Hello all it is me Sophie 🙂
So now you know what I look like 🙂 and yes my eyes are a bit closed because I was laughing to much when this picture was being taken. 🙂
A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by Jane from Kitchenthy.me which is a beautiful Food Bloggers site with lovely recipes from Food bloggers. For my food bloggers friends who have not yet discovered Kitchenthy.me please pop over and do check it out I am sure you will love it!! 🙂
Jane has a Bloggers Spotlight column where she introduces/interviews new food bloggers, she asked me if I would be interested in giving an interview which I was very happy and honored to do…:) so I am sharing it with everyone 🙂 :
Blogger Spotlight: Foodzesty
Check out some of Sophie’s recipes on Kitchen Thyme!Greek Beef Stew with Homemade PastaOven Baked Chickpea Stew (Revithada)
Mushroom, Orzo and Pea Salad
Meet Sophie from Foodzesty!
Kitchen Thyme: Thank you for being part of our Kitchen Thyme Blogger Spotlight Series! Tell us where you’re from and how you got into blogging?
Sophie: Thank you very much for inviting me to be a part of Kitchen Thyme. I am Greek/American, born in Greece raised in the US. I had been thinking about starting a blog for a while, and it kind of all came together when I went to my last job interview and did not land the job. I walked out and said I need to do something that I love and that was cooking. 🙂
KT: How did you come up with the name of your blog?
Sophie: I was walking my dog and two words just kept popping into my mind…Food = Fagito in Greek and Zesty = Hot in Greek so I thought foodzesty, hmmm hot food and that’s basically how the name came about.
KT: Where do you find inspiration to create new recipes?
Sophie: My mom, I watched her cook for many years and was just inspired.
KT: What are your top 5 favorite recipes on your blog?
Sophie:
Greek Beef Stew and Homemade Pasta
Pasta Farfalle with Mushroom & Bacon Garnish
Mussel Pilaf Dish
Mushroom, Orzo and Pea Salad
Fried Feta Cheese dipped in Sesame Seeds and Honey
KT: What camera and lens do you usually use for your food photos? Do you edit on Photo Shop or another Photo Editing site?
Sophie: I use a Panasonic Lumix camera with automatic zoom lens. No, I do not Photo Shop any of my photos.
KT: What advice would you give to new food bloggers when it comes to taking photos of food?
Sophie: Try to spend as much time as you can on taking photos…take many photos.
KT: Do you have great lighting in your house for photos or do you need to use artificial lighting and filters?
Sophie: I try to take photographs outside in my garden when the weather permits. If not I do have two artificial lights that help when necessary.
KT: Are you a part-time or full-time blogger?
Sophie: I started blogging one year ago as a part time blogger, but I love what I am doing so much that I decided that I would like to become a full-time blogger.
KT: Do you have a Virtual Assistant that helps you, and if so, what does that person do to help? What tasks do you like to do yourself and which ones do you prefer to outsource?
Sophie: Hahaha that would be great, but no, I do everything by myself.
KT: What does a typical week look like for you? Do you create recipes and blog posts on certain days of the week? What are some of your daily tasks or routines? Do you have a good blog/life balance? Do you unplug at night or on the weekends?
Sophie: I blog at least 3 times a week Monday, Wednesday and Friday. First job of the day is to walk my dog. Then I start the cooking process. I try to come up with ideas for photos and I enjoy walking as much as possible to get some exercise and catching up with friends and family that live abroad.
KT: How much time do you spend on Social Media each day?
Sophie: Just about 4 hrs per day.
KT: What tools/Apps help you to stay organised with your blogging business?
Sophie: I just started to use Canva. https://www.canva.com
KT: Do you use any schedulers for Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram? If so, which ones do you use and how to you organise all of the scheduling?
Sophie: No, actually I don’t use any schedulers. I did look into tailwind a while back but this is something I would consider trying out in the future.
KT: What are some Word Press plug-ins you find helpful?
Sophie: I don’t use any Word Press plug-ins at the moment.
KT: What are the main sources of income from your blog? Sponsored Posts? Advertisements? Affiliate Links?
Sophie: I truly have no source of income from my blog at the moment..I am still trying to find my way with this and hopefully it will happen soon.
KT: Do you have a long relationship with any particular Brands?
Sophie: No, I have only been blogging for a year, so I have not been approached by any Brand.
KT: Do you enjoy going to Blogging Conferences? If so, which ones do you recommend for Food Bloggers?
Sophie: I have not been to any Conferences yet, but would absolutely love to attend one.
KT: Do you have any advice for someone starting a food blog?
Sophie: Yes, to be patient, and to love what your doing..Everything in life needs time and patience.
KT: Do you have a favorite cookbook?
Sophie: I do actually… The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook, and one from a Greek Chef Vagelis Driskas “This is my Kitchen.”
KT: If you could cook with a famous chef or celebrity cook, who would it be and why?
Sophie: Well, some of my family members and friends won’t believe it but I think it would be Gordon Ramsay. I like his technique when preparing to cook.
KT: Did you get your love for cooking from someone special in your family?
Sophie: Yes, my mom I have always enjoyed watching the way she cooked our meals.
KT: You are constantly working with food. What are a few ingredients you cannot live without?
Sophie: Olive Oil, Dill, Parsley
KT: Thank you so much for joining us at Kitchen Thyme! Where can our readers find you?
Blog: Foodzesty
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Jane from Kitchenthy.me for inviting me to her beautiful site and for the interview.
Sophie
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