Project Food Blog: Challenge #1

Okay.  So I'm in.  Well... everyone's in the first round.  Oh wait, what am I talking about, you ask?  Well, FoodBuzz has initiated a competition, amongst food bloggers, to be the "next food blog star", if you will - called Project Food Blog.  And yeah, I'm entered. 

Over 1,700 food bloggers are in this competition and only 400 get to advance to round 2.  So I've got to make this count.  Make myself unique.  Make myself... well... into the next food blog star.

The first challenge is as follows - "what defines you as a food blogger and why should you be the next food blog star?"

Wow.  That's a loaded question if I've ever seen one.

For one, I've been trying to rack my brain for weeks now trying to figure out how I'd compose this post.  And honestly... I've just got to be honest.  With myself.  With my readers.  With my judges.

What is a food blogger?  Are they foodies?  Are they bloggers? 
I think the term "food blogger" is different for everyone.  And it should be.  It's not any specific one class of person or thing.  It doesn't narrow down a genre of people, but actually opens up an array of types of people. 
To me, being a food blogger isn't just about food.  Yes, it's a very big part, but it's not the entirety of what makes a good food blogger.  To me, a food blogger is a person with a culmination of characteristics. 

How am I a food blogger?  Well, a food blogger just isn't made out of thin air.  I think when I started this blog, I didn't know where it was headed.  I mean, seriously, check out the first couple of posts... pure chaos.  But as I researched and started falling in love with other food blogs, I started finding my own little niche.  I mean, as narcissistic as this sounds, this is my blog and it really should be about me, right?  And so this blog showcases my food, my life, and my photography. 

And most importantly, it's a blog about my growth as a person and as a cook.  If you would have asked me 5 years ago, even, what I'd be doing with my life or what my hobbies would be... being a domesticated house-fiance would not be on the top of that list.  It would be far from it.  In just a little over a year, this blog has really developed into something.  My photography has improved greatly, going from a little point-and-shoot Kodak camera, to my Nikon D40, and learning how to use my camera properly... I impress myself sometimes, and hopefully that's conveyed to my readers.  After all, we eat with our eyes first, right?

Also, my writing has drastically improved.  At first, I didn't know what to talk about on this blog... or even how to talk about things.  But as the blog got more personal, i.e. talking about my engagement, my ever-changing school life, my hectic work life, the cooking and the recipes just seemed to fit in naturally.  How so?  Well, for one, the cooking is what relieved the stress.  At the end of the day, I love this blog and I love cooking... more than anything. 

And the cooking.  Has the cooking improved?  Hell yes.  I try new things, I let my failures be known, as well as my successes.  Being a food blogger allows me to open myself up to criticism... whether good or bad.  True feedback is given, and luckily, most of it has been extremely kind and helpful.  I think the food blogging community is one of the only groups of people that you can get an honest, genuine, and kind opinion from, no matter what.  Food brings people together, regardless of the language, culture, or background. 

So has any of that really answered the question of what a food blogger is?  To sum it up, I consider myself a food blogger because I'm passionate about my food.  I'm passionate about the photography of my food, and my photography in general, really.  I'm passionate about writing about my food.  I think those 3 main things are what make me a genuinely good food blogger.

And in turn, this also gives me the gumption to say that I could definitely be the "next food blogger star."  No, I don't have hundreds of followers (yet!), like some blogs, but I've got more followers than I ever dreamed of having!  You have to be passionate about something, and to me, food is the one central thing in my life that I can turn to, besides Andy, of course.  But hey, this blog was formed with him in mind... he eats the food and believes in me, and I hope you guys will too!

Starting September 20th you can register (if you're not already) on Foodbuzz and vote... and hopefully you deem me worthy of voting for!  So thanks for all your continued support and good luck to all of my worthy competitors!