Tell us about yourself and how we can connect with you.
Hi Everyone! I am Tarabud, Food Blogger of Foodie Out of the Closet. My food interviews can be found on Soundcloud (www.soundcloud.com/foodie), I am always on Twitter (@Tarabuddelight), and you can find all my projects on www.Tarabud.com.
How did you get started?
I started my food blog after I quit my boring office job and wanted to focus on my passions. At the time, I was going through an Ecological Anxiety crisis, reading books such as The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World, Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, and Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things. To feel less miserable, I was determined to live sustainably as possible, making a backyard garden, and raising chickens. I was not completely radical just focused on sustainability and eating seasonally and most importantly locally.
It was through that personal crisis that evolved my Food Blog: Foodie Out of the Closet, and the recipes that I was making. One day I went down to my local farmers market in Oakland, California, with my camera and microphone on a mission to feature the farmers and organic food vendors. It was great fun, but quite a learning curve for video editing when I first started! To save me hours of editing, now I only post audio interviews. The food blog has been around for more than 10 years, and it ebbs and flows as I move around the country and travel, but I still post my favorite recipes from home and do interviews with people that inspire me.
What is your favorite thing about being a blogger?
Eating good food of course! Fortunately, I have been able to maintain some balance in my life with exercise and my love of French pastry. LOL. (See my latest French pastry chef interview in Texas on my Soundcloud podcast.) But seriously, I do enjoy sharing food cooking tips and also promoting what is best for our planet- local, healthy, sustainable. I have learned so much along the way. For example, I learned what our over-consumption is doing to our Oceans, and what mono agriculture is doing to our lands and wildlife. These days, it is hard not to be concerned about everything you stuff in your mouth. That being said, I feel strongly we must enjoy our lives! The first step in solving any problem is acknowledging and learning from scientists and experts what will be the best for our planet in the long term. If that means cutting out certain foods, then so be it.
If you could have superpowers what would they be?
I would like the superpower of giving humans lots more compassion. More compassion can go a long way in how we treat each other, wildlife, and the ecosystems of Earth. I little extra compassion could even give some longevity to this aching planet.
What is your favorite comfort food?
Eggs and rice are my comfort food. I know… so boring; but it was my comfort food while growing up in Colombia.
If you could learn how to make any food what would it be?
I would love to learn to make traditional Indian cuisine. I guess I better travel to India!
What projects are you working on right now?
I am working on staying positive and active with my blogging. I have people I want to interview, but the pandemic has really hindered that. Darn it. This 2021 I am making a concerted effort to be more productive. Stay tuned for more exciting things coming from my blog!
Nosh with Chef Julie 