If you didn’t know this about me, I love food.

This week, I wanted to take a minute to showcase some of my favorite foods made by UVM alums. Alums own tons of businesses in Vermont and around the world and here are 9 of my favorite ways to Eat UVM.

As an added bonus, at the end of the post, enter our raffle to win this care package of UVM food goodies (and I don’t mean stuff from Brennan’s).

Here are 9 of my favorite ways to Eat UVM.

1. Polar Seltzer – Look, it’s not what you expected, in fact, how many of you knew that Polar Seltzer, the greatest of the seltzers by far (tsk tsk La Croix), was owned by a UVM family? I didn’t either until this year, but now that I know, I will continue to be a huge advocate.

From their classic flavors to seasonal standouts, drinking Polar has become a constant in my daily life. Personal favorite flavors – Raspberry Lime, Black Cherry and Ruby Red Grapefruit.

2. Lake Champlain Chocolates – Pretty much perfect chocolate, LCC helped me understand the nuances of dark chocolate compared to the overly creamy milk. However, just when I started substituting my ice cream habit for chocolate squares, I tried their ice cream on Church Street, and uh…yeah, it’s really good too.

LCC totally satisfies my sweet tooth and is one of my faves for sure. Try all their different products! Great gift for the chocolate lovers in your life (aka me – I’m accepting LCC gifts)

3. Bluebird BBQ – At first I was skeptical, pretending to know what real BBQ was supposed to taste like, wondering if Bluebird had the goods. The answer is yes.

Delicious meats and sides for days. Not really vegetarian friendly of course but definitely good for us Ron Swanson types. Hint: use all the sauces. I’ll take a family meal for one please!

4. My Little Cupcake – I bet you know all about these. So many flavors, so little time. Grab a dozen and sift through all the fun. What a great idea, all the deliciousness of a regular cupcake but in a portion size that makes sense.

5. Dakin Farms – Here is the Vermont experience all in one place, get everything you need (meats, cheese, jams, maple products etc) and have a picnic after your hike.

6. Bove’s – Sadly, Bove’s is no longer open downtown, but the classic sauce (and meatballs) remain sold in stores all throughout Vermont. Be sure to pick some up for your next pasta dinner and experience the reason why Bove’s stayed open for generations!

7. Champlain Orchards – Who doesn’t love apples? Enough said.

8. Jasper Hill Farm Cheese – Seriously, don’t miss this cheese. Rated as some of the best in the country, Jasper Hill does not disappoint. Honestly, cheese is probably one of my favorite foods, so I saved this one for last.

I wish we could ship you a whole wheel, but we will have to settle for a smaller portion.

9. Adult Beverages. You might be wondering, what about the all breweries, wineries, cideries, and distilleries? Well, there are too many to list here, but here’s a short list of my favorites: the Alchemist Brewery, Lawson’s Finest Liquids, Queen City Brewery, Trout River Brewery, Snow Farm Vineyard, and Fresh Tracks Farm & Winery.

Just in case you forgot — enter the giveaway to win the Eat UVM care package:

(Unfortunately, no liquids or cupcakes in the care package — you definitely don’t want to receive a ready-to-explode can of seltzer or smooshed cupcake in the mail)