Delicooks

I think that good quality photos are crucial. Remember – we eat with our eyes!

> http://lovefoodblog.blogspot.com/

It's been two years now since you started the blog "Lovefood" , undoubtedly one of the best blogs around. It brings together your two biggest passions: photography and cooking. But which came first? Photography or cooking?

Cooking, definitely. At home there were always cookbooks, food magazines and recipes that my mother wrote and compiled. My mother is a great cook, as was my grandmother, and I owe my passion for cooking to them. Even at an early age I was always with my mother in the kitchen, which was always a very important place at home. Then, about 7 years ago, I got into photography in general, and then later I combined the two hobbies.

How did you the idea of combining them in a food blog come about? Where did the idea of Lovefood come from? And what is its goal?

I started out photographing whatever I happened to be cooking and I shared the photos on my flickr page. Then people would ask me for the recipe and I'd post it there. I had decided to start a personal blog, but I soon realized that most of my posts were recipes and photos. So that's basically how Lovefood came about. At first I set it up for me, so I'd have all my recipes saved and easily accessible in one place. Later I started getting comments from people who had tried out a recipe and liked it. And that's what encourages me to constantly maintain and improve the blog.

Why did you choose Lovefood as the name for your blog?

Besides being the name of a song, I started reading about gastrosophy, the science that fuses culinary knowledge with the pleasure of eating, drinking, eroticism, music and customs. I found a quote from Brillat-Savarin that I really liked: "It is well-known that in the kitchen, with time and love you can do just about everything. "

Today there are blogs on almost every subject. What, in your opinion, is the purpose of a blog and what makes a blog appealing?

A blog is always sort of a personal diary so I think it is essential to be true to yourself and your style. In the case of cooking blogs, as well as the text I think that good quality photos are crucial. Remember – we eat with our eyes!

What is your inspiration? Where do you find the recipes and information you offer to your readers?

Everything has a place in my blog – from a stew to fusion cuisine to muffins and cakes. The recipes are traditional family ones, from books or magazines that I have, from other blogs (I always credit the original author) or designed by me by combining ingredients from different recipes. I always try to follow the recipe with a short text telling the story or the origin of the dish. I source the information on the Internet if I don't already know it.

Can you tell us anything your photographic style or technique and how you approach each new image?

All the photos are taken in natural light and with a tripod. My terrace at home has become my mini studio. That limits me a lot when taking pictures: I can only take pictures at the weekends and when there is adequate lighting. I also have a small collection of props that I use only for pictures. I usually think quite some time ahead about what I need to do and what style I will apply. Sometimes I think about the picture first rather than what I'm going to cook.

Are cooking and photography just hobbies or is either actually your profession? What do you do? Would you like to devote yourself full time to them?

No, no, they're mere hobbies. In theory, I'm image consultant. But while I was studying I worked in a bakery/pastry shop, where I styled the cakes. I currently work in the banking services industry. But yes, I would love to devote myself more to food style, but in here in Spain it's hard to train in this area. It's still not considered important like in the U.S. or other countries.

What do you think of the way food is evolving in Spain and how do you see new technologies affecting it? Is there a danger of people having access to misleading information due to the sheer amount out there on the Internet?

These are great times for food. There are some great chefs around who are increasingly valued by society. More and more people are keen to cook and eat well, and that translates into thousands of food blogs in Spain. But we have to keep sight of who we are and what we do.

Misinformation is one danger on the Internet: anyone can write what they want. Having said that, I prefer to see the positive side: the access to information and interaction. In the case of cooking blogs, for example, you can find a recipe that someone else has tried out and you can be almost guaranteed that it will turn out well – this isn't always the case with recipes from books, for example. Internet also lets you connect with another person in real time to ask any questions that might come up.

 
Can you recommend some other cooking blogs?

 
There are some great cooking blogs out there and there are loads I could recommend! But I'll single out "La cuina vermella". I love everything they do and how they do it. It's done by a married couple, Txell and Quique. I love how they share their passion.

And a photography blog?

A purely photo blog? I don't follow any one in particular...

Your favorite chef?

There are so many to like, but lately I've been drawn to Paul Gayler.

A photographer you admire?

A food photographer? Becky Lawton, of course!

A dish?

I cannot resist a good salad.

An image?

The kitchen of an old house.

What or who would you like to photograph?

That's a hard one…

 
And whom would you like to cook for?

I tend to cook quite a lot for the people I love: family, friends ... So rather than choosing for whom, I rather choose with whom. I love eating with my children.

What are your plans for the future and how do you see Lovefood growing?

I am preparing a project together with three other blogs that I'm very excited about! As for Lovefood, I would love to have more time to spend on it, improve the photos, the preparation of recipes ... but I am happy enough with all the pleasure it gives me right now!