Food Blogger Connect

I had a brilliant time at Food Blogger Connect on Saturday. It was hosted at the Levant restaurant near Bond Street. The food was delicious! Since then I have been reading and researching Muhammara recipes--a Lebanese red pepper and nut dip that looks simple to make and was really tasty. And I think the aubergine in my pantry will soon become baba ganoush. Alessio (above) and I tried everything on the buffet table, sharing our few critical comments, but primarily exclaiming over each item.


I know that the talks after lunch will make me a better blogger. Meeta talked about food photography and now my heart began to hanker after an entry-level digital SLR camera for Christmas. I was really struck by her shots of her photo "studio" and I've already started using white card for a bounce and stacks of cookbooks for a tripod. She described how she styles the food, which is something I haven't done before--naively thinking that au naturel was a good look. But I have decided that making the food look so tasty you start to drool is probably more effective! I'm on the look-out for vintage cutlery now, and I will also be plating smaller portions when I take photos.

Kang talked about taking photos in low light and solidified my desire for a camera where you control the shutter speed and settings yourself. On his post about Food Blogger Connect you can see what a great job he did with the really low light in the restaurant.


Jeanne and Jamie talked about finding your voice when blogging. I think that I am a cook who writes, rather than a writer who cooks. Knowing how to get my ideas across sometimes seems quite hard. So I appreciated the thoughts about staying true of yourself. I used to quite enjoy (non-food) writing, so I hope that I can regain that enjoyment of the craft of writing.

The best part of the day was meeting and chatting with all the other food bloggers. Sarah, in the second photo, and Carly, above, were only two of the many to whom I introduced myself. I'm glad I met Sunita, from whom I first heard about the conference. I feel much more like a part of a community and I can't wait to learn more from all of you!