Each week we profile a different Canadian Food Blogger who is part of the FBC community. This week we meet Lisa, the Surrey, BC food stylist behind Lisa Dawn Bolton who creates beautiful meals and grazing and snacking platters on boards. Her first cookbook, On Boards, will be released on October 30th by Appetite by Penguin Random House.
Name: Lisa Bolton
Blog name: Lisa Dawn Bolton
Where were you born? Quesnel, BC
Where are you living now? Surrey, BC
Why did you start your blog?
It started as a creative outlet after I had my son. I needed to have something that was just my own; that didn’t revolve around being a mom or a wife or any other role other than me.
How did you decide on your blog name?
Well I landed on my own name if that tells you something! It started as sixtyone45 which was just my house number, then it was Food Well Said which i liked for how short and succinct it was (and my objective was to speak well about food) but as the business has evolved, I made the decision to move everything over to my name just to allow the website to be more of an umbrella of all the different things I am working on.
What do you blog about?
Whole food recipes that are thoughtfully presented. I write mostly about what the recipe is about, or what inspired it. I also freelance for FBC on foodstyling, teach food styling workshops, create grazing tables and I have book coming out in October!
Is your blog your business, your hobby or something in between?
Definielty something in between, although more of a business than it has ever been.
What post on your blog most encapsulates you and why?
My On Board in 20 Coconut Soup and Crostini Bar. It was one I wrote for the On Board in 20 series for FBC and it encapsulates me best beucase it truly is exactly how I love to eat. Food on a board, family style, thoughtfully presented.
Which post do you wish received more love and why?
My Chocolate Cake With Cauliflower. Its really VERY good, but I think the cauliflower really scares people off!
Which post’s success surprised you and why?
My Buddha Bowl. It is one of my most popular posts, but I was never totally happy with the images. I think whenever you capture a drip or a pour though, people are drawn to it.
What’s your biggest challenge as a blogger?
Committing to capturing consistent content creation. I didn’t mean for so much alliteration there, but that really sums it up. I cook so many things that never see the light of day in my quest to capture perfection, and yet less than perfect is often what resonates best with people.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned as a blogger?
Ironically to spend LESS time on the crazy internet in order to produce better, authentic content to share on the crazy internet. So easy to get pulled into the compare game, or join so many groups and classes to be a better blogger, website developer, SEO writer, social media rockstar… when I just stepped away from all the noise, I was able to create my best work, and it was also my most successful work.
Share a couple of your favourite food blogs to read. Why do you like them?
Cashew-Kitchen. I love reading Agnes blog. She recently converted back to blogging in Swedish but her social is still in English and she has a translate option. I am someone who reads blogs for the recipes mostly but she has a way of storytelling to me that I find captivating and her food!!! It’s incredible.
Adventures in Cooking. Eva from First We Eat creates the most beautiful recipes (her book is stunning) and I love how her images just draw you in.
Favourite food - care to share a recipe or a restaurant destination?
I wish I could. I am the the person who orders three appetizers because I can’t choose one main! One ironic fact, I pretty much love everything but one thing I don’t - olives!! And I am writing a book on meat and cheese boards… I love anything pickled, but an olive? I have to pass.
What are you working on next for your blog?
I think organizing my recent diversification. I am trying to hone in on that sweet spot in the venn diagram - the overlap in the circles that brings me most joy, allows me to prioritize being present for my family and still earns some income.
What else should we know about you that may or not be in your “About Me” page?
I am a pretty big sports fan. I think people think my husband ropes me into it but nothing beats an afternoon at a ballpark or tailgating for a football game.
What makes your blog unique?
I think my ability to put simple, whole foods together on a board is a unique perspective, but I guess just like anyone's blog that fact that it is a reflection of me, in and of itself, makes it unique.
What part of the FBC site do you find most useful?
Where do I start?? The community of food bloggers FBC has brought together in Canada is incredibly bright and talented. This really is a huge source of inspiration for me personally. FBC is always my first search for when I am stuck on something technical for sure, but more so when I am feeling unfocused or unsure - it never fails an article they have written about how to keep moving forward always pops up in my feed!
Editor's Note: Lisa's first cookbook, On Boards, will be released on October 30th, 2018. You can preorder your copy here.
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