Foodists

Why I Love Being a Foodist

Apron modelled by Foodists Editor, Degan Beley

This post was supposed to be a review of the recent Night With Theo Chocolate event at The Refinery in Vancouver, but the event’s organizer and host Eagranie—a fellow Foodist—beat me to it, posting a terrific recap on her personal blog The Well Tempered Chocolatier. Needless to say, the room was packed, the Theo Chocolate was delicious, and the Farmstead Wines were perfectly paired. So I won’t write up a long-winded review of that event.

Instead, I’m going to write about why I love being a member of Foodists.

As we approach the one year anniversary since the official launch of Foodists, it feels like I’ve been part of something special. It really doesn’t matter how this community began, it’s become much more than a blog or a club. There are many aspects of being a Foodist, such as the wonderful food we make and eat together, the culinary events we host or get invited to, the amazing wine we drink and stories and recipes we share with each other, but my favourite thing about the Foodists are the Foodists themselves.

Foodists.ca is made up of some of the highest calibre people I know and I’m proud to call every one of them friends.

I don’t remember exactly when it happened, but our little food blog morphed from a place to post articles about some dish we made, some restaurant we discovered, or an event we attended, into something much more than that. To me, Foodists  feels more like a collective of like-minded and loyal friends than merely taste bud-obsessed culinary junkies.

When I consider what it is that I like so much about these people, I am struck by a number of things. Beyond being intelligent and articulate, Foodists are creative people, open-minded and willing to take risks and try new things. These people know who they are and what they like, and each of them are keen to embrace life and relish sharing experiences with others. Foodists are willing to invest the effort, hard work and expense to experience something special, yet they are surprisingly generous.

Coming from different backgrounds, with varying interests and education, Foodists are passionate people spread across cities such as Toronto, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Victoria and of course Vancouver. Many have never even met in person, yet correspond as though they know each other well.

In fact, the word passion is a good way to describe what Foodists are about. Every member of this collective seems to squeeze as much out of life as they can, and I find that inspiring.

Although many of our contributors have their own businesses, some in the food industry, there is very little self-promotion on Foodists.ca, and no one is getting paid. We write together for the same reason we eat together—because we want to.

As one of the founders of this site, I am grateful for generous folks who shared our vision and helped get us to where we are today. There are so many stories and examples of the generosity and dedication shown, such as those who loaned us their strategic and technical web brilliance to make the site happen. Or those who continue to provide content and editorial leadership, ensuring the site achieves and maintains a high quality level. Nearly every Foodist has at some point helped organize, coordinate, photograph or even host an event over the past year. Finally, many members have generously provided food, wine, or even their cooking skills for special events. And all the while, each member contributes to the growing collection of stories, reviews, recipes and recommendations that makes Foodists.ca so popular. Did I mention no one is getting paid?

I could continue, but I think I’ve made my point. And this community continues to expand, with new members joining the collective recently, each bringing their own perspective and insights to the group.

A final thought about the members of Foodists that may be obvious to the reader by now—these people work as hard as they play. These are people who get things done and I respect that a lot.

One example of that hard work was the recent Night With Theo Chocolate event mentioned above, which Eagranie put together with the help of some friends and sponsors. But make no mistake, this event was hard work and she poured her heart and soul into it, and it showed. She is a fine example of what it is to be a Foodist and I’m proud to know her.

The Foodists collective is more than a group that unites lovers of food and wine, and its community is made up of more than just those who view food as more than merely nutrition. We adore food. We get off on food. Food is life, and these people understand that life takes work. Life is sometimes expensive. Life is fleeting and best enjoyed in the moment. Life is to be shared. And I love sharing food and life with my fellow Foodists.

I hope everyone reading this is lucky enough to have friends who enjoy food and life as much as we do as Foodists. Consider hosting a Foodists-inspired event of your own and tell us about it. Send photos and a description so we can share it with others.