My little corner of the internet is officially ten years old!
I’ve been blogging for a decade already, how crazy is that? Honestly, I’m actually really proud of myself for keeping In Search Of Yummy-ness alive for this long. Trust me – there have been times where I’ve felt like I just can’t keep doing this. Blogging can be fun, but it can also be exhausting and lonely and thankless.
I’ve had years where I’ve pushed out a ton of content, and years where I’ve barely been able to get anything done. There have been times where I’ve been excited to share things, and times when I’ve been unsure if what I created was good enough.
I’ve definitely had my ups and downs during my blogging career, but overall I can say that it has been worth it.
The site has gone through a ton of changes since my friend Mandy and I first launched it on Blogspot in 2010.
We had fun sharing our restaurant experiences, and once in a while I’d share something random that I wanted to talk about (see the “fun utensil” above LOL!). We did that for quite a while but eventually, I ended up running the site on my own. Although Mandy is still involved and comes over to taste test or help me with my photoshoots sometimes.
After a few years, In Search Of Yummy-ness evolved from a restaurant blog to a recipe blog, and then I started focusing on international recipes. My blogging skills improved over time, and I started to run the website as a part-time job.
When I decided to start focusing on the blog as a business, I joined groups to network with other bloggers from my area. This was one of the best decisions I’ve made because I met a lot of great people in the blogging community over the years.
I’ve made friends through blogging, like Lisa from The Viet Vegan, Katherine from Piquey Eater, Mary from Mary’s Happy Belly, Davi from Goat Roti Chronicles, Anh from Hangry Foodies, Ayngelina from Bacon is Magic, Deb from Dessert by Deb, and Janice from Kitchen Heals Soul.
I’ve also met some awesome people through my blog like James Cunningham from Eat St. and the guys behind Ice Volcano. I’ve even had the opportunity to listen and talk to chefs like Giada De Laurentis, Mark McEwan and Michael Smith – people who I used to watch on TV and never thought I’d ever interact with in real life.
Then a couple of years ago, I decided to take culinary classes at George Brown College so that I could become a better home cook, and write better recipes for the site. You can read about my experience in cooking school here.
Over time, my recipes and photography improved. I honestly had no idea what I was doing when I first started, but I’m proud of what I can create now. Practice makes all the difference.
Blogging has forced me out of my comfort zone so many times. I’m not always the most outgoing person, and blogging has forced me to learn how to network, how to socialize at events, and how to travel alone (when I went to blogging conferences). I’ve attended workshops and learned about farming and the food supply chain, and other elements of the food industry that I might not have otherwise been exposed to.
I’ve even found freelance work writing through my blog. I worked as a freelance writer for Food Bloggers of Canada and other websites through my blog. That lead to me getting a temporary contract with Yahoo Canada to be a freelance writer for them.
I created sponsored posts for Maple Leaf Foods, Tenderflake, SweeTango apples, Produce Made Simple and more.
I’ve worked as a social media community coordinator for one of the biggest consumer packaged food brands in Canada, and for one of the leading media companies in Canada. I’ve also worked as a food stylist and a kitchen assistant, including one contract job where I met my close friend Gina.
One of the projects that I’m most proud of that came from In Search Of Yummy-ness was shooting a campaign for Grace Foods with Chef Latoya Fagan. The images were used on the Grace Foods website and in local newspapers.
My mom was so proud 🙂
I’ve had some great experiences as a result of running In Search Of Yummy-ness, and I’m so grateful for them. They’ve shaped me into who I am today.
So, what’s next? What are my plans for In Search Of Yummy-ness over the next decade? Well, I’ve grown a lot since 2010, and my blog has always been growing with me. So now I’m making some changes to help the content reflect more of what’s important to me these days.
Instead of being focusing solely on food, I’ll be moving towards sharing other types of content that help people express their creativity and find joy in the lives. Food will always be a part of it, but I want to expand into gardening, art, and other hobbies that interest me (and I’m sure interest other people too!).
I’ve already started publishing some gardening content, which you can check out here if you’d like. Stay tuned for more new content over the coming months.
If you’ve read this far – thank you! This post has been self-indulgent, but I’m allowing myself to celebrate this milestone, and I am grateful to have you reading along with me. I hope you’ll enjoy what’s coming up!
Stay safe, and happy cooking and creating!
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