You know what my favorite part of the day is? Hearing from you. Emails, comments, and everything on social media. I love when you contact me asking a question or letting me know that you tried a recipe and your family loved it. Reading your words, seeing your "likes" and "pins", and connecting with you is what makes this whole thing worth it. So thanks!
If you're here, you must be either really bored and need something to read to pass the time, or are for some reason actually intrigued in learning more about me. Huh, weird. Anyway, here's some of the most frequently asked questions that I get asked about Shared Appetite.
What's up with Shared Appetite?
There's really two parts to this answer. The first, appetite. Whenever someone asks me, hey, are you hungry? My answer almost every time is, I'm always ready to eat. My appetite is insatiable. Especially if we're talking about Taco Bell as a 4th meal. And second, as much as I absolutely love eating, I love sharing experiences around the table even more. Cooking for family. Going out with friends. Surrounding yourself with the people and food you love is one of life's greatest blessings.
How can I contact you?
You can email me at: chris@sharedappetite.com or check out the nifty little contact page.
Your blog looks fantastic! How do I get me one of those?
Why thank you for noticing! You can read all about how to start a food blog (and what platforms and themes I use) here.
I wish each one of you had a Tyler in your life. Not only is he the guy for all-things-technical regarding Shared Appetite, he is one of my closest friends and partner in crime when talking about food. He's also the dude that I photograph engagements and weddings with.
Logo by mathisworks.
I love your photos! Do you have a professional food photography portfolio?
Well gosh, thanks so much! Learning about food photography is super cool and something I really love. You can see my portfolio over at East End Food Photography. I do a terrible job at updating it, so you might just be better of perusing Shared Appetite π
What camera, lenses, and other gear do you use?
What a fantastic question! And it's a question that comes up pretty frequently... so much so that I created a little post about it here: My Favorite Food Photography Gear.
Natural Light or Artificial Light?
Au Naturel, all the time. Well, almost all the time. 99.9% of the time. When I'm in a bind and need to, I'll use my Lowel Ego Lamps. You can learn about them here.
I'm looking to up my food photography game. Got any suggestions?
Why, yes... yes I do in fact. You should totally check out these two posts... Introduction to Food Photography and Top 10 Ways To Improve Your Food Photography.
So you just photograph food, huh?
Actually, no. I also really, really love photographing engagements and weddings. Tyler + I are making it happen over at Ashe Photography Studio.
So is this your full-time gig?
No, silly. I'm actually a music teacher by day. And in case you're wondering (I know you are), my main instrument is trumpet.
I'm sure if you count up the hours I put into photographing, creating content, and being active on social media and responding to comments, it might actually be considered a full time job. Well, minus the whole full-time income thing.
I love being a teacher and teaching kids the joys performing music. This whole blogging thing is just fun for me.
Do you have any formal training?
Yes. I took cooking classes in the 2nd grade with a guy with a super long last name. So we all called him Mr. Scoops. It was a long time ago, but a very legit class.
Do you accept product samples and/or cookbooks for review?
Only if they're good. In all seriousness, yes, but acceptance of your product does not guarantee that I will write about it. Please view the Work With Me page for more information.
Where do all these recipes come from?
I just copy whatever Martha Stewart is doing. Just Kidding. Inspiration from recipes comes from all over the place. Friends and family, dining out at restaurant, pinterest, cookbooks, other blogs I follow, and that crazy unpredictable place between my ears that I call my brain.
Can I use your photo on my website/blog?
Oh, well gee golly gosh, thanks for asking. Especially because nowadays, there are a bunch of shady internet peeps that like to just steal your work. Jerks. So here's the deal...
All photos on Shared Appetite are copyrighted, which means that they should not be reused without my explicit permission, BUT...
the answer is typically yes, as long as:
- you're using only one photo at a time (not every single photo from a post)
- no copying and pasting any of my recipes or blog posts onto another site.
- you please include two links (one to the specific recipe post and one to the homepage). For instance, "Look at these ridiculously amazing looking Baked Brown Butter Churro Donuts! Grab the recipe from Chris over at Shared Appetite."
If you'd like to use a photo for business, advertising, print, professional media, etc. please contact me first so we can discuss ways we can work together.
If you want to copy and paste an entire recipe, the answer is most likely no. Please contact me first so we can discuss ways we can work together.
I'm looking for a specific recipe and can't find it!
Oh no! That's a major bummer. You have two options. Check out my handy dandy search bar in the right sidebar to do a quick look around Shared Appetite. You can also search all my recipes by category by going to the recipe index. If that comes up empty, feel free to reach out through my contact page and I'll put your suggestion on my "to make" list!
Do you follow a particular diet?
Yea, apparently it's called the see-food diet. I see food, and I eat it. That's why you'll often see me working on my operation stop being a fatty. Sometimes I need to reel in my eating habits with a wee-bit of self control π
That being said, you'll find a good balance of gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, and paleo-friendly recipes on Shared Appetite. I have a bunch of friends that fit into these eating categories so I always like to have an arsenal of recipes at the ready for when they come over to chow down.
What's up with your recipe? It was a major flop!
That's pretty much the worst thing ever. I really mean it. And I'm sorry.
Just like it completely makes my day when a reader tells me how much they loved a recipe, it really bums me out when it doesn't work for someone else.
Give me some details and I would love to help you figure it out. Sometimes a recipe just needs some clarification or something was a bit confusing. Leave a comment on that post or shoot me an email and we'll get this atrocity cleared up in no time!
What do you do with all the food you make?
Uhm, I eat it. Or Asheley eats it. There's a lot of leftovers going on in our house. And the freezer often becomes temporary home for big meals that we can't get through in time.
What's your all time favorite food?
Don't make me answer it. Please. Don't make me!
Haha, that's a super tough question. The beautiful thing about food is variety and getting to try new flavors. Mexican is probably my main go-to on a regular basis, but I'm falling more and more in love with Thai food. It's mostly a going out for Thai sort of thing, but I would love to start learning how to cook Thai at home. Oh, and ramen. I'm currently obsessed with ramen. Especially Ivan Ramen.
Do you have a favorite recipe on Shared Appetite?
Do you have a favorite child? Wait, don't answer that. Haha, I love all the recipes I post, but I do keep coming back to some more than others.
How do I start a food blog?
You just kinda do. That's how I did it, at least. You can spend a ridiculous amount of time planning and brainstorming, but in the end, you just have to do it. Learn as you go. Ask questions. A lot of questions. Most of the food bloggers out there are super nice and supportive. Reach out to them. You can always email me π
And of course, check out my How To Start a Food Blog.
Do you have any blogging advice?
Take awesome photos and create quality content.
You need to blog for at least a year before you see any sort of payoff in terms of traffic. Building a blog is all about patience, endurance, and perseverance. It's work. Fun work, but you need to work hard.
And as much as it's hard to not compare yourself to other blogs that blow your numbers out of the water, don't. You're different. You're unique. Have fun, don't stress, and just try to get better a little bit each day. There was a point the only reader of my blog was me... and my mom. Hi mom! It was lonely, but we had fun.
How can I stay connected with you?
We have a spare room in our house. We are currently accepting applications. No, not really. That would be weird.
The best way to stay in the loop is subscribing to email updates. You can do so in the right sidebar.
You can also follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.
Do you cook every day?
Gosh no. Don't get me wrong, I love cooking. But some days my wife and I want to go out and eat. You can check out all the places we've been and want to go here.
I work in PR/Marketing/Product Service/Advertising for a company that makes something your readers would love. Can I send you a sample?
You sure can, although I cannot guarantee that I'll write about your product. Head over to Work With Me to find out more information, and then feel free to contact me with your ideas.
I would like to advertise on Shared Appetite. Is that cool?
Darn straight that's cool. Head over to Work With Me to find out pricing and how to get the ball rolling.
I'm coming to NYC! Where should I eat??!!
Great question! And it's one of my favorite questions to answer. Check out my Top 10 Foods You Have To Eat in NYC. If you still need ideas or want to chat, email me. I'd be happy to figure out some restaurants I think you'd love.