How to Start a Food Blog
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| Mandolin Rayo, the Taco Journalist |
Austin, TEXAS — Tacos are the mainstay of the Austin food scene and food blogger Mando Rayo is the go-to source for the best tacos in town. At South by Southwest Interactive, Rayo, the Taco Journalist, shared his secrets for launching a successful food blog.
Know your food. Rayos offers his unquestionable rules for tacos like flour tortillas are only for chorizo and egg fillings and corn tortillas are for everything else. The more you know about your food, the more your readers will turn to you as an expert source.
Build community. There's more to food than what you see on the plate. Include the culture, history and traditions around the food you write about.
Be true to your style and yourself. Ratios has been tempted to imitate TV food show hosts, but says that's a mistake.
"On the Food Network, they use all these adjectives," he said. "It doesn't feel right to me — I speak Spanglish!"
Don't believe the hype. Listen to other people's recommendations , but always do your own research.
Don't worry about blogging all the time. Rayo and his team of roving critics, known as the Food Mafia, eat far more frequently than they write.
However, don't starve your readers. Rayos uses Facebook and Twitter to share on-the-spot food photos and first impressions of the restaurants, taco stands and food trucks he reviews.
His last morsel of advice was a lesson he learned the hard way:
"Don't kill yourself by eating too many tacos — or your food of choice — at one time."
Rayo's first book, "Austin Breakfast Tacos: The Story of the Most Important Taco of the Day," will be released by History Press in August.
Email Leslie Meredith or follow her @lesliemeredith. Follow us @TechNewsDaily, Facebook or Google+.
