I am so pleased to introduce you to food blogger Christina Conte of Christina’s Cucina. We recently met on Facebook and have become fast friends! I can’t help it! Christina is just so interesting! She seriously has had many lives. Italian born in Scotland with a father who kicked ass in the kitchen and seems to have the claim to fame for the best fish and chips in Glasgow. Lots of time spent in Italy in the summers – her family drove from Scotland to Italy every year, what an awesome roadtrip!
Then a life in Southern California with hubby and kids and jobs such as social worker, photo lab fiend (her words!) and professional eater. No just kidding on that last part. Christina enjoys travel and her recent posts on her last trip to Italy have me drooling! I particularly love the one on Cacio e Pepe (Spaghetti with Pecorino Cheese and Black Pepper) which is one of my favorite dishes!
[Warning, don’t look at the post hungry!]
Let’s meet Christina!
[1] Have you always been a foodie, or is that something you grew
into?
I was born into an Italian “foodie family” so yes, ever since I can remember, and apparently even before then. My mother told me when I was about two, I reached up onto the kitchen counter, grabbed some raw garlic and ate it. She thought I’d spit it out, so she was shocked when I swallowed it.
[2] How and why did you begin your blog?
I started my blog in late September of 2011, after taking my son to university on the east coast. Since my daughter was in high school, I decided it was time to make some money again, but I didn’t want to go back into social work. One morning I had breakfast with two friends and they both told me I should do something with my cooking skills, and one suggested a blog. I went home and googled, “how to start a blog” and a few seconds later, Christina’s Cucina was created. I couldn’t believe it was live, and so I sort of panicked. I love that I started my blog, but the money part is still to be realized.
[3] What’s your favorite thing to make/cook?
I love to make desserts and sweets, especially things which are to be decorated.
[4] What is your favorite thing to eat?
That question is like asking me “Which is your favorite child?” I can’t do it. I will give a list of a few at the top of my list: homemade, dry-cured Italian sausages, good quality chocolate, fish and chips, gnocchi and black pudding.
[5] What is your comfort food?
I honestly can’t say that I have comfort food. I enjoy everything I eat, and if I don’t enjoy it, I don’t eat it.
[6] Describe your perfect food day?
A perfect food day for me would entail a light breakfast with fresh fruit, a soft boiled egg with “soldiers”, a chocolate croissant and a cup of European cocoa. I’d have an early lunch of fish and chips with pickled onions, then a light afternoon tea around 4 pm. Dinner would be later and consist of some fresh, crusty Italian bread, really good cheese, cured Italian sausage and salami, some olives and a glass of wine! That’s fitting in as many of my favorites as possible in one day!
[7] What are three other blogs that inspire you?
Poires au Chocolat: Emma is just so talented in so many ways!
London Eats: everything Russell makes, I want to eat.
Lavender and Lovage: Karen floors me with everything she makes, and not only does it look incredible, but I love her food styling and photography.
[8] Do you have advice for bloggers just starting out?
Don’t copy anyone else. Everyone has an opinion and if you change to please everyone, you’ll make yourself crazy. In two words: be yourself.
Thanks Christina!
Keep up with Christina’s tasty tidbits on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest and of course by visiting Christina’s Cucina, including her Porridge Championships win.
Here are a few more places to find her:
Christina’s three food events in Scotland this fall.
BBC Good Food Show lineup.
One of her five recipes featured in SCOTLAND NOW.
On Twining’s’ homepage.
How about you? What would you like to ask Christina? What’s your perfect food day?
Like it? PIN it!
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December 12, 2014
What a lovely lady! And those cupcake look divine!
December 13, 2014
@Veronica, she is and I agree, they are so pretty!
December 12, 2014
She’s a beautiful woman. I’ll be checking out her blog.
December 13, 2014
@Vanessa, her is, and please do!
December 12, 2014
Oh Christina – what a fabulous post – it’s lovely to read more about you and see your smiling face! Thanks so much for your kind words and I am also a fan of Kathryn and Emma’s blogs too……seems we have the same taste! Karen
December 13, 2014
@Karen, Christina really is wonderful and I am so glad you enjoyed learning more about her!
December 12, 2014
This is a wonderful feature of Christina! Interesting what her perfect breakfast is because I had that kind of breakfast when I visited Germany a long time ago. That’s their staple breakfast! By the way I am loving that cupcake. Christina is so talented! I definitely have to check out her blog! Thanks for sharing Andi 🙂
December 13, 2014
@Cara, it is so funny how you can find similarities in food across cultures and countries.
December 12, 2014
😀 Wow the food looks really yummy, I’d like to check more into her blog! I looove chocolate croissant, it would be nice to make one.
December 12, 2014
Those cupcakes look adorable! 🙂
December 13, 2014
@Debi, I know so cute!
December 12, 2014
Friday Foodie! My favourite day of the week – I always love checking out new blogs, especially one’s that help me bake/cook a little better 🙂
December 13, 2014
@Nancy, and I love Pom Friday!
December 12, 2014
What an inspiring lady. Love reading about other food bloggers.
Rosie
http://www.rosedogandco.blogspot.com.au
December 13, 2014
@Rosie, have any Australian favorites?
December 12, 2014
i’m jealous of well traveled people
December 12, 2014
I love Christina’s food blog. I always enjoy reading her beautiful posts! She is really a culinay talent!
December 13, 2014
@Hadia, so sweet of you to say and I totally agree with you!
December 12, 2014
this is fun. I always like learning things like this about people. What an interesting upbringing.
December 13, 2014
@Michelle, me too. I know Christina has a great combo of cultures to work with!
December 13, 2014
Poires au Chocolat is such a great suggestion, and of course, also this Christina. I love her butterfly cake idea.
December 13, 2014
@Mai, you have many great suggestions, I have followed some awesome new blogs because of you!
December 13, 2014
Funny — your perfect food day is MY perfect food day! And I want to be a professional eater as well. I think we’d get along swimmingly. 🙂
December 13, 2014
@Katie, seriously, next house is going to have a Katie room!
December 13, 2014
I recently met Christna, and immediately enjoyed her work and her outlook – this is a great peek at her blog! And yeah, now I’m starving!
December 13, 2014
“met online”, I should have said. 🙂
December 13, 2014
I love this. Nice way to share another person.
December 13, 2014
I love and so appreciate her advice. It’s so easy to fall into that trap of trying to emulate your favourite writer or blogger and it never comes off as genuine, because it’s not YOU!
December 13, 2014
@Michelle, the advice is so simple yet I am sure many of us often forget, it is a nice reminder!
December 13, 2014
Thanks so much, Andi, for featuring me on this Friday; I am honored and humbled by your (and everyone else’s) kind words. I agree that this is a wonderful way to get to know other food bloggers and learn more about them, as I’ve already learned about others I might never have come across if it wasn’t for your feature.
Thanks again! Christina
December 13, 2014
@Christina, it was so wonderful to have you. I am so glad we connected on Facebook and that I have had a chance to get to know you better. I love meeting new bloggers and understanding how they started, this is my favorite feature along with my travel blogger one!
December 13, 2014
Love the cupcakes! Just looking at the picture made me so hungry.
December 13, 2014
@Anna, I imagine they are as delicious as they are pretty!
December 13, 2014
Cupcakes and pasta in the same post, you are speaking my language! I’m heading over to check out the spagetti reciped now!
December 13, 2014
@Kari, yes Christina has quite an inventory – her Italian roots, her Scottish upbringing, her California life now – so many awesome food opportunities!
December 14, 2014
Great interview. I love the little cake so beautiful.
December 14, 2014
Hahah oh my gosh, the garlic!!!! I can’t imagine munching down on a clove, hahaha.
December 14, 2014
i loved hearing christina’s blog story and how she got started! 🙂
December 15, 2014
Those cupcakes! I could die!
I love getting know the bloggers behind the amazing recipes, thanks so much for this series!
December 15, 2014
Love the food blogger interviews! I would like to start a feature like this on my blog- how fun!
December 15, 2014
I love this interview! I have to say that gnocchi is also on my list of favorite things to eat! 😉
December 15, 2014
Those cupcakes look delicious, and I love her blogging advice! Couldn’t have said it better 🙂
December 22, 2014
Oooh those cakes look delish! Pinning!
December 22, 2014
I really wish I listened to your advice and not read this post while hungry! One word: Yum!!!