to all of my foodie enthusiasts

to all of my foodie enthusiasts,

i finally gathered up the gumption to start an actual food account. it's called @foodiefindss on instagram! please give it a look if you're interested in some of charlotte's tastiest venues. i've also turned it into a daily vlogging/recipe account, and i've yet to upload actual lengthy videos in the igtv (at least that's the plan once i perfect my recipes and figure out how to set up my tripod). for now, it's just charlotte area food venues and a little sprinkle of new york restaurants from my 2019 summer vacation, but once i go back to college next fall, i plan to explore the durham, raleigh, and chapel hill triangle!

first and second pictures: italian butter cake and chicken pesto pasta from north italia; third picture: japanese pancakes from alchemy

why did i decide to start a food account?

well, i want to say that it was part of my new year's resolution, but the thought really originated during the great conjunction, which was last year on december 21st. i was scrolling on tik tok, and several people said that if you had any entrepreneurial venture idea, the great conjunction was some sort of astrological sign to do so, and so i decided to try it out. i've always wanted to do something hands-on or interactive and "influencery" for a while, but i never really had the motivation or courage to do it until now. i don't want to attribute all of my decision-making to some big planet conjunction because looking back at it, i've always been a big fan of documenting all of my foodie adventures. i think about half or more than half of my camera roll is dedicated solely to food pics. it's really amazing how i didn't think of an idea like this much sooner. i guess all of the peace and quiet from the long isolation period has really helped me tap back in to my creative side.

what's keeping you motivated to you keep this idea running?

adventure and eating! (to put in simple words)

i really enjoy the excitement of trying out new places and foods. in a way, i feel like the more i expose myself to different dishes, the more i find out more about myself in the process: what i like, what i don't like, etc. at the same time, the more i explore, the more i connect/become more familiar with the city i grew up in. it helps me become more engaged with my hometown; i learn from it, all of its quirks, hole-in-the wall shops/restaurants; it helps me feel more at home.

food blogging has really brought me closer to my family. every picture on my food account has been an experience shared with my mom, dad, or both! now my dad can justify his late night ice cream runs with me as a way to "promote my blog." it works for now, but i don't know how many more "promotions" my mom is going allow until she starts to notice that not every food/dessert run with my dad is a genuine contribution to my blog, but rather a contribution to our stomachs and sweet-tooth cravings. other than that, i'd say that it's really become a wholesome activity for all of us. instead of me trying out new venues alone, food blogging has become a way for my family and i to not only try something new, but also share some quality time together.

i've also noticed that many restaurants and businesses, especially local ones, are really struggling to make ends meet due to all of the heightened restrictions and limited seating capacity. it's just not the same as before. many are using takeout as their main source of revenue, while others have resorted to more creative methods, such as outdoor igloos (which i have yet to try!). in addition to me enjoying delicious foods, whether new or old time favorites, i wanted to support small/local businesses and the restaurant industry by using my small platform to help spread my food recommendations/experiences with friends, family, and other curious foodies like me, and to hopefully increase customer traffic to businesses that need all the help they can get during this time.

first picture: matcha soft serve from matcha cafe maiko; second picture: snow white roll (unlimited sushi, appetizers, and hibachi) from mr. tokyo; third picture: "swiss fun-ghi" burger from blacow burger

January 11, 2020

Noelle Escobal