Eleven food influencers gathered in the National Cattlemen’s Beef Assn. (NCBA) Culinary Center, funded by the beef checkoff, for “Roast & Toast with Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner” to learn how to prepare the perfect roast just in time for the holiday season. Bravo "Top Chef" finalist and winner of Beat Bobby Flay, chef Carrie Baird, was the guest of honor, teaching the influencers how to prepare a flawless roast.

During the event, the attending influencers who are popular with consumers for their food and lifestyle blogs and social media profiles were not only treated to a hands-on beef roast cooking demonstration by Baird but also learned about beef and wine pairings and enjoyed appetizers from the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner recipe collection.

The evening wrapped up with a family-style dinner, allowing for further networking among the influencers and providing time for the influencer team at NCBA, a contractor to the beef checkoff, to further engage with the attendees and discuss all things beef.

Rounding out the event were four cattle producers who provided a unique perspective on beef and the people who raise beef cattle by sharing their stories as beef advocates and offering a personal look into the beef industry.

“Events like Roast & Toast present a great opportunity for cattle producers to interact with chefs and influencers and address common misconceptions about the cattle industry,” said Buck Wehrbein, vice chairman of the NCBA Federation Division. “Food influencers are excited to share the high-quality beef they know and love with their large consumer following but often have questions about where their food comes from. Events like this one help close the knowledge gap and put faces to the farmers and ranchers raising real beef.”

In addition to hosting the Roast & Toast event to inspire influencers and their content, Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner is helping consumers keep beef top of mind this holiday season with the rollout of roast-inspired content. Efforts include a spin on a classic yule log with the "Beef Drool Log," a two-hour video featuring a Prime rib roast cooking to perfection on a rotisserie over an open flame, as well as a “12 Days of Roastmas” series on social media and a Holiday Entertaining recipe collection featured on BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com.