Name: Noelle Chorney
Blog name: Amazon in the Kitchen
Where were you born? Saskatoon
Where are you living now? Saskatoon—but I have also lived in Calgary and Vancouver.
Why did you start your blog?
I am a professional writer who is obsessed with food. I spent 12 years writing as a food critic as well, but there were other things I wanted to share about food besides what I had enjoyed at a restaurant recently—like what I was cooking at home. When my youngest son was a few months old, I needed a creative outlet and wanted to connect with people about food. I cook all the time, so decided to start a blog to share what I was up to.
How did you decide on your blog name?
I started a catering company in 2004 with the title Amazon in the Kitchen, so it seemed a natural extension of that business.
What do you blog about?
Cooking for kids, being a foodie with kids, and how that changes how you cook and think about food, weekly meal plans, seasonal cooking and gardening. I have a few ‘series’ that I try to add to, including cookbook reviews, a leftovers series, kid favourites, “finger food Fridays” etc.
What post on your blog most encapsulates you and why?
This post speaks to why I started the blog in the first place, to make sense of how to be a foodie when surrounded by kids. I often document my plans for birthday parties, because they usually involve Pinterest-fail-worthy cakes and themes that go beyond hotdogs and hamburgers. This was one of them.
Which post do you wish received more love and why?
I would love to inspire people to eat more local food, and to have access to easy to prepare whole foods, year round. I have been honing my preserving recipes and schedule to balance with my available time and have met with some success, which I shared in this post. I’d love more people to benefit from what I shared.
Which post’s success surprised you and why?
Leftovers Series #1: Smokie and perogie frittata
I never expected this to be my most popular blog post. The frittata was amazing, and I’m glad people are finding the post useful. But it really was a thrown-together breakfast.
What’s your biggest challenge as a blogger?
Time, and my inability to stop what I’m doing to take pictures. I’m a full-on word-focused person. I tell stories with words, and my perpetual pattern is to be in the midst of making something or serving a meal, and thinking, “This would make a great photo!” and then not thinking about that until the plate is empty. I have lots of photos of empty plates.
Share a couple of your favourite food blogs to read. Why do you like them?
I like the blog posts that come up when I’m looking for a recipe to use what I have on hand. I find this happens most often with Serious Eats and The Pioneer Woman. I also spend a lot of time on fermentation sites, like Cultures for Health.
Favourite food - care to share a recipe or a restaurant destination?
Truly, I love all food. There is very little I don’t like. My favourite food is any dish that tops the list of the best I’ve ever had of that particular food. I have a list of the top three crème brulées I’ve ever had, for example, top three burgers, top sushi experience, etc. I love trying new things and creative takes on food. Adding truffles or foie gras always helps.
What are you working on next for your blog?
Just trying to keep it updated, and thinking more about how to apply some of my knowledge about best practies as a content strategist to my own blog. But if I’m completely honest, it is not what I am focused on right now.
What else should we know about you that may or not be in your “About Me” page?
Fundamentally, I am a creator of experiences. I am often too busy creating or having experiences to write about them on my blog.
What makes your blog unique?
My blog is an honest portrayal of me, and there’s no one else like me, so that must be what makes it unique! That, and the stunning lack of photographs.
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Hi Noelle. It was lovely reading about what is behind your blog. You are definitely keeping it real. And your admission Of the ‘stunning lack of photography! What was even more lovely, was meeting you in person and getting to know you better at the FBC conference.