired on tv?
wow, you’re one lucky gal! looks like you had fun in the workshop.
yeah cos food tour only got the few of us, so more personal. the workshop got 40 people, wow! I want to read your food tour post!
Yeah, you bet!
Actually, the chicken nuggets were already pretty flavorful with the cheese coating and tangy lemon glaze. But yes, fruit and vegetable on sticks would make a great addition too!
Am afraid I’ve not heard of watermelon chicken. Sounds interesting!
Hey sistah, wish you had been there. Yeah, he told us not to be too disappointed to see his messy top gone, heh! I asked him why he wasn’t in his PJs!
Not able to attend? Why??!!!
No, this workshop wasn’t filmed, so it won’t be aired on tv.
Well, if i could go for only one, I’d choose the tour. Had more chance to get up close and personal with Bob. So, dun worry, you didn’t miss that much.