Each week we profile a different Canadian Food Blogger who is part of the FBC community. This week we meet Nancy, the Vancouver based blogger behind the site Nomss, where she writes about Chinese food recipes, restaurant reviews from Vancouver and abroad and food news.
Name: Nancy Wu
Blog name: Nomss
Where were you born? Vancouver
Where are you living now? Vancouver
Why did you start your blog?
I started the blog originally because I wanted to document all the restaurants my then boyfriend (now husband) has been to. I wanted to share our love for food, travel and cooking. I also loved photographing food. Every week we would go to a new restaurant. The blog was fun. It was a creative outlet from my finance day job.
How did you decide on your blog name?
The name Nomss or nom nom nom represents the sound made when someone is eating something really delicious! Nomss means to eat with extreme delight.
Nomss is a source for people who care about the food culture, experiences and enjoying life. We believe that food is an universal language that brings cultures and stories together. It means you love fine five star meal and also the stand up night market stand. It is about community. We want to create something social in nature that people would want to share and also find delight in. It’s about discovery. We want to travel and tell stories in interesting ways and help you map your own adventures. We are more than just a food website.
What do you blog about?
I share mainly food – Chinese food recipes, healthy food recipes, restaurant reviews, and food news. I also blog about travel and wellness. Over at our sister website, www.hellonance.com, I focus more on Motherhood, Lifestyle and beauty and skincare products.
Is your blog your business, your hobby or something in between?
The blog began as a hobby and evolved over the years into somewhere in between. Time to time I will work on projects with brands for recipe development, social assets, etc. It is my passion project as well as my side hustle.
What post on your blog most encapsulates you and why?
A lot of the recipes I blog about are food that I love growing up. I love finding new ways of reinventing it, simplifying it while keeping versatile for every day home cooking. I love the lighting of these photos. This recipe for Taiwanese Green Onion Beef Rolls has a lot of great texture and mouth feel! Seriously, go make it and share with me your photos! (tag me at @instanomss #instanomss )
Which post do you wish received more love and why?
I’m always envious of people who can start their day slow with a good meditation, workout and likely a nice breakfast. Sadly, I’m usually running around and don’t have time to make breakfast. I would love for this post to get a little love since these Raw Bars are absolutely delicious, dead easy to make, super healthy without all the store bought preservatives and sugar!
Which post’s success surprised you and why?
This post for Chinese Braised Beef Brisket Tendon is hand down my most popular post. Every time I look at it, I make a mental note of retaking the photos.) I think it is such a comfort homey food that it resonates with many of us. And it is also a good reminder that things doesn’t need to be ‘perfect’!
What’s your biggest challenge as a blogger?
Time and Balance
Time – finding time to create content. It is always a struggle to create/test recipes, take photos, blogging, social, etc.
On that note, it is hard finding balance after working full-time, taking care of two children (I have a toddler and a husband 🙂 .
Sometimes, I get sucked into the spiral of doing these days, that I forget to save some “me” time without feeling guilty…
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned as a blogger?
Always do what makes you happy. If you are not passionate about what you are writing about or doing, people can sense it being lukewarm.
What has been your biggest success as a blogger so far?
Some of my work has been published on SELF Magazine, ClassPass, National Post, Yellow Pages. I was also one a Vancouver ambassador for ClassPass.
Share a couple of your favourite food blogs to read. Why do you like them?
Sugared n Spiced - great photos and excellent travel blog
Downshiftology - a lot great gluten-free recipes and wellness articles.
Favourite food - care to share a recipe or a restaurant destination?
I LOVE seafood. One of the best places to get seafood is Chuen Kee Seafood in Hong Kong. They come straight from nearby fishmongers with exquisite varieties. My favourite is razor clams and steamed grouper.
What are you working on next for your blog?
More recipes and publishing the 20 draft posts on wellness and Motherhood.
What else should we know about you that may or not be in your “About Me” page?
Despite being quite active on social, I’m actually quite a private person. I like to keep a lot of my personal life separate from the blog.
What makes your blog unique?
I think Nomss.com has a good mix of content. It is able to simplify recipes and provide some breakdown of the ingredients used in Chinese Medicinal Food Therapy like in this post for Double Steamed Snow Pear Fritillaria Bulb.
How do you cultivate a sense of community around your blog?
I think it resonates with people who love eating out but also love cooking at home.
What part of the FBC site do you find most useful?
I love the blogger resource section. I rely on FBC for answers on a lot of the technical questions I have – ex. Tax, Blog Monetization, Email Newsletters, etc. PLUS! I LOVE their conferences!
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