Today we’d like to introduce you to Hemali Patel.
Hemali, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was in college when I realized I had a passion for cooking, at that time I was pursuing a Bioinformatics degree at the University of St.Thomas, here in Houston. Very early on I realized my palate was not made for constant take-out and cheap ramen and so I had to learn how to cook, luckily my mom had taught me enough basics to get by but eventually I got tired of staying in that comfort zone and starting experimenting with new recipes, flavors, and techniques and that passion to create good food eventually turned into a fully-fledged food blog! Forks and Gold started as a way for me to chronicle all of the many adventures I was cooking up in my college apartment kitchen and it has now evolved into something even beyond my wildest dreams!
Forks and Gold is a reflection of my two favorite things in life, a great plate of food to stick my gold fork into! My flavors are inspired by my unique childhood, I was born in the USA but grew up 8,741 miles away in a city called Lusaka, the capital city of Zambia, a tiny central-southern African nation but I am also Indian and have roots based in Gujurat, India. This unique childhood exposed me to all kinds of flavors and cultures which now shows up in many of my recipes that are heavily influenced by the aromatic spices of India, the smokey, earthy flavors of Zambian and African cuisine and of course an occasional dose of that unique American flair!
Has it been a smooth road?
Someone once said to me “success is not linear a process” and that has been one of the best pieces of advice I have ever received. There have been many times I’ve questioned and doubted myself being an online creator but the thing is even in struggles this does not feel like a “job” to me. Forks and Gold and the content I create is a form of art and expression and it is where I feel most in my element. I have run this blog for just over two years and money and being well-known has never been the goal and it will never be. If you set yourself up that way and are in it just to make money and fame, you are going to fail. Passion is the key to success, find something you are passionate about and success will follow along slowly but surely. Success never happens overnight, there are a lot of long days/months where you question yourself and your perspective but eventually, things will fall into place. So I would say this, no it has not been a smooth road for me but it has been one heck of a journey I will never forget!
Please tell us about Forks and Gold.
Forks and Gold is a food blog dedicated to making good food that even the most challenged cooks can tackle! We’re known for our minimal ingredient and super easy recipes that pack all the flavor! Our emphasis on flavor and easy-to-make recipes set us apart from other blogs. Forks and Gold is a food blog dedicated to making home cooking more of an adventure and experience rather than another chore/task that needs to be done for the sake of doing it. We believe a good plate of food should not cost much in terms of dollars and effort needed to make it and we work hard to provide recipes that transform your time spent in the kitchen. We also provide services in areas such as:
Recipe Research & Development
Recipe Testing
Food & Restaurant Photography
Food Writing
Digital Marketing
Social Media Content Creation
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The food blog/creator industry is bound to only get bigger and better! It is an exciting time being a food blogger with companies starting to recognize the potential food creators bring in terms of quality, content, and audiences. In terms of changes, The industry is shifting towards a more audience-centric approach changing the landscape of traditional food blogs. Today food blogs are not just about recipes there about the appliances and tools used to make these recipes and audiences want these tools and appliances in their homes, they trust their favourite food blogger to give them the best information. Audiences have a firm belief in influencers and that is bound to bring some major advantages and changes within the industry.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.forksandgold.com
- Email: forksandgold@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forksandgold/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/forksandgold/
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/forksandgold/
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/forksandgold
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