Each week we profile a different Canadian Food Blogger who is part of the FBC community. This week meet Jo and Sue, twins from Lillooet, BC behind the self-named blog, Jo and Sue!
Name: Jo Vanderwolf and Sue St. Dennis
Blog name: Jo and Sue
Where were you born? Lillooet, BC
Where are you living now? Lillooet, BC
Why did you start your blog?
Sue and I were initially just looking for a way to share recipes with family and friends. It grew from there once we realized other people were interested in our recipes too.
How did you decide on your blog name?
When we named the blog we were just thinking about how our family and friends would be able to find us. We went with our names. We haven’t changed it because we have never been able to agree on a different name.
What do you blog about?
We blog about food. Usually recipes we have developed or tried from others. The odd time, when one of us is lucky enough to go on vacation, we blog about our food adventures on our trip.
Is your blog your business, your hobby or something in between?
I would say something in between. Sue and I both have full time work outside of blogging but we also put a lot of hours in to make our blog successful so we consider it more than a hobby.
What post on your blog most encapsulates you and why?
Probably our Baked Cheesecake Cones. I don’t know if totally encapsulates who we are but Sue and I both feel it gives a pretty good idea of how a lot of our posts come about. A lot of silliness and trial and error and, in the end, a recipe we hope everyone will enjoy as much as we did.
Which post do you wish received more love and why?
Sue developed this Spicy Lentil Sliders with Fiery Lentil Sauce recipe for a contest originally but it quickly became a family favorite. We think it deserves more love because it really is a fun and tasty recipe.
Which post’s success surprised you and why?
This cucumber salad was one of our first recipes to go viral and it took us by surprise. We always loved how simple and healthy and quick it was to make but who knew so many people loved cucumbers?
What’s your biggest challenge as a blogger?
Without a doubt the biggest challenge for us is the technical aspect of running a blog. Neither Sue nor I know much about computers so trying to grow the blog can be a real challenge. Doing things related to computer work can take us hours to figure out and get us quite frustrated but we keep plugging along.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned as a blogger?
To keep going and have fun. Some posts are going to be successful and some aren’t and there’s not really a lot you can do about it. Just keep posting stuff that is important to you and things will work out how they are meant to.
What has been your biggest success as a blogger so far?
I don’t know if we have one thing we consider our biggest success. We get excited every time one of our recipes goes viral or appears on a website like Chatelaine or Women’s Fitness. I guess just seeing our blog get recognition alongside bloggers we have idolized for so long is our biggest success.
Share a couple of your favor ite food blogs to read. Why do you like them?
We have sooooo many food blogs that we follow it’s hard to pick just a few. Hungry Happenings was the blog that inspired us to start our own blog. Beth just seems to have so much fun creating amazing edible art. Randa from The Bewitchin Kitchen always has such beautiful photos and delicious recipes so we’re always popping over to see what she’s up to.
Editor's note: check out our profile of The Bewitchin Kitchen.
Favourite food - care to share a recipe or a restaurant destination?
On our blog one of the things we say for almost every recipe is “this is our new favorite”. It depends on the season, our mood, the day of the week, what we’re wearing….that being said, bacon is always a good choice.
What are you working on next for your blog?
We’re working on growing our blog more, learning more technical things that can make us more effective. We’d love to be able to do things like add a “print recipe” button to our site so getting into that side of things while still having fun creating recipes is going to be our focus.
What else should we know about you that may or not be in your “About Me” page?
We don’t have an “About Me” page, just a little blurb as a side note. We are twin sisters who have a lot of similarities but who are also crazy different. Sue is a full time mom and wife who also works in childcare, I work full time as a medical transcriptionist. We grew up, and still live in, the beautiful, tiny community of Lillooet, British Columbia. We both love sharing our food with others and have so much fun creating new recipes.
What makes your blog unique?
I think being twins makes our blog unique. Our relationship really influences how we create and share our recipes. I also think our recipes are so all over the place that it makes us unique. A lot of blogs focus on one particular avenue: ie: healthy cooking, gluten free cooking, desserts, and we do all of it. Healthy, comfort foods, desserts, main courses, drinks, gluten free, incredibly decadent, etc. We never know where the next recipe will take us!
What part of the FBC site do you find most useful?
The Blogging Resources section, definitely. It has so many helpful tips when you are just getting started or if you have been blogging forever.
Follow Jo and Sue on Social Media:
Facebook | Twitter | Pinterst | Instagram
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