Today I’m celebrating seven years of writing Gourmet Gab! It is so amazing to look back on the journey, read old posts, watch some of my first videos and think about how far the blog has come. Thank you for being a part of this journey with me! To celebrate all things Gourmet Gab, my best friends in Indianapolis threw me a surprise party a few weeks ago. You might have seen the Instagram Story video, but I was completely caught off guard because I thought we were going to a Friday night barbecue! I walked into my friends’ house and saw the Gourmet Gab lemon everywhere, big gold balloons, and everyone anticipating my arrival as I walked up the stairs. This surprise party was such a sweet send off as I moved from Indianapolis to Phoenix last week as I am prepping for my next adventure (more details to come, I promise!).

Each of my friends brought a Gourmet Gab recipe to the party and it was honestly the most amazing feeling to see all my dishes brought to life by my friends! My friend Kira even did little calligraphy signs for each of the dishes with the date that the blog post was published.

Israeli cous cous salad with orange, dried cherries, cucumber and feta is one of my favorites.

This bruschetta is such an easy entertaining snack! It’s sweet, savory and crunchy.

My friend Marlee dug way into the archives of Gourmet Gab from 2012 and found my favorite macaroni and cheese!

We ended the night with individual s’mores burritos and they were such a hit! It is so fun to watch them cook in the microwave.

I love these healthy carrot cake cookies and when my friend made them in a bite size version, I think they were even cuter!

I was having so much fun throughout the night that I feel like I barely took any photos – the sign of a great night, right? – but here are some snapshots of the party, even though they’re a little blurry. My friends went literally all out with the theme and the details. Lemons everyone, lots of Prosecco to pop, ingredients to make the Aperol Spritz drink I’m obsessed with this summer and more. As you can see, I was literally all smiles!

Molly is the queen of the soft smile, and I can literally never pull it off. I love this photo because it 100% captures our personalities.

Props are a must in photos…especially when they matched Kira’s dress perfectly!

I’ve known Elizabeth since I met her when I was a sophomore in college. Our friendship has grown so much ever since!

Sean is like a big brother I always wanted! King of the grill, the biggest Cubs and Mizzou fan I know, and my go-to person for an honest opinion.

I didn’t get photos individually with everyone, but below is the iPhone self-timer photo we got to snap! I just love it so much, especially since my friend Marlee’s puppy Charleston made it into the photo. I am so grateful for these friends who have become my Indy fam over the last few years. Like you all, they have been so supportive of my Gourmet Gab endeavors. They let me film videos in their houses, gave me recipe feedback, participated in photoshoots and listened to me film a lot of Instagram Stories and Snapchats talking to the camera. Hah!

The last seven years of Gourmet Gab have been such an amazing journey and I can’t wait to see where the next seven take me! Cheers to lots of great food, fun travel and adventures, meeting new people and cooking together. Thank you again for being a part of this Gourmet Gab community!

Love food. Love self. Love life.
Gabriela