By Sruly Meyer for COLlive.com
When you start a food-related page on Instagram it can be very hard to find followers. These days as the foodie world has exploded, many people started sharing recipes, and other food-related experiences. There are some that have gained a little bit of an audience, and in talking recently with some bloggers who have gained a nice following, we discussed trying to showcase those that are offering something special.
COLlive.com spoke with 10 food bloggers, with less than 10,000 followers on Instagram, who we feel deserve a little spotlight shown on them. There are a variety of accounts here that you will enjoy, from cakes, to diet-friendly keto recipes, home cooks, couples that cook and blog together, and even someone who invented something called the “Bonut” (a babka version of a donut.)
We presented each blogger a series of questions, so you can get to know them better. If you like what you see, follow them on their journeys!
Chef Shosh – Shoshi Benabou
https://www.instagram.com/chef_shosh/
Shosh is a chef based in Crown Heights, who offers Shabbos takeout, cafe and bakery items as well as catering, from the Koshertown grocery store owned by her husband. In the past, she won top place in the Taste of Crown Heights food crawl.
How did you decide to start your page?
I’ve been cooking and hosting for years. Many times my guests would suggest I start catering. I am lucky enough that my husband owns the grocery store Koshertown located in Crown Heights, and it was a perfect place to start showcasing my food.
I began with a few dips and B”h have a full shabbos takeout, cafe, bakery and catering service. I started my page to expand my customer base. My favorite part is showing my work and connecting the photos to real messages that I’m trying to incorporate into my life.
Although I don’t necessarily consider myself a food blogger, I love making, sharing and perfecting my authentic home-made food. Personally, the social media industry really expanded my clientele and I’ve really seen tremendous growth over the years. I am extremely grateful for the way things have evolved and I can’t wait to see what the next few years will bring. #my secret ingredient is love.
Keto Kosher – Moshe Bloch
https://www.instagram.com/ketokosher/
Moshe is a cyclist living in Los Angeles, California, and has lost 90 pounds on Keto. He has blogged about his journey and features foods that he makes to keep to his healthy lifestyle.
Where did the idea of your page Keto Kosher come from?
I needed something to hold me accountable in my weight loss journey & wanted to have a record of it so I decided to create my page.
When I first started the page I was doing it for me and my journey, but as time went on I saw how many people were reaching out for me for help and recipes.
It’s great to see all the raw talent out there in the Instagram foodie world. It shows you that you don’t need a 5-star restaurant in order to put out some beautiful looking food.
Jenny’s Cakes of London – Jenny Hollander
https://www.instagram.com/jennyscakeslondon/
Jenny is already pretty well known, despite not having over 10k followers. She has appeared on Naomi Nachman’s “Table for Two” several times and has been featured before.
What’s your favorite thing about posting?
I love sharing what I am truly passionate about with food and baking.
What’s it like being part of a larger foodie world?
It’s an amazing place where I have made some really incredible friends that work together as a support network helping and sharing advice whenever we can.
Can you tell us something about yourself that influences your style?
I was born and grew up in Miami Beach, Florida. My mom is Sephardi and my dad is Ashkenazi and are Cuban. I live in London, England so I am a real mixture of different cultures. I think that’s why I love all different types of cuisine and travel!
Kosher Elevated – Mindy and Tuli Feferkorn
https://www.instagram.com/kosherelevated/
This is a very unique page, it features a husband and wife team that plan and makes the meals together. We spoke to Mindy, to hear what the experience has been like.
Can you tell us about starting your page?
My page was born of utter frustration at some inauthentic kosher food reviews I had come across. I wanted to be an honest, fresh voice for people who appreciate good food. At the same time, I wanted to share my husband’s cooking talent and knowledge with the wider Jewish community.
We settled on the name Kosher Elevated and launched our joint account in August of last year.
We just completed our first year as a public foodie account on Instagram. It’s been a fun ride and we’re excited to see where it goes.
What is your favorite thing about posting?
My favorite thing about posting is when people give me feedback on our recipes. It’s so fulfilling to hear them rave about it or how much their families loved it. I also adore those short, informative videos that are fun to make, watch and share.
What else have you learned from this experience?
I love running our Instagram account as a couple. It’s a very connecting experience. We learned to balance each other’s needs and contributions and how much to push each other and when to let go.
The Chef Life – Meir Goldberg
https://www.instagram.com/the_chef_life
Meir Goldberg is a lot of things, he’s a chef at the Crown Heights Restaurant Alenbi, he’s a food stylist and he develops his own recipes. His talents are seen very quickly when you go to his page. We discussed with him how building his page has been since he started.
How did you decide to start your page?
Honestly, it’s all because of my siblings. They kept on pushing me to pursue my passion in the food industry, and to share it with everyone. They really helped me push past the fear and just jump in.
What has changed for your career since you first started?
Everything! Before I opened my account, I liked making food and learning about food. However, I don’t think I would have ever started working in the food industry and my current position if I hadn’t started my page.
What’s your favorite thing about posting?
I love being able to share my food with you all. For me, one of the most motivating things, is seeing people eat and enjoy the food that I worked hard to create. It makes it all worth it.
What’s it like being part of a larger foodie world?
The food world on social media is massive. There are literally hundreds of thousands of members, each in the food world, yet all different. They all have their own style, their way of looking at things, and their own spin on what we do. Seeing that, I am constantly inspired and pushed to learn more, while further developing my own “voice” in the foodie world.
My message to all of your readers: if you want IT, go and get IT. Don’t let anything stand in your way.
Garlic and Ganache – Tanya Ohana
https://www.instagram.com/garlic.and.ganache/
Tanya is a graphic designer and her artistic side is clearly visible in her stunning photos of her dishes. She sells artisanal popcorn and has developed, written out and photographed recipes for various media outlets.
How did you get started in food blogging?
I started my page as a university project while I was studying social media in my Marketing degree as I was newly married and enjoyed cooking so it seemed like a project option. It kind of took off so I continued it as a creative outlet and it’s grown to so much since.
What’s something unique that you bring to the table?
I love all things spices and herbs and I’m kinda a geek about it – I have a segment called ‘Spice of the Week’ over on my stories where I discuss different spices and their uses as well as spice pairings that people may not have known before.
I also grew up on the Mediterranean in a place called Gibraltar, so I have a lot of Spanish, Moroccan and Portuguese influences in my cooking.
The Bonut Banter – Luly Kabasso
https://www.instagram.com/thebonutbanter/
Luly Kabasso specializes in breads, amazing dinners and the now-famous “Bonut.” You might be asking yourself what that is. Let’s find out about the sensation that rocked New York last Chanukah.
First of all, what is a Bonut?!
I started recipe testing early on in the month of November and at some point along the way, I thought “what would happen if I fried a piece of my challah/ babka dough?” That was when the Bonut was born.
The Bonut is my most prized creation. What is it you ask? It is fried fermented babka dough & is different from your average donut in many ways. For starters, the outside is crisp, inside super fluffy, & most importantly not as oily. I only planned to sell them seasonally for Chanukah. However, after the chag it became quite clear that Bonuts were here to stay as it was all my customers would ask for
What has changed since you first started?
Anyone who has followed my page from the very beginning can tell you there have been many changes in my work from when I first started. After 6 months of selling meal preps, people began to take interest in some of my other personal creations. I started getting inquiries about the challahs I would bake for Shabbos. At this point, I decided that it may be a promising idea to start selling products for Shabbos. I soon realized; it became way too hectic for me to sell both meal preps and Shabbos goodies. It was at this point that I had to make the hardest business decision of my life. I decided to recreate my business and begin selling food for Shabbos.
It was this switch that catapulted me to success. I started offering an assortment of challahs, babkas and other Shabbos treats which led me to experiment with a vast number of flavors. It was this experimentation that led to me being crowned the “babka queen.” I offered my clients over 20 uncommon flavors to choose from, each unique in their own way.
What is your favorite thing about posting?
My favorite thing about posting is the responsiveness of my viewers and the friendships I have formed through my platform. I have always found it fascinating to see the diversity of opinions from my viewers on all the topics I post. Furthermore, posting allows me to create and maintain a strong web of connections.
Stuffffed – Jacqueline Tawil Elbaz
https://www.instagram.com/stuffffed
Jacqueline creates authentic Syrian cuisine and she considers herself a healthy cuisine chef.
What gave you your passion for cooking?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always loved to be in the kitchen. I was blessed to live upstairs from my great-grandma for 18 years…learned everything from her. Throw in my grandma A’H and my mom, the trifecta was unbelievable!
Has anything changed in the industry since you started blogging?
5 years ago, Instagram was a different world. The cooked food started when one of my customers asked me to cook an item for them, when I saw the interest in that aspect, I started offering an array of cooked Shabbos and holiday food. The next step was private cheffing for a family in my neighborhood. I was shocked to find out they found me on Instagram! Turns out they lived down the block from me.
After I competed in a chopped competition with Naomi Nachman the rest was history! I am very much a people person, so for me, the foodie world connected me with some of the most amazing and talented chefs out there! I love learning new things on a daily basis, like food photography!
What is your favorite thing about posting?
My favorite thing about posting is definitely the interaction with my awesome followers! Nothing makes me happier than someone telling me they made a recipe of mine, used a tip or trick I posted or even used my Trader Joe’s highlights (I’m addicted)!
The connections in the larger foodie world are something I never would have expected. The relationships I’ve built is something I am so forever grateful to Hashem for. We all bring something different to the table, everyone has a different style to cooking, blogging and spicing…never boring!
Erin Eats MTL
https://www.instagram.com/erin.eats.mtl/
There are many bloggers from different parts of the world, and with different styles. Erin is from Montreal, and her page has recently been getting a lot of attention.
Can you tell us why you started Erin Eats Mtl?
Before I had kids, back in 2011, I actually started a food blog. But it was too hard to really keep up with once my kids were born. People kept mentioning it to me over the years and I was inspired to start up again, but this time on Instagram. I find it’s a faster platform to share on, which is great for me as a busy mom.
What has changed since you first started?
A lot has changed since 2011. But let’s focus on since I started my Instagram page at the end of 2018. First I had to get comfortable with talking on screen and finally I started showing my face too – at first, I was so shy and was trying to keep myself as anonymous as possible. While I still re-record some segments multiple times, I’ve become more comfortable with that aspect. I’ve also definitely upped my photography skills, which has been a fun added challenge for me.
What’s it like being part of a larger foodie world?
It’s a bit intimidating sometimes! I wonder what qualifications I have to share recipes! But everyone is always so positive and encouraging!
What do you do when you are not cooking and blogging on your page?
I am a mom, and pediatric physical therapist, who tries my best to cook nutritious and delicious food for my family. I love cooking creatively and with lots of color. My plate is my canvas!
Those Sisters Who Cook – Chana Zelda Weiss & Devorah Backman
https://www.instagram.com/thosesisterswhocook/
Earlier we had a husband and wife team, now we have a siblings team. Two sisters, one from Teaneck, and one living in Pomona, who run a very fun and great looking foodie page.
Tell us about your page and why you started it?
We are two sisters who both love cooking and entertaining and are always experimenting with new recipes and ingredients. One summer day about 4 years ago, Chana Zelda texted Devorah in the middle of the day saying, “you know how people are always asking us if we are those sisters who cook? What if we had an Instagram page called those sisters who cook? It just exploded and grew from there!
What has changed since you first started?
In some ways, not much. We are both really adamant that cooking is a hobby, something we do for fun, and sometimes taking it too seriously can take away from that. If you’re a “pro” food blogger, you have to plan shoot recipes for an upcoming holiday weeks in advance, for example, and that’s just not how we operate. We take pics and share what we are cooking right now—that means snapping a quick pic of the plate before we start eating dinner, no professional food styling or photography. Above all, we are here to enjoy this as a creative outlet and a way to make every day and every week chore of feeding our families something a little more entertaining and enjoyable.
What’s your favorite thing about posting?
It’s definitely the feedback! We both love the creative challenge of putting a menu together, or understanding how to use a new ingredient, or even figuring out how to prep for a three-day yom tov in a really efficient way (without going crazy!). So we actually love when people reach out with questions or suggestions that help expand our horizons too.
What do you think about social media and its effects today?
Social media can be fun, but it can also have a negative side when people get too competitive, or fill their feed with content that makes them feel bad about themselves. We purposely keep our page very low-key and don’t really try to recruit new followers. We only want people to follow us if they genuinely enjoy what we have to offer. Our philosophy is: fill your feed with the content that brings joy and inspiration to your life. And if that’s us, great! We welcome you to our page!
KETOKOSHER IS THE BEST !
WHAT ABOUT THE CRAVE HAVEN??????
No competition. Really enjoyed this article.
https://instagram.com/thecakeartist_ny?igshid=1h77s4w3tlob2