Bonjour, Blogger! : Elizabeth

Name Elizabeth
Age 35
Location Charlotte, NC
Blog URL Beets and Bratwurst

What is your blog about?
My blog focuses on food, cooking, travel and lifestyle. I have infused this space with stories, humor, my verve and most importantly, recipes that can be created in my reader’s very own kitchens.

Is this your first blog?
Yes, indeed!

When did you start your current blog?
I started my blog at the very end of 2014.

What made you do it?
I lived abroad for five years and always regaled friends with the most marvelous stories. People told me to start a blog and I didn’t list. After my time abroad, I moved to NYC and landed a week before the financial debacle. I amassed more stories and my peers asked for a blog. Again, I didn’t listen. I moved to Charlotte, NC in 2009 and began cooking. I documented my masterpieces via Instagram and people begged for a blog. I listened and now here we are.

What was your first blog post about?
My first blog post served as an introduction to my blog as well as how to roast a chicken. I am a firm believer that everyone should know how to make something with their eyes closed. The more options the better but for me, I can roast a chicken while blind folded. I can also prepare the national dish of South Africa, bobotie, without a recipe. I hail from a South African background and this country is of significant importance to me.

What do you think is the most useful tool to you as a blogger?
A thesaurus!

Do people in your real life know about your blog? If yes, has your blog helped you career wise?
Yes and no. At my last firm, I worked in the PR space and my managers were not wild that I had one. As such, it went on hiatus for seven months. I am no longer with this company and I regret not further developing my blog during this time as it was an opportunity lost. I am currently looking for a job and my blog is serving as an outstanding writing portfolio. I have always worked in the corporate world and my blog is opening up new and more creative avenues for me.

What has been the one thing (blog post, project, etc) that you have been really proud of?
My blog gained the attention of the Food Network UK last year and they asked me to write for them.

Where do you see your blog in a year?
It is my goal to have at least 1,000 followers a day, requests for guest blogs and new avenues. A cookbook would be brilliant but all in good time.

What do you wish you knew when starting your blog?
I wish I had listened to my brother and launched my blog in WordPress instead of Blogger.

What do you wish you know more about now?
Writing code. I am green with envy of the next generation of kids coming through universities.

How do you keep motivated to post?
I cook nightly and love to write. I have linked all my social media platforms and feedback keeps me very motivated. I am fiercely proud of my ability to cook and write so why not? It is a free exercise in self-worth!

Anything else you’d like to add?
To borrow some lines from my blog:
I proudly hail from a global family of adventuresome, gourmet eaters. Don’t get me wrong, we also engage in plenty of un-epicurean gluttony. We are firm believers in eating, drinking and being merry – no matter where in the world, the company or time of year. This is how I was raised and this is what I know. Travel was also an integral component of my upbringing. It served as a valuable platform by which to learn more about other cultures and ignite interest in foreign languages. Sometime along the way, I picked up two. Spanish and German. I have a great passion for eating and cooking. Thanks to my diverse background, I have mastered the former and am persistently developing the latter. The culinary path on which I now find myself began some time ago in our warm and ever so slightly dysfunctional little kitchen. I say “dysfunctional” as we are slowly building our kitchen artillery. All in good time.