My Favorite Bites at Jubilee 2025 🍒💣
Everything I consumed (plus what I wore) at Cherry Bombe Jubilee in NYC.
Happy Saturday! It’s hard to believe it’s already been a week since I was at the Glasshouse in New York for my first Cherry Bombe Jubilee. After a few days of recuperating, I’m excited to share my highlights and answer questions. (I got lots of DMs!)
First, you may be wondering, what is Cherry Bombe Jubilee, and why was I there?
Cherry Bombe is a media company founded by Kerry Diamond that celebrates women and creatives in the world of food and drink through its podcasts, quarterly print magazine, and events, like the Jubilee conference.
As the herstory goes, Jubilee started in 2014—and this part gives me goosebumps—in response to an Eater article by Hillary Dixler Canavan. Titled “By the Numbers: Women and the Food Events Circuit,” the data-driven reporting clearly illustrates the lack of representation for female chefs in the media.
More than a decade later, it’s amazing to see how much has changed. As expected, the day flew by quickly with so much inspiration everywhere I looked. There were 1,000 people in attendance (!!) and an incredible lineup of speakers and vendors. At the same time, we are living in a political era in America that feels like we’re moving backwards.
With all this in mind, I bought my ticket to attend Cherry Bombe Jubilee on New Year’s Eve. This was partly intention setting, as I thought about resolutions and how I want to grow my business as a female freelance writer working across many lifestyle spaces, including food and drink. But mostly I just wanted to be in this space, surrounded by a community of like-minded people who are passionate about the same things, from butter to reproductive rights.
What food celebrities did I see at Jubilee?
Beyond coming together to yap, eat good food and take cool Instagram photos, the intentional programming at Jubilee is designed to share industry knowledge and find ways to work together and use our talents to make the world a little better, however we can.
That included hearing from the leaders of the Independent Restaurant Coalition (IRC), a US trade group formed during the COVID-19 pandemic to successfully lobby local, state and federal governments for relief after their businesses were closed by government mandates to slow the spread of the virus.
During their panel discussion titled, “Beyond the Pass: Turning Passion into Policy & Power,” IRC co-founder Caroline Styne (also a co-owner of A.O.C., Caldo Verde and Cara Cara in Los Angeles, California) spoke with fellow entrepreneurs, Cheetie Kumar (chef and owner of Ajja in Raleigh, North Carolina), Sarah Grueneberc, (chef and partner of Monteverde in Chicago, Illinois) and Stella Dennig (co-owner of Day Trip Counter in Oakland, California) about the critical issues IRC is continuing to address today.
The inspiration didn’t stop there. For example, Paola Velez, author of “Bodega Bakes: Recipes for Sweets and Treats Inspired by My Corner Store,” spoke about how she has used the power of the neighborhood bake sale to fight racism and provide menstrual products to young women in need.
Eden Grinshpan got the crowd grooving. Lana Lagomarsini’s mega-watt smile lit up the room. Chrissy Tracey dropped some serious wisdom about the healing power of nature.
(By the way, if you’re in New York, go check out Chrissy’s seasonal supper club happening May 1, at the super-chic Apt. 5, which happens to be owned by one of my high-school besties, Anna Bazhenova. After Jubilee wrapped, I had a chance to visit Apt. 5, and I can’t recommend it—or the mole nachos—enough!)
In general, at Jubilee, it’s also just wild to see bona fide celebs like the Maher sisters (the current Cherry Bombe cover gals!) or the Substack queen herself, , mingling around the conference floor.
I probably fangirled hardest over Padma Lakshmi, who, along with her daughter Krishna, introduced the keynote speaker, the one-and-only GLORIA STEINEM, in conversation with her longtime collaborator Amy Richards.
At 91 years old, Ms. Steinem is still a force and shared her lovely wisdom about the power of community. Just listening to her, alone, made me feel like the $385 cost of admission was worth every penny. (She also emphatically told everyone to dance more! 💃💃)
All in all, the day was full of joy, but also very overwhelming for an introvert-leaning Jubilee rookie like me. While there is only one main stage, so that attendees don’t have to choose between speakers, there is also one main area of vendors/bars/hangout space. There were—and I can’t emphasize this enough—so, so, so many cool people and brands there, that it’s impossible to see everything.
I’m grateful to the kind people I did get to spontaneously connect with and have a brief but still meaningful conversation, even if it was while waiting in line for the bathroom. There were, of course, plenty of fellow creatives—for example, I met a talented food stylist, photographer and baker—and there were also plenty of women who work in IT or accounting and love food. Jubilee is a place where all are welcome—and it’s just not for women!
One of the most fun speakers of the day was Woldy Reyes, who recently published “In the Kusina: My Seasonal Filipino Cooking,” a beautiful story told through a collection of vibrant, vegetable-forward recipes and his distinct lens as a queer Filipino American.
Finally, what were the best things I ate and drank at Cherry Bombe Jubilee?
For a conference about women in food, you know the snacks and drinks are going to be bar-none.
In the days leading up to Jubilee, the Cherry Bombe team made sure all attendees knew what to expect. They shared the menu and a map of where all the vendors would be set up inside the Glasshouse. There was even a pre-game Zoom call to give folks a lay of the land before they showed up.
I’ll admit: I probably should have paid more attention. LOL. If you *really* want to make the most of every minute and hit your favorite brands or try the most-compelling bites, you’ll need a game plan.
That said, for a newbie who was winging it solo, I still had so much fun roaming the floor and didn’t leave hungry.
Here’s a quick list of my favorite flavors from Cherry Bombe Jubilee 2025. Feel free to screenshot and reference this when building your next grocery list.
- Kerrygold’s Blue Cashel Cheese in The Butter Club™️. If you regularly listen to the Cherry Bombe podcast, you know Kerry touts this cheese as her favorite of all Kerrygold’s Irish-made dairy products. After finally getting a taste (I’ve never seen it in stores!), I know why. Overall, the entire Kerrygold spread didn’t disappoint.
While in the club, I snagged some Butter Club socks (yay!) and also loved the Olive & Aged Cheddar Puffs from Jessie Sheehan. I absolutely will be replicating those for future holiday hostings.
- Mazzah! Founded by sisters Yasameen and Sheilla Sajady, first-generation Afghan Americans, who were inspired by the flavors of their Mom’s kitchen, this cool brand showed up and showed out at Jubilee—both in terms of their awesome display and merch as well as the flavors. I sampled all three of their magical lentil dips (Basil Jalepeno, Lemon Tahini and Roasted Red Pepper) along with the Cilantro Chutney sauce, and will be 100% adding these to my shopping cart next time I see them in Whole Foods.
- Chutni Punch! During one of the snack breaks, I got a minute to meet Chutni Punch founder, Sahithya Wintrich, who was slinging plates of rice and lentils topped with her three different seasoning powders: Spicy Peanut, Super Sesame and Savory Chana. Simply put, I’m obssessed. I brought home a jar of the sesame seasoning, and can’t wait to experiment with this in my own kitchen.
- Cheerie Lane Popcorn. Thanks to the buttery smell alone, this vendor drew a steady line of people eager for samples, complete with a toppings station. A new take on popcorn, this brand sells ready-to-pop pods made with heirloom corn kernels in a cacao butter base. The result is kind of mindblowing—and paired perfectly with a refreshing paloma from 21 Seeds. As someone who doesn’t own a microwave and is in a serious relationship with popcorn, I’m tempted to join their Popcorn of the Month Club. Their sets sold with cheery striped tins would make great gifts, too.
- Boss Molly Bourbon. There was no shortage of delicious coffee, wine, cocktails, and non-alcoholic beverages at Jubilee. However, if you know me, you know I had to beeline over to the female-founded Boss Molly Bourbon. This is a new-to-me brand, and I’m excited to follow their journey. There’s so much room for more women in the modern whiskey world.
(And the list goes on, but I only have so much room in this Substack post.)
Last, but certainly not least, what did I wear?
Hands down, one of the best parts of Jubilee is all the foodie fashion.
When deciding what to wear, I turned to my friends at Boden, who generously gifted me a few apropos options.
I knew I wanted to wear Boden for a few reasons. First, I love this brand’s bright, happy hue and fun patterns. Wearing colorful clothes I love in a networking setting is a mood-booster, giving me confidence to show up boldly (something that doesn’t always come naturally to my introverted writer self). I’m also grateful for Boden’s size inclusivity, so I don’t have to worry if the clothes will fit comfortably. And it certainly helps that Boden has lots of cherry-themed clothes, making it a long-time favorite of the Cherry Bombe team. (The brand’s founder, Johnnie Boden, has even been a past guest on their pod.)
The only problem was that when I arrived in New York, the weather turned unseasonably cold for April. Considering the low temperatures and rainy forecast, and the fact that I was planning to walk the 2 miles from my room at The Hotel Chelsea to the Glasshouse.
So, at the last minute, I had to pivot away from my top contenders—a tie between the Tie Belt Sateen Midi Skirt paired with the Sienna Cotton Shirt in Cherry Cascade, or the Bria Embroidered Midi Dress. Instead, I layered the Sienna Shirt under a sleeveless denim jumpsuit, laced up my Nike Air Max sneaks and bundled up with Donna cord blazer and a pink sweater tied around my neck as a scarf. The marvelous doormen at The Chelsea Hotel loaned me an umbrella for the walk, and I didn’t even mind that it was rainy and cold as I made my way along the High Line. Walking in New York is such a treat for the senses.
If you’re interested in seeing more cherry-inspired looks from Boden, I have linked a few of my favorites—plus other pieces I packed for NYC—in my ShopMy closet.
Want to attend Jubilee or other Cherry Bomb events in the future?
Three little words: JUST DO IT!!!!!!! While there was a strong cohort of women from Atlanta (shoutout to the lovely photographer Kate Bholm and one of my editors at Eater, Henna Bakshi), to my knowledge, I was the only attendee present from Savannah.
I would love to go back and see more familiar faces who represent coastal Georgia.
If you have more questions about my experience at Jubilee, drop them in the comments section. The next one is taking place this Sept. 26-29 in Los Angeles, California.
And even if you can’t make Jubilee, you can still be part of the Cherry Bombe community. Check out the free podcasts or buy a magazine to fill up on plenty of inspiration from strong women in the world of food.
Some of my favorite recent podcast episodes have included guests like Laurie Woolever, Anthony Bourdain’s right-hand woman and co-author, whose own memoir, Care and Feeding, I could barely put down. I also loved stepping into the world of Laura Lendrum’s Printemps or Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse—places I’ve never been in person, but now intimately know thanks to Kerry’s thought-provoking conversations.
If you’re looking for which podcast to start with first, however, I recommend the episode featuring Asma Khan, the chef and owner of London’s Darjeeling Express, who also appeared on the Jubilee 2025 stage.
Hearing the stories of Khan’s life and career firsthand, and getting a taste of her strength, fortitude and creative genius—lessons I can carry with me into my own life and work— is to me what Cherry Bombe is truly all about.
After Time published its male-centric "Gods of Food" issue last week, many people in the restaurant industry have spoken up about the media's gender bias against female chefs.
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