This post is sponsored by Squarespace. A better web starts with your website.
Here at the My Modern Met, we've always been impressed by food photographers. Many of them are creative artists, while others take a much more serious approach to their craft. The one thing that they seem to all have in common is that they're sharing with the world what they're most passionate about.
Last month, we showed you how artists and photographers are developing beautiful and professional looking websites through Squarespace, and today we turn our attention to one of our very own writers, Annie Lee, a registered dietitian who's love for cooking as well as design led her to create her own brand and blog on Squarespace. We caught up with Annie to ask her about her passion project, a food blog called The Cal Kitchen. Why did she start it and how did Squarespace help her get it off the ground? If you've ever thought about creating your own food blog, or any other blog centered around a particular passion point of yours, this post is for you.
Can you please tell us about The Cal Kitchen? Why did you start it?
The Cal Kitchen is a food blog that chronicles my cooking adventures. I develop my own recipes and then share them with the rest of the world. As for my background, I am a registered dietitian. For years, I worked with a non-profit organization, counseling women and children on healthy eating habits. I've always loved food and, what I enjoy most about my profession, is that it has given me the background and knowledge on how different types of food can affect the body in different ways. Though I found my work very rewarding, I often felt like there was something missing because I am a creative person by nature. The Cal Kitchen has been a great way for me to fill that void. It's my creative outlet, allowing me to do two of my favorite things, cook and style food.
Why did you choose Squarespace?
I chose Squarespace for its simplicity. I wanted a platform that I could easily design on my own and that would result in a polished looking website. I fell in love with the bright and modern templates. Those are the two characteristics that I found were most important to me when making a website, especially one that heavily relies on photography to convey its message.
How easy was it to use?
It really couldn't have been easier. To get started, all I had to do was watch the demo video. I am a novice when it comes to web development. But I am very particular and like having control over the look of my site. The drag and drop interface allowed me to create any layout I wanted simply by dragging and dropping blocks. Because it is so intuitive, I was able to get the site up and running in no time.
How long did the website take you to create from start to finish?
To get the site up and running was super fast. I already knew the layout I wanted and because you have so much freedom with the drag and drop interface I was able to quickly and easily set up the look I wanted.
How did you pick the layout of your Squarespace site?
I really wanted a three column layout. So I narrowed down my search by looking up the templates that would accommodate this, then I chose from there.
Have you had to use Squarespace's customer care service? If so, what was that like?
I used the forums pretty heavily during the development stage of the site and the response was always very fast and thorough. Because the process was so seamless and I haven't run into any issues that I couldn't resolve myself, I haven't had the need to contact their customer care.
What are some tips you could give to others thinking about starting up their own blog or Squarespace site?
If you're considering using Squarespace to build your site all I have to say is do it! It really is super fast and the look that you get without ever having to use code is incredible. What worked for me was knowing the type of layout I wanted prior to development then choosing the template from there. Doing a quick search will help narrow down which templates would best fit your needs.
Where do you hope to take The Cal Kitchen from here?
I hope to continue to develop new recipes and create a community for home cooks to share, learn and inspire each other. There are so many incredible cooks out there, and with the internet, it has become easier to learn tips and tricks from each other. My hope is that The Cal Kitchen will become a meeting place where cooks come to inspire and find inspiration.
Thanks for the interview, Annie! Best of luck to you and The Cal Kitchen. Can't wait to try making all those delicious dishes on your website.
