Being a FoodBuzz Featured Publisher, it’s has been a fun ride. I really like what they do and how they support us bloggers (including a great tasting I won!)  They are now embarking on a big competition to select a blogger who will be featured on the site for a year and win a $10K prize.  (I was shocked when I realized I got more excited about the potential of being featured than the cash prize!) 

The bloggers in the community have to blog about a specific topic each week and then a panel reads the blogs and they and you, my lovely readers, vote (VOTE FOR ME! VOTE FOR ME!).  It is called Project Food Blog and this, my dear readers, is my first entry. 

(As I was typing it, I realized that a text heavy blog is just SO not my style, so I’m adding in some of my favorite pictures of the past 3 years just to give you something perty to look at.  Deep down inside I really am a 4 year old who just likes picture books… if only I could make this a pop-up blog)

Week One: “Ready, Set, Blog!” 

The question is “What defines you as a food blogger and why should you be the next food blog star?”

It would be hard to answer this without some back story.  First of all, I have never, ever considered myself an expert.  In fact, I consider myself a forever student.  Granted… an extremely opinionated student, but a student none-the-less.  I doubt I am alone in the food blogger community when I say that I love food.  I love eating food.  I love cooking food.  I love talking about food. And most of all, I love the way food brings people together. 

(This photo courtesy of my awesome photographer sister, Stacey, who puts my pictures to shame.  If you want a perfect photo of your pet, check out her site or contact her at Wackydog Pet Photography!)

I started on this venture because I was given the very good fortune of being taken out to some of the best restaurants in Manhattan due to my job.  Whenever family and friends would come into the city, they knew I had tried some of the best and always asked my advice.  I have a terrible memory and would always come up with something like “Oh there is this great Italian place in midtown!”  (Big help, Sara!) So I started to write them down.  Then I started keeping an email draft of all the places I recommended so I could shoot that off whenever someone needed a recommendation.  Then I started using Tumblr just to be able to reblog some things I found interesting and realized it made a great repository for these restaurant lists. 

At the same time, I was teaching myself to cook.  I really knew nothing about cooking, and was pretty (in)famous for hermedically sealing a pot the first time I tried to cook on my own at college.

When I discussed that I might start blogging about dining out and cooking with my awesome boyfriend, Mike, he thought about it for a few minutes and said that I should call my blog “Nom Nom” because that was what I always said when I really enjoyed food (sourced to either Cookie Monster or ICanHasCheezburger).  NYC Nom Nom was born. 

What was the question again?  Oh right!  What defines me?  I’m a foodie of the people, an equal opportunity eater. Sure, I may eat at fancy restaurants a little more often and I might know how to make mayonnaise, but, besides that, I think people value my opinions on restaurants because I’m honest and opinionated.  I’m also not stuffy about it… I rank strip mall Italian restaurants in the same respect that I rank 5 star restaurants.  I believe good food is worth paying for and that you can have great food at a diner.  I also just learned how to cook, so I’m still learning and I love to share the things I learn.  And I even share my failures… even the embarrassing ones.

I think my latest venture into Weight Watchers is also an interesting twist since I will not sacrifice good food, yet I still am managing to lose weight (17 pounds and counting!)

So what makes me a star?

You do.  My awesome readers make me a star.  Every one of you who has tried a recipe or restaurant from this blog.  Every one of you who shared a recipe or restaurant with me because of this blog.  Every one of you who has had a chuckle at my epic fails, shared a shaken fist about being poisoned in a restaurant. Cooked me a meal, let me cook you a meal. Shared a snack, bought me a lunch, let me buy you a dinner, and, especially, every one of you that has encouraged me along the way. 

You all rock my socks.

As always… Happy Nomming!

Tags: blogging, Food Buzz, Project Food Blog