Name: Judy Hum-Delaney
Blog name and URL: Ottawa Foodie Girlz
Where were you born? I was born in Ottawa, Ontario
Where are you living now? Still in Ottawa (but I’m well-travelled)
Why did you start your blog?
I founded a community group called Ottawa Foodie Girlz in August of 2014. Currently, there are seven other members: Kristina Henrikson (Graphic Designer), Jenny Ryan (Media), Roxanne Landriault, Tanya Samman, Lesia Beznaczuk and Mary Seligy. The vision was to develop and foster good relationships with local restaurants in Ottawa and then partner with them to host food-related events in support of local charities. We added the blog component so that people could follow us on our food adventures and so that we could showcase our charitable events.
How did you decide on your blog name?
In August of 2014 we were having drinks before a dinner out and I proposed the concept to the other members of the group. We brainstormed a bit, knowing we wanted to have “Ottawa” and “Food” in the title and after looking up a few twitter handles, to make sure we weren’t stepping on any toes, we decided on Ottawa Foodie Girlz.
What do you blog about?
Our primary focus is ”Food Experiences”, local eateries and, of course, our events. We blog about food industry events that we get invited to as well.
What post on your blog most encapsulates you?
Early on, I decided that we should share our story and how it all began. Since charity and giving back is such a key component I wanted people to understand why.
Which post do you wish received more love and why?
We did a fun post on an awesome local bakery and how they create amazing coconut cream pie bars. Unfortunately, this was post went up when our blog was very new and it didn’t get the reads it could have… or maybe people just don’t like coconut….nah…that’s not possible.
Which post’s success surprised you and why?
We recently did a post on a to-die-for Sugar Shack food experience we were invited to by a collective of 7 local chefs. Like us, the collective occasionally works together to create amazing food experiences in support of local charities. At the sugar shack (#tableerable) event, funds were raised to support FarmWorks - Operation Come Home. Our blog post generated a lot of traffic not only to our site but it also created buzz on all of our social media channels. Perhaps readers felt a little nostalgic about their own Sugar Shack experiences? But what pleasantly surprised us most was the wide-spread support for the charity aspect of both of our initiatives. Sometimes it’s about more than just the food.
What’s your biggest challenge as a blogger?
One of the biggest challenges for me, personally, is to not be afraid to show who I really am online. We are pretty new to the blogosphere and like anyone else out there, we want people to like us and be interested in what we have to say and to come back. I’m the main blogger in the group and as I write each post, I think that I’m becoming more comfortable sharing my true voice than when I first started.
Share a couple of your favourite food blogs to read. Why do you like them? (include URLs).
One of our all-time-favourite food blogs is that of our local foodie friend Don Chow and Jen Lim of Foodie Prints.
Favourite food - care to share a recipe or a restaurant destination?
Collectively our favourite thing is thankfully all the rage on restaurant menus these days. We adore an interesting selection of Charcuterie and Cheeses; cleverly presented and locally sourced. Relaxing with a mocktail or a glass of wine while enjoying gorgeous tray of nibbles is our all-time fave.
What are you working on next for your blog?
We’ve had a busy few weeks so we are catching up on blogging about some very exciting events we have attended: a whisky tasting and new restaurant opening are among the posts in the hopper. Not to mention a charity event we are hosting later this month in collaboration with a great (and generous) local restaurant.
What else should we know about you that may or not be in your “About Me” page?
It’s not all about me – we’re a team.
An interesting note… because we’re more than one, we can collectively experience multiple food adventures at the very same time. Our Twitter followers may notice that we sometimes seem to be in two places at the same time… that’s why.
What makes your blog unique?
We have eight members of the group so our blog is a representation of all of us. Though my voice is the main one, my girlz are very much part of the flavor.
What’s your Favourite FBC Feature?
I really enjoy all of the blogger resource-oriented posts, ones that aren’t necessarily about food but help new bloggers learn more about how to become a successful, popular and impactful blogger.
Follow Ottawa Foodie Girlz on Social Media
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
You can unsubscribe any time!
Leave a Reply