Making a Career Out of Food Blogging Is a Full -Time Investment

Capturing and creating content at the correct time will always work in your favour. Always being up-to-date with the 'food-scene' in the city is also important. If a person is really serious and dedicated then he/she can surely make a career out of food blogging.

1. Tell us about your background and journey.

Hey, I'm Aastha (aka @food.ie.me on Instagram) from Delhi. I'm an Accessory Design graduate from NIFT and also have an MBA in Fashion Merchandising and Retail Management. I was working as the Associate Vice President of Japanese e-commerce company for the past five years and this year I launched my own Fashion and Lifestyle Accessories brand.

I did most of my schooling in England and then completed my higher education in India. My early childhood went in shifting from one place to another and that exposed me to a variety of cuisines and dishes. That is why I love trying out new dishes when I go out and also love experimenting with recipes at home.

I had never really considered blogging until one fine day when I realised that my phone had more pictures of food than of anything else. That's when I decided to create an account on Instagram exclusively to show my love for food.

In June 2019 I started my food page, and initially I posted recommendations of dishes and restaurants to try out. It became impossible to step out when the lock-down came into place and that is when I decided to showcase my cooking skills.

I was lucky enough to get married just a month before the lock-down and was finally excited to have my own kitchen where I could cook, experiment, and click photos for my food page and that is what I have been doing ever since!

2. Which is your favourite cuisine and dish?

Picking a favourite cuisine is very tough because my love for food and variety is endless and my choice always depends upon my mood. But my go-to cuisine in times of confusion has to be Indian cuisine. Not just because it is a part of the culture we belong to, but mainly because of the diverse nature of this cuisine.

The taste, the ingredients, and the cooking techniques vary drastically as you move from one state to another and I find this to be very fascinating.
I consider myself to be a dessertarian as desserts have always been my weakness. That is why my favourite dish is none other than Gulab Jamun.

3. Should food blogging be just a passion or can it become a regular career?

I feel this depends completely on how passionate you are because making a career out of food blogging is a full-time investment. Many people feel that clicking pictures and writing captions is enough to get you ahead. But the truth is, that is not even half of the job.

A full-time blogger should actually be in love with food. He/she must know how to appreciate the intricacies of dishes and should have good food knowledge.
I believe food is like fashion, there are the classics and then there are the fads.

4. Which restaurants/food joints would you recommend to food lovers?

I do have a few favourites when it comes to restaurants and food joints. To enjoy a lip-smacking North Indian meal I would definitely recommend Gulati Restaurant in Delhi, Parikrama in Delhi, Ikk Panjab in Delhi, Masala Cafe in Gurgaon, and Hamsa in Chennai.

For fusion or continental food I would recommend Cafe Delhi Heights in Delhi, MKT in Delhi, The Big Chill in Gurgaon, Little Italy in Chennai, and Toscano in Chennai.

I also love Diggin in Delhi, The Forestta in Gurgaon, and Flower Power Tea Room in Chennai for their ambience.

5. What makes you appreciate a particular dish or a restaurant and talk about it on your blog?

Well there are many factors that influence my decision to post about a restaurant or dish. I think the first and foremost thing that catches my eye is the ambience of the place and the way of presentation.

The next thing that I notice is the quality of food and of course the taste of the dish. These are things that I usually talk about when I post a review on my blog.

6. Is there a dish you particularly associate yourself with?

The dish that I particularly associate myself with also happens to be my favourite, that is Gulab Jamun. Funnily enough, many of my friends also use this dish as my nickname. That's because I'm always ready to gobble down a couple of Gulab Jamuns and also because they feel that I'm chubby and sweet like a Gulab Jamun.

7. Which is your favourite book and why?

I read a book last year called 'Ikigai' which is based on Japanese principles of life. The word basically means 'a reason for being' and this concept describes how our life can have purpose and how the journey should be worthwhile. It shows how our passion, profession, mission and vocation are linked to each other and how a proper understanding of these can help us to find direction.

The book will make you realise that life is not a race. Sometimes we just need to slow down, relax, breathe, and be grateful for what we have. Imbibing this concept is not as easy as it seems but small steps will eventually yield some fruits.

I've already created my own ikigai and now i'm working towards it. I would definitely recommend others to do so too.