The Kitchen Thyme Blogger Spotlight Series is a way for you and I to get to know and support the wonderful Food Bloggers who share their delicious recipes at Kitchen Thyme.
Meet Francine from Club Foody!
Check out her collection of recipes at Kitchen Thyme!
Kitchen Thyme: Hi Francine! Thank you for being part of our Kitchen Thyme Blogger Spotlight Series! Tell us where you’re from and how you got into blogging?
Francine: I’m originally from Montréal and I have always enjoyed good food. A few years ago, I became a food recipe analyst for allrecipes.com and this experience inspired me to start my own food recipe vlog. With my background in studying journalism and film school, it was the perfect combination of interests for me.
KT: How did you come up with the name of your blog?
Francine: Five years ago I wanted to start a community based on food so this is how Club Foody originated. My fiancé David didn’t like the standard spelling of “foodie” – as he said “who wants to eat food and die”? Therefore we changed the spelling to “Foody” with a Y…
KT: How long have you been blogging?
Francine: Already 3 years on March 1st
KT: Are you a part-time or full-time blogger?
Francine: I’m more than a full-time blogger, spending over 100 hours per week.
KT: How many recipes do you publish each week?
Francine: I post 2 recipes a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays although once a month I also post a Kitchen Tips and Tricks segment as well.
KT: After you publish a recipe on your blog, walk us through the steps you take to get more eyes on that recipe. What sites do you submit your recipe to? Do you use a spreadsheet to keep track of where you share your recipes?
Francine: The first place that my recipe appears is on YouTube which is scheduled at Midnight. The day the recipe comes out, I post it on LinkedIn, then my Club Foody Facebook as well as my personal Facebook page. After that I post it on Genius Kitchen and of course here at Kitchen Thyme. I tweet it on Twitter. I move on to Blogger and from there I link it to 3 sites on Pinterest. Finally, I post it on my Club Foody Google+ community and also share it with other communities within Google+. The only spreadsheet I use to keep track of how many views each recipe gets on YouTube is with Excel which I designed myself and do daily.
KT: What does a typical week look like for you? Do you create recipes and blog posts on certain days of the week?
Francine: I don’t have a specific schedule. When I feel inspired to create a recipe, I roll up my sleeves and get to it. The same applies to writing my blog and the introduction of the recipe at the beginning of each video.
KT: Do you have a good blog/life balance? Do you unplug at night or on the weekends?
Francine: I recently started unplugging at night so I can spend more time with my fiancé although the temptation to continue working until bedtime is pretty strong.
KT: How much time do you spend on Social Media each day? Do you use any schedulers for Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram? Do you have a Virtual Assistant to help you?
Francine: The days I post my recipes I probably spend 2 to 2.5 hours and the rest of the week about 30 minutes. I don’t use a scheduler or a virtual assistant.
KT: What social media networks/websites give you the most traffic to your blog?
Francine: YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn and my own community on Google+
KT: What are the main sources of income from your blog? Sponsored Posts? Advertisements? Affiliate Links?
Francine: YouTube, Google Ad Sense and Amazon.
KT: Do you have a long relationship with any particular Brands?
Francine: Not at the moment, but would love to be…
KT: Do you enjoy going to Blogging Conferences? If so, which ones do you recommend for Food Bloggers?
Francine: I’ve never been to one before.
KT: Where do you find inspiration to create new recipes?
Francine: I’ve been to many restaurants in my life around the globe and have enjoyed a lot of fabulous food so these experiences serve as inspiration for recipes I come up with. David and I enjoy brainstorming with recipe ideas and my imagination runs rampant even in my sleep at times if you would believe it.
KT: What are your top 3 favorite recipes on your blog?
Francine: Veal Piccata, Spanish Paella, Zucchini Pork Penne (and much more) but there are incredible recipes coming up later this year which are Meat Lovers Pizza, Duck Breasts with Spicy Blood Orange Sauce, Cream of Mushroom Soup, etc…
KT: Do you have great lighting in your house for photos or do you need to use artificial lighting or filters?
Francine: The overall lighting is pretty good although certain recipes would need some artificial light.
KT: What advice would you give to new food bloggers when it comes to taking photos of food?
Francine: Make it appealing and colorful.
KT: Do you have a favorite cookbook?
Francine: I don’t have favorite cookbooks because I don’t look at them.
KT: If you could cook with a famous chef or celebrity cook, who would it be and why?
Francine: Gordon Ramsey and Anne Burrell.
We’ve watched quite a few cooking shows on TV including Master Chef with Gordon and Worst Cooks in America with Anne. Gordon Ramsey is one of the best chef’s on the planet and is very knowledgeable.
I love Anne Burrell’s calm demeanor, her sense of humor and also because she’s a great teacher, so I would learn a lot from her. One of the most important things I learned from her is how to hold a knife properly (watch my older videos).
KT: You are constantly working with food. What are a few ingredients you cannot live without?
Francine: Olive Oil, Butter, Herbs and Spices.
KT: Do you have any advice for someone starting a food blog?
Francine: Be prepared to do it right because it’s a ton of work!
KT: Thank you so much for joining us at Kitchen Thyme, Francine! Where can our readers find you?
BLOG: Club Foody
Pinterest | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Blogger
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