Trawl through Twitter for food bloggers and no doubt you’ll be inundated with a plethora of wannabe foodie types - it seems like everyone these days has an expert opinion on what food we should be eating and where we should be eating it.
However, if we look back to 2003, the landscape was a bit different; the whole concept of blogging was very new then and only a handful of food bloggers were making a name for themselves in the food community. Among them was Parisian Clotilde Dusoulier, and since then her blog Chocolate and Zucchini has grown far beyond what she ever imagined.
“I started the blog because I was very passionate about cooking - I spent a lot of time shopping for ingredients and hosting dinner parties and it got to a point, where I felt I needed to channel all that energy into a more permanent place,” says Dusoulier. “The response I got from the blog was far beyond what I ever anticipated, it was extremely encouraging.”
The blog gave Dusoulier the platform she needed to develop her career as a food writer and what followed were two books - Clotilde’s Edible Adventures in Paris and Chocolate and Zucchini - as well as endless media opportunities.
“It’s not just the blog itself that has generated income for me, but rather the blog acts as portfolio of my work and it helps to create other opportunities, like my books, food columns and lots of other things,” she says.
Dusoulier claims that the key to a good food blog is having the ability to bring something original to the table and also, being able to connect with your readers on a personal level.
“To me it’s really about the content. It has to be original content, well written and genuine,” she says. “Also, I believe the real reason people turn to blogs instead of magazines, is to feel a sense of connection with the author. So it’s important to establish an individual voice.”
Dusoulier has spent the last two weeks as the Gastronomic Writer in Residence at the Stratford Chefs School and will be in Toronto today to give a talk entitled “Eating Words: The Art of Food Blogging” at the George Brown Chef School. Although she hasn’t had enough time to truly immerse herself in Canadian cuisine, she has only positive things to say about her culinary experiences in Stratford so far.
“I can’t say I have spent enough time dining out in Canada to make a proper judgement, but I love the dining scene in Stratford, it’s very vibrant and they use lot of fresh ingredients there.”
After eight years of food writing you would think Dusoulier’s enthusiasm for food may have waned ever so slightly, but no, she’s buckets full of foddie energy left to share;
“My interest in food hasn’t abated. I only write about things I’m really excited about and I write from a place of enthusiasm and passion,” she says. “In general, I think people are always looking to be inspired and they want to read about positive experiences.”
“Eating Words: The Art of Food Blogging” will take place this evening from 6:30 pm at the George Brown Chef School and tickets can be bought at The Cookbook Store on 850 Yonge Street. Tickets $25/$10 Students
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