Cincinnati with Luke Bryan and Bayer

I had the chance to travel to Cincinnati with Bayer to be a part of their “Take Care, Now” campaign launch in collaboration with Kroger and Luke Bryan. Here’s the recap! 

Hello, hello!

If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen that I was in Cincinnati last weekend! I traveled there sponsored by Bayer to help launch their “Take Care, Now” campaign that addresses food insecurity in rural areas across the country. The kickoff began with a press event on Saturday afternoon and ended with a Luke Bryan concert that night! 

You might remember that I went to Minnesota last fall for the Luke Bryan Farm Tour and that show had to be cancelled due to poor weather conditions. So I was thrilled when Bayer reached out to me this time for a re-do! 

My role as an RD was to prepare an easy, healthy summer recipe using ingredients from the local food bank and fresh summer ingredients from Kroger for the media to sample. I chose my Black Bean + Avocado Salad for its versatility and base of canned beans and corn. 

Friday: Travel + Waterfront Walk

I flew down the day before on Friday. My flights went great, and I arrived with plenty of time to walk around the Cincinnati downtown. This was my first time to Cincinnati, and it was very pretty! It reminded me of Richmond with the river and bridges. 

The Reds baseball game had the waterfront area a buzz! 

Dinner at Metropole

I met the Bayer team at Metropole for dinner that night. (A late 8:15pm dinner!) Metropole is in the 21C hotel, which is a chain that I’ve visited in Durham, NC too, so I was familiar! 

We had 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) that was fantastic. 

The dinner was delish, and I enjoyed getting to know the Bayer crew! They flew in from all over. We shared oysters, salads, and apps to start. 

And I had a breadcrumb-topped halibut for my dinner. 

I didn’t get to bed that night until midnight! 

Breakfast at the Sleepy Bee

I was quite sleepy from being out late, so I took myself to Sleepy Bee next door for breakfast.

I sat solo at the bar and got a latte and their famous Bee Cakes!

Afterwards I did another waterfront walk before heading up to my room to get ready for the press event. 

Take Care, Now

Our group caravanned over to Riverbend Music Center where the press event was being held followed by the concert. I arrived to a table filled with ingredients and kitchen utensils (but no kitchen!) and got to work making a double batch of the recipe. 

I felt a little like I was on Top Chef having to put together a recipe in record time before the media started to arrive! 

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 cool haha. Shortly after the speakers began, he made his way over to my table and sampled several bean salad cups! I whispered to him “Do you like it” and he nodded an enthusiastic “yes!” with a thumbs up.  

Check out some videos in this Instagram post!

We also heard from the Governor and First Lady of Ohio along with leadership from Bayer, Kroger, and Feeding America who are all a part of this initiative. Over 44 million people in the U.S. are facing food insecurity, including 13 million children. The “Take Care, Now” campaign has the potential to reach 200 food banks and over 60,000 partner agencies, food pantries and meal programs which positively impacts thousands of people across rural America. To raise awareness of “hidden hunger” and promote solutions, the campaign will stop at various events including the Luke Bryan Farm Tour concert series. (Coming to Virginia and NC this year!)

Luke Bryan Concert

After the press event concluded, we had a break and then a buffet dinner.

I was gifted a Luke hat that I also got autographed! 

After dinner, we walked over to the concert for a private meet & greet with Luke. His tour bus has a front porch 😉 

We had a beautiful riverview where we waited for Luke’s arrival. 

I thought all day of something clever I could say to him and all I came up with on the spot was “I made the bean salad you liked. And I’m a huge fan.” Haha! Luke is my favorite country star, and I love so many of his songs (“Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye” is my favorite!) 

We enjoyed the concert on a perfect evening. 

I think this was my fourth Luke Bryan concert. Until next time!

Travel Day Home

I was up until 1am this night and had to leave for the airport at 8. Unfortunately I’m not someone who can sleep on planes! Especially because my flights were so short haha. I was able to use my Capital One Venture X card and its connected Priority Pass membership to get into THREE different lounges on my travels. So much money saved in airport food and coffee! 

And speaking of travel cards, if you’re looking for a new one, the Capital One Venture just launching a new promo where you get 75,000 points AND a $250 travel credit after you spend $4,000 in your first 3 months. If you’re looking for a new travel card, this one is good! The annual fee is only $95 and you’ll also receive up to $100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.

Thanks to Bayer for sending me on this trip and for the opportunity to meet Luke!