GETTING INTO @IZZYFOODDIARIES

Hey! I’m Izzy, my background is chinese Indonesian, was born and raised in Sydney. I am many things, including singer/songwriter, piano teacher, food photographer, food blogger and baker. 

What is your passion and when did you discover it?
My passions are all creative related, anything got to do with music and definitely anything associated with food. I love exploring different food cuisines. learning about the cooking process, ingredients, and culture. I could have a solid two hour conversation about food with like-minded food lovers! I believe food shouldn’t be eaten for the sake of eating when it can be thoroughly enjoyed, and the perfect excuse to unite friends and family. 

I have a food blog on my instagram which documents and reviews all the food places and dishes I have tried. I started food blogging because I had a realisation that I have been eating/drinking from so many places and I really wanted to recommend places that I love. Starting out as an amateur food blogger, I was encouraged in the midst of the journey to be more serious in food blogging by producing better photos that would capture the essence of food, and this was by purchasing a good quality dslr camera. Ever since then, my photos progressively became more engaging and professional, cafes and restaurants have been asking me to come to them and do their food photography. It’s super satisfying to see clients happy with my photos and using my photos for their business’ usage.

Other than being very impressed with Pappa Rich’s Nasi Lemak, I love this photo because all the dishes and drinks takes me back to Southeast Asia. I had to move the dishes and drinks around, so the placements really work for the photo. The details of this photo make the dishes look very inviting and delicious, and it makes me want to dig in to that kaya toast in half boiled eggs! The photo is somewhat elegant but simple, and the lighting is gorgeous which elevates the look of the dishes more! 

Pleaasee tell us about mochcookies! What exactly is that and what inspires you to create this dessert?
Yes, Mochookies are mochi + cookies. They are of soft and stretchy mochi inside of different assorted flavoured cookies. I’ve always wanted people to try my baked goods because I love it when others enjoy my cookings (same goes to people loving the food places I recommend). I’ve made cookies for a long time and my friends love them so much, but I wanted to take them to the next step by including mochi inside. Mochookies are such a win because you get to enjoy the different textures: the mochi is soft and stretchy, and the cookies have a more crisp texture. I also wanted to make many flavours of mochookies so customers can explore the new creations I come up with according to cravings and current trends. 

Can you share a few tips for future foodbloggers?
Yeah, sure thing! Some tips I would give in food blogging are: create good content/photos – try to make them look as nice and great as possible, you may need to move around a few things on the table (get rid of tissue in the background or anything that doesn’t look great). Don’t be afraid to meet new people in the food blogging community, I definitely prefer food bloggers who love food as much as I do and are knowledgable about food, so if you’re like minded, I would love to meet you! Another tip I would give is be consistent with your postings and knowing about engagement on instagram (eg, knowing which hashtags to use for more exposure) goes a long way! 

You can follow me on @izzyfooddiares which is my food blog, @mochookies for mochi cookies and @izoramusic for my music page! [IM]