4. Little Upside Down Cake
The Story
Sanda Vukovic Pagaimo takes pictures of food, sells traditional and organic sweets online, is a math nerd and has a sister. She was born in 1972, has a sister who is nine years her senior and comes from a large family, with a long-standing appreciation of and tradition for food. The thing about her being a math and IT geek is relevant, as it led her to pursue a career in information technology. However, everything changed for her in 2011, when she decided to leave her stable job and start an online business in organic food, as well as a career in food photography. Where picture-taking is concerned, she is entirely self-taught, though she eventually did study in workshops, as well as with food stylists and food photographers she admires. Her main defining trait is that she fully enjoys everything she does every day.
The Blog
The Little Upside Down Cake blog is a colorful array of recipes for sweets, or bolos and dolces as they call them in Portuguese, Sandra’s native language. As a matter of fact, her blog is entirely bilingual – but you needn’t worry about language quality, as she writes impeccably in both languages. Aside from recipes and food photos, the blog also includes samples of her non-food-related work, a selection of her Instagram updates for each month, plus news on the new products that her online home-delivery organic bakery can provide.
Blog Metrics
PR – 3/10
DA – 34
Alexa Rank – 1,138,592
Fans & Followers – Follow Sandra on Instagram, where her regular updates have amassed more than 10k followers already, or check out the food blog’s Facebook page, with over 2.7k fans
Foodie Philosophy
“I was raised around a large family where food was at our core. My childhood memories smell of fresh bread and vanilla.”
In a nutshell, this is what makes Little Upside Down Cake one of the best food blogs out there: its amazing pastry recipes and the stories of tradition and family history they come along with. Check out some spectacular food photos from Sandra below – with more on her blog!
Signature Recipes
3. Chasing Delicious
The Story
There’s a lot to be said about the effort and dedication that goes into making Chasing Delicious one of the absolute best cooking blogs out there. But no one says it best than its actual owner, Russell van Kraayenburg. Check out the video below and you’ll understand a whole lot more about this awesome blog and site, which, surprisingly enough, is owned and ran by a man – and one who looks nothing like a foodie on first glance!
The Blog
There’s a lot more to Cooking Delicious than to your average culinary blog – the site’s a regular encyclopedia, and an extremely useful one for beginner cooks. It does feature an awesome array of various types of recipes, but aside from that, it also includes tips on how to get fresh homegrown produce, an encyclopedia of culinary terms, a ‘Behind the Scenes’ section, with outtakes from building the site, as well as a store for Cooking Delicious merch. The site actually belongs to a network, which also includes male culture focused The Boys Club, plus The Sweet Tooth, which (you guessed it!) is all about desserts!
Blog Metrics
PR – 4/10
DA – 53
Alexa Rank – 206,235
Fans & Followers – They’ve got well over 6,500 fans on Facebook, and, aside from all the traditional social media platforms, such as Google+, Twitter, and Instagram, there also exist two extra Cooking Delicious content channels on Vimeo and YouTube.
Foodie Philosophy
Well, you heard the man in the video above, didn’t you?
“I like food. A lot. In fact, some people say I’m obsessed, or that I’ve got a problem. But I’ve always been like this. Always. But you know what, I like me food obsession. Because I know how to turn flour, butter, eggs, sugar, and chocolate into cookies. And, well, I don’t need to tell you how good they are.”
No, indeed, he doesn’t – you can simply check out the pictures of some of his best recipes below, as well as pay the site a visit. You’ll be happy you did.
Signature Recipes
2. Spoon Fork Bacon
The Story
Spoon Fork Bacon is the love child and culinary blog extraordinaire created by Teri Lyn Fisher and Jenny Park. They’re passionate about a lot of things and their zest for life shines through in the fun interactive design of their blog, as well as in the creative way through which they present, design, and write their recipes. Teri likes Ritz, plates, and the ocean and she’s the proud owner of two cats – Tigger and Napoleon. She’s the project’s designated photographer, who shoots with a Canon DSLR camera. Meanwhile Jenny is a fan of both cook books and Chuck Palahniuk, not to mention donuts, and she’s got a dog called Dexter. They both love hotdogs, hiking, and cheese and meat platters, and are huge admirers of farmers’ markets and the Anthropologie fashion and home products brand. They’ve recently put out a book called Tiny Food Party, which you can buy online here.
The Blog
Spoon Fork Bacon is great for amazing pictures of dinner ideas, but it’s also an all-round awesome food blog, with greatly detailed recipes, writers that are always there to help you out in the comments, and an impressively vast array of categories. They do everyday recipes, seasonal ones, party food, cocktails, and also feature two special sections: one in which they rework a basic recipe in three different ways, and one titled ‘Recipe Redressed’ which updates a classic course into something entirely new and modern.
Blog Metrics
PR – N/A
DA – 63
Alexa Rank – 87,858
Fans & Followers – Spoon Fork Bacon is available on most social networks, including Facebook (almost 20k fans), Twitter (more than 4,000 followers), Instagram (over 43k followers), and Google+ (158 people have them in their circles).
Foodie Philosophy
“Teri: I have always loved to eat, but the cakes, and frosting colors, tablescapes, and colors in a dish are what really excite me.
Jenny: Discovering new (to me) flavor profiles and pairings within ingredients is something I’m obsessed with; I love “creating” with food, both flavors and design, as it is the only thing in my life that allows me to say, “I’m creative!” :)”
Discover some of their amazing creations below and check out their blog (but also our website, too), if you’re looking for great Thanksgiving menu ideas.
Signature Recipes
1. Not Without Salt
The Story
It all began at Beverly Hills’ prestigious Spago, where the now accomplished mommy and food blogger was preparing and serving desserts. She was planning to become a pastry chef – yet that all changed when she learned she was pregnant with her first child. She and her husband moved back home to Washington and dedicated themselves to raising the family. Nowadays, she says her “patrons are one husband and three young children who are rarely as patient and well-mannered as the Beverly Hills elite I served prior to this new gig.”
The Blog
Ashley’s blog is always a treat to read, because she simply seems to be doing everything so well. She is an accomplished mother of three (absolutely adorable blond angels), who sometimes posts updates on their lives – check out their birthday party pics! She’s also Gabe’s wife and one of the most enjoyable sections on her blog is called ‘Dating My Husband’. Posts in this category usually center on the topic of their relationship, are very candidly written (she doesn’t shy away from describing the snags they sometimes encounter), and always include a delicious recipe which readers can try out on date nights of their own. She’s actually preparing a book based on this section, scheduled for release on Valentine’s Day 2015 – we couldn’t be more stoked for the release date! Add to this her amazingly creative recipes, especially for desserts, but also for healthful mains. And, of course, there are the spectacular pictures, which she takes herself, with a Canon 5D Mark II or a Canon A-1 for film photos.
PR – 5/10
DA – 64
Alexa Rank – 158,979
Foodie Philosophy
“Your kitchen is a place to be creative and productive. Meals are meant to be savored and enjoyed. Good food is simple, fresh, seasonal and delicious.”
Ashley likes to keep it “simple, classic, and nutritious”, but admits that her passion for pastry hasn’t waned, as flour and butter continue to be two main fixtures on her blog. Check out some of her scrumptious looking results in the gallery below!
Signature Recipes
Bonus: V. K. Rees Photography
The Story
Vanessa hails from South Western Virginia, but has been living in Brooklyn for quite some time now, with her boyfriend and their fat, yellow cat. According to her own statements, she is absolutely fascinated with lighting and will use as many as eight different sources of light for a single shot. The mountain-girl transplant to the big city has a lot of other passions, as well, which include gin, tea, and bagels – she says she lives above the best bagel shop in all of New York. Ever since she decided to bring her two main passions, namely for food and photography, together, she has had the privilege of working for some amazing clients, which include Food & Wine Magazine, Ralph Lauren, as well as many other brands and publications.
The Blog
The V.K. Rees blog is mostly about great quality food photos, which Vanessa either takes to illustrate her recipes, or the work of others. Since she’s resolutely on her way to fame, she now spends most of the time focusing on doing shoots for upcoming recipe books – visit her blog to check out a recent and awesome shot for a salad recipe book coming up in 2014. However, she still finds the time to dedicate her passion and talent to her own work. As for her recipes, the greatest part about them is that most of them are simple, traditional, and great for breakfast. We particularly liked her Pull Apart Pumpkin Bread, or Dad’s Breakfast Granola. We also particularly enjoy her special shoots, such as the ones that involve her friends or her travels around the U.S., as they all tend to look spectacularly fun.
Blog Metrics
PR – 4/10
DA – 46
Alexa Rank – 505,896
Fans & Followers – over 3.7k fans on Facebook, 8k on Instagram (doh, she’s an amazing food photographer, who was even featured on Mashable) and some 200 followers on Flickr
Foodie Philosophy
“Food is about so much more than the food itself. It’s about where you’re eating, who you’re eating with, who taught you the recipe, etc. Lately I’ve been trying to tell a story with food photography. My goal is not to only to showcase the food, but the story behind it.”
Vanessa is particularly great at creating blog stories from recipes she learned from her parents or friends. Check out some of her amazing food photography examples below, then head out to the blog for the recipes!
Signature Recipes
Read on, for the top 10 dessert food blogs out there. Click ‘Next’! >>