I’m writing this because I know some readers will look at this and wonder what is going on , and I just want to be clear that first and foremost, Gastrofork will always be a food blog. As I travel, I get to try delicious eats and experience exciting events and places. Even when I’m not travelling and I’m here in Vancouver, there are a lot of fun things that happen that are not necessarily food related but just as interesting! I often want to share this on my blog but felt like it was out of place to write about things that didn’t pertain to food. I’ve tried starting up other smaller blogs that are more focused on the other things I love, but I find myself always gravitating around Gastrofork.

In the past year, Gastrofork was attacked by malicious hacks and I didn’t fully realize how important this blog was to me until I nearly lost it all. In the couple of days that my blog was down (and I was hyperventilating in a corner and then implemented some pretty expensive security), my mind wandered into the ‘what if?’ situation. What if I said no, this is where I stop? But I couldn’t. I had poured so much of my life into my blog that I couldn’t stop here. I find so much joy in writing and for the most part, I always feel like I’m the only person reading my silly little blog – but, it’s pretty obvious this is not the case.

I’m always immensely amazed and thankful that people come and read my thoughts, watch my videos and comment on and like my photos. Creating – whether writing, taking photos or making videos – has always been my passion and if I could do this full time for the rest of my life, that would be my dream.  I feel so inspired when I see my friends I’ve made through blogging in their successes.

When I started Gastrofork, I wasn’t really sure what I was trying to do. I wanted to share restaurants I’ve experienced but I also wanted to feature my talented family in the process. And now, almost 6 years later – I’m still unsure where I fit in terms of ‘categorization’. I’m not just a recipe blog, I’m not just a restaurant blog.

But here’s what Gastrofork is to me:

  • Gastrofork is a blog that features the talented cooking of my father, Joe – represented by his recipes on Youtube and on the site, as well as the cookbook we have self-published together.
  • It is a blog that features my sister, Nathalie’s wonderful photography and videography skills.
  • It is the place where I can write what I love and share my thoughts honestly and openly on my terms.
  • It is a platform where my most closest and trusted friends can also share their experiences.
  • Gastrofork is a resource that I want readers to not only learn of restaurants and recipes, but also how to do things they may not normally do or have always wondered about.

The website isn’t 100% finished yet, but I don’t think it ever will be. It’ll be dynamic. It’ll be forever a work in progress. Like we all should be.

And to wrap up this long winded post, I just want to say an incredibly sincere thank you to you. Thank you for your time reading the posts, visiting Gastrofork, liking the photos and watching the videos. I get to do what I love every day thanks to your support, and I’m tremendously thankful for this.

And now, back to your regularly scheduled programming. 🙂

with love,

dee