Blogger Spotlight- Interview with Tarabud

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

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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! 

Thank you Tarabud for this lovely interview!

If you are a fellow writer, author, or blogger and want  your own interview go to https://noshwithchefjulie.com/contact/

To read more author interviews click here https://noshwithchefjulie.com/category/author-interviews/

Blogger Spotlight-Interview with Food and Garden Blogger Becky Tiffany

Let us know a little about yourself and how we can connect with you via website, blog, books, and social media sites.

Hi! My name is Becky and you can find me over at SunnyFarmhouse on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sunnyfarmhouse/ or my blog at www.sunnyharmhouse.com.  I have been on Instagram for a little while sharing food and gardening ideas. My website is brand new so I am still trying to make it what I envision. I’m learning and hope to have a fun place to keep track of my favorite recipes.

What is your favorite comfort food?


I am mostly a vegetarian and I try to eat “clean” and plant-based as much as possible. I also love to bake desserts for my family!

What is your favorite food?

My favorite food is most definitely pizza. As a family, we make a wood-fired pizza in our backyard on Sunday nights. Making pizza and baking 1-2 at a time is a great way to extend family dinner time on Sundays. Plus it forces the kids to sit and socialize!

If you could learn how to make any food what would it be?

We are always trying & testing all things pizza but I would love to perfect several styles of pizza!  I have 5 kids so I’m always receiving requests for various toppings and flavors of pizza … Thai with peanut sauce, mushroom, Margarita, tostada, pepperoni, etc, etc, etc.

What projects are you working on right now?


Every year I like to set a cooking goal for myself. It forces me to stretch, learn, try new things, and step out of my comfort zone.  My goal for 2018 was to make pizza every week.  In 2019, I made a pie each month.  For 2020, I am working on all things sourdough. It’s amazing how comfortable you can become with a new technique. Likewise, when you set a goal to work on it throughout the year.

Any other information you would like to include to our readers?


I hope you’ll stop by to visit me on my website & Instagram account.  If you do, send me a quick hello!  Happy cooking!!

Thank you Becky for a lovely interview!

If you are a writer and want your own interview go to https://noshwithchefjulie.com/contact/

To read more author interviews click here https://noshwithchefjulie.com/category/author-interviews/

Blogger Spotlight- Interview with Baking Blogger Lenka Gengelova

Let us know about yourself and how we can connect with you.

My name is Lenka and I am a passionate baker from Slovakia. I run my baking blog www.wandering-senses.com and share baking tips and tricks on Instagram @wandering_senses

My passion for baking goes back to the days when I was a small girl. I loved helping my grandma to knead the dough while sitting on her lap. There was not a weekend when my family would not bake delicious cakes and pastries. That sweet pleasant smell coming from the oven is my favorite smell till today. Although my academic background is a different field, baking and culinary is always something I found fascinating. I somehow always revolved around it. Only a couple of years ago, when I was living in Nepal, my passion morphed into serious interest and my one of my source of living.

What is the name of your blog or book and how did you get started?

While I was in Nepal, I started to focus more intensively on baking. Back then, I was working for a hospitality establishment. I was in charge of Event Management and Recipe and Menu Development. Besides baking, I was developing new recipes with a healthier twist and started to experiment with my first vegan desserts. Locals loved it so, I decided to start my small dessert company called Smart Treats Nepal. It focused on healthier, smarter desserts.

What is your favorite food?

Tomato-based pasta is one of my favorites. I love vegetables in general, so a salad with a good dressing would be one of them as well.

What is your favorite comfort food?

Pastry and coffee or a fresh loaf of bread with a lot of butter on it.

If you could learn how to make any food what would it be?

There are so many foods and desserts I want to master. Now I am focusing on and studying enriched, yeast-based dough. My next step will be mastering dough with wild yeasts and sourdough.

What is your favorite thing about being a blogger, writer, or author?

To be able to share my passion and knowledge with other people who enjoy baking as I do. Likewise, I help those who are just starting and very scared to bake. Right now, I really enjoy meeting people via my online baking classes. I found myself in teaching and I am learning myself a lot from them as well. It makes me very happy when my students get to enjoy a beautiful pastry that they never dreamt of baking by themselves. I always say that everyone can bake and I try to encourage people to do so. My classes are tailored to any level of experience. I am happy and proud of all those baking successes of my students.

What do you like to do for fun?

I love nature. I love to go for hikes or long walks into nature where I refresh my mind. Hiking is a form of meditation for me. As you take a step after another, you have time and a chance to clear your mind. You can let go of all those thoughts piling up in your head every day. Right now, I am living in NYC and I don’t have a lot of options to go hiking. The Hudson river promenade makes up for forests. I am very excited to go out of the city as soon as the recent lockdown rules loosen up a bit.

What are you reading right now?

Besides recipe books it is 21 Lessons for 21 Century from Yuval Harari.

Do you have any blogs or books you can recommend?

Plenty. I get inspired by many amazing authors and bloggers. Just to mention a few of them-a a great book which I find to be a baking Bible is “How baking works” by Paula Figoni. Another very nice book describing the basics of working with gluten-free dough and listing amazing recipes is “Alternative Baker” by Alanna Taylor-Tobin. My favorite baking blogs are mostly Slovak one but from those in English I love to read www.weekendbakery.com

If you could have superpowers what would they be?

Eat delicious sweets and desserts as much I want without gaining too much weight.

What projects are you working on right now?

At the moment I am mainly focusing on the baking classes that I run herehere and via my blog as well. Besides that, I started a long-term journey of baking education. Signing up for an online course that goes deep into how baking works. And of course, I bake and experiment daily and post my best recipes on my blog wandering-senses.com

Thank you Lenka for a wonderful interview!

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