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Elise Bauer Sells Simply Recipes Food Blog

April 26, 2016 by diannejacob 47 Comments

Elise Bauer started her food blog in 2003. It is now the “highest indexing cooking site for women aged 21-49,” according to comScore.

After a 13-year run, Elise Bauer, one of the most successful food bloggers in the world, has sold her blog and business Simply Recipes. Fexy Media, a digital media investment firm that also owns Serious Eats, bought the site for an undisclosed amount.

Fexy Media announced the news in a press release, and Bauer followed up with [Read more…] about Elise Bauer Sells Simply Recipes Food Blog

Gluten-Free Girl Says Blogs Don’t Matter Anymore

April 19, 2016 by diannejacob 53 Comments

Shauna James Ahern pioneered her food blog in 2005, and while she’s keeping it, she’s added books, sponsored posts, video cooking classes, gluten-free flour and now, a recipe subscription newsletter.

Yes, Shauna James Ahern of Gluten-Free Girl really did say that, later on in this interview, and she has compelling ideas about why.

But first, I thought you’d like to know how her thinking has shifted as someone who has blogged about food for 11 years. We’ll start with her launch of a recipe subscription service called feeding our people, and move on to [Read more…] about Gluten-Free Girl Says Blogs Don’t Matter Anymore

What Happened When I Approached Jonathan Gold

April 12, 2016 by diannejacob 41 Comments

Scott Warner snapped this shot of me and the affable Jonathan Gold, restaurant critic of the Los Angeles Times, as our talk began.

When I walked up, Jonathan Gold stood talking with a small group of food writers. It was after his keynote presentation at the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) annual conference in Hollywood, CA, and I was late for a session. I didn’t care. One of my food writing idols seemed to be available in the cavernous ballroom.

How often does that happen? At IACP, quite often. If you’ve been to their conferences, you probably remember when Julia Child and Jaques Pepin [Read more…] about What Happened When I Approached Jonathan Gold

A Revolutionary Way to Handle Subrecipes

April 5, 2016 by diannejacob 16 Comments

How many subrecipes does it take to make this Buffalo Chicken Pizza from The United States of Pizza? Two. You have to make the dough and the sauce, and then put it all together. (Photo by Jeff Kauck.)

When I read this line, I felt a shudder of recognition: “How many times have I begun working through a recipe only to realize halfway through that I needed to have started yesterday? “

You’re probably nodding. Thewriter of that line hates not being warned about steps to take in advance. He probably also dislikes [Read more…] about A Revolutionary Way to Handle Subrecipes

Best Food Writing, Not by Bloggers

March 29, 2016 by diannejacob 25 Comments

IACP awards ceremony (Photo courtesy IACP/Facebook.)

Thanks to the web, most of the nominated pieces for this years’ prestigious food writing awards are online to read. So pull up a chair and dip into 2015’s best food writing, according to judges for the James Beard Journalism Awards and the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) food writing awards.

Two things about food bloggers I noticed in the awards categories:

It’s not news, but it still bugs me. The non-cookbook awards are about journalism and traditional writing. Bloggers are nominated only in [Read more…] about Best Food Writing, Not by Bloggers

Suffering from Blogger Burnout?

March 22, 2016 by diannejacob 17 Comments

Feeling overwhelmed? Yeah, me too sometimes.

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed, exhausted, and frustrated about my blog. My cynicism rises and I feel ineffective. That’s how this burnout expert describes the symptoms, and I’ve been there. Blogger burnout is a big problem in our field.

Short of the usual admonitions to eat well, sleep well and exercise more, how do we get out of the swamp and feel energized again?

When I feel burned out, I go for a walk or meet friends. I try to feel grateful for the opportunity to do what I love. Doing so usually gets me back on track, but there’s a lot more to it.

Yes, we bloggers compare and second-guess ourselves and feel like we’re running in circles. It takes a major shift to get going again.

I’ll be talking about that shift and how to address it while teaching a workshop on blogger burnout at the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) annual conference on April 1. In researching the subject of burnout, it seems that bloggers and those of us who spend so many hours on the [Read more…] about Suffering from Blogger Burnout?

How Writing for Radio Differs from Print

March 15, 2016 by diannejacob 15 Comments

Kathy Gunst has reported about food for the radio show Here and Now for 15 years. The show now has more than 5 million listeners.

Since 2000 Kathy Gunst has been writing for radio for Here and Now, a live news magazine show broadcast to over 500 public radio stations nationwide. Today the show has more than 5 million listeners.

Kathy’s segment on food airs two to five times per month. As the “resident chef,” she has an enviable job: she covers what interest her most. That might include travel pieces, cookbook reviews, and usually, lots of conversations about seasonal food and cooking.

Kathy is the author of 14 cookbooks (15 this fall) including [Read more…] about How Writing for Radio Differs from Print