Wrapping up the summer isn’t something to get excited about, (so not ready for colder temps) but spending the day sampling fabulous food and meeting celebrity chef Ingrid Hoffman certainly is. What could be more fun than doing all of my favorite things – eating, drinking and listening to live music?

This pretty much sums up the JCPenney.

An all day festival hosted by Food Network Magazine, the Food Network in Concert was all about bringing together the food and music scene like never before! With a line up like the JCPenney Greatest Hits tasting event, Food Network Stars Sunny Anderson, Anne Burrell, Jose Garces, Alex Guarnaschelli, Jeff Mauro, Marc Murphy,  Geoffrey Zakarian AND seven-time Grammy-winning recording artist, John Mayer & Phillip Phillips in concert- I’d say mission accomplished.

I was thrilled to meet Food Network Star Simplemente Delicioso – a collection of Latin American-inspired cookware and kitchenware tools. I had the opportunity to preview the beautiful collection showcased in JCPenney’s beautiful “rustic urban” style lounge along with JCPenney furniture, chic décor accents and entertainment.

Ingrid graciously gave me an autographed copy of her new cookbook – Latin d’Lite: Delicious Latin Recipes with a Healthy Twist.

JCPenney pulled out all the stops with a venue-wide reception style tasting reception featuring 50 chefs and 100+ wineries serving up their greatest hits. You know how much I love food! One of the highlights of the evening was attending the Blues, Brews & BBQ event – spotlighting some of Chicago’s best BBQ chefs including our fav – Chef Lee Ann Whippen from Chicago q!

Seated family style among strangers who quickly bonded over finger lickin’ BBQ, creative cocktails and live music, it was a magical experience. It was so interesting learning about where everyone was from and why they were there. The couple we shared a table with traveled from Hawaii to attend.

A sincere thanks to JCPenney for hosting us for the day!

Want to know more about Ingrid Hoffman’s Simplemente Delicioso? You can find this colorful, multi-purpose line at JCPenney stores and jcpenney.com.

Disclosure: Sassy Moms in the City was provided complimentary media tickets to Food Network in Concert and autographed book by Ingrid Hoffman. All sassy opinions are 100% honest and our own.