AN INTERVIEW WITH ANNALENA GANNER - A CREATIVE FOOD BLOGGER INTRODUCING HER DELICIOUS RECIPES
Artily Blog Post Team
Visit: www.annalenashearthbeat.com
Visit: www.annalenashearthbeat.com
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I’m a 20-year-old communication student from Southtyrol, Italy.
How you first got involved in with food blogging?
I first got in touch with food blogging when I seriously started to think about creating my own website that combines food (cooking and baking) and my other passion, writing. This was in the summer of 2015, after some friends and my family suggested I should try this.
When did you realize you have qualities of chef?
I wouldn’t consider myself a real chef - but I started to realize that I really liked cooking, baking and that I was sort of good at it when I was a teenager and started to cook for my family during summer when I didn’t have school. Most of time we see that moms are the gurus and "the kitchen queens."
Would you like to share with us your inspiration, teacher, or a person who inspired you to become a chef?
Actually, also in my case, it was my mom. I still cook very often with her and we love to develop new recipes and menus together.
What do you find most challenging about creating a great recipe?
Most of the time, the real challenge is to find something that everybody likes. When I have to cook for more people, this can be rather challenging.
Tell us about some of the people you’ve met while working on your blog?
I met two journalists that interviewed me for two local newspapers since I’ve been writing my blog.
How would (someone) describe your cooking style?
Classics as well as innovative recipes, open-minded to try many new ingredients, cooking-styles and dishes.
What are your preferred activities when you aren’t working on recipes?
I love reading books, going to the gym and spending time with friends and family.
One person you really love to meet in your life would be?
I would like to meet a really good chef, one that inspires me and whose cuisine I admire - for example Jamie Oliver!
In what ways can a chef be creative?
Cooking and baking is all about being creative - it starts with creating a recipe, choosing the ingredients and arranging the final dish on the plate. Especially when you have to cook for more people that have all to be pleased.
While making a new recipe, how do you know what ingredients would make it taste delicious? Is there any trial and error experiment you do?
I decide the ingredients for a new recipe based on intuition, actually. If there’s an ingredient that I’m not sure about if it would work well in the dish, I add a very small amount of it, first, then, in case, I add more of it.
What is your specialty as a chef?
Pasta, ravioli, bread.
Was there a time in your life when you have put yourself into a situation that tested your ability as a chef?
This year’s birthday cake that I was supposed to make for my sister. It was in August, the fondant was melting all over the cake and in the end it kind of looked like the one Hagrid sits on in the first Harry Potter film, you know?
What is your greatest strength?
I’m very ambitious, when I’ve got a goal I give everything in order to reach it.
Do you get great free stuff from running the site?
No, unfortunately not (until now).
What is your greatest accomplishment?
The most challenging cakes I made: the Ballon d’or, the Juventus-cake and the dragon-cake.
Best deal as a chef you have ever seen?
I think it was at Steffen Henssler’s restaurant „Henssler Henssler“.
Since the first day as a chef till now, what kind of experience has helped you grow your knowledge?
Trying over and over again till perfection.
Was there any moment when you were disappointed for not having prepared the exact recipe?
I usually follow the recipe, but there were some exceptions where I maybe changed something (usually happens with cakes or baked goods) that didn’t turn out the way it should have.
As a chef, how do you look after yourself in matters of diet and health?
I try to keep a balanced diet, eat healthy, many vegetables and fruit, cook with fresh ingredients and go to the gym. People are afraid of putting on weight, especially those who have spent a lot and worked hard to get rid of obesity. Do you have any special items those are full of nutrition and meant for people dealing with obesity? I cook lots of dishes with many vegetables, not that many fat and carbs and try to use as much healthy (not just for obesity, in general for your body) spices like ginger, chilli, curry…
What are your goals as a food blogger?
I would really like to cooperate with interesting food-companies/restaurants… I would also like to integrate my blog experience with my future work life, maybe by working in the food-business.
What motivates you every day to keep yourself up and creative?
The feedback, the number of views and the communication with my readers - it’s the best feeling.
Name some of your "must have" food essentials in the kitchen.
Olive oil, salt, parmesan cheese, spices.
Name some of your most complex recipes.
Macarons, ravioli (with different stuffings), pralinés.
What is more important to you, money or success?
I think that, in general, personal success pushes you more than just a higher paycheck. But it’s also true that you need money for a living and that most of the time, money and success are correlated.
What is that one thing you have never done but want to do?
See lots of places I’ve not been to yet and explore their cuisine.
If you could plan a perfect holiday, what would it be?
A mix of sightseeing, lying on the beach and relaxing with a nice hotel and people I love.
How many books do you read in a month - roughly?
Depends. When I’m on vacation, I can also read 10 books in one month. But most of the time, I have not that much free time and maybe read the same book for 2 months.
Favorite book character or film character crush. Yes you can pick 2 :)
Jay Gatsby (The Great Gatsby) and Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries.
A character you love to hate in what book/TV show or movie.
Malfoy in the Harry Potter books.
Name some of the favorite celebrity chefs you look up to?
Steffen Henssler, Jamie Oliver, Roland Trettl.
Coffee or tea?
Coffee if it’s cappuccino and I’m with the girls, tea in the morning or while reading a book on a cozy Sunday.
Vanilla or chocolate ice cream?
Chocolate.
What is a movie or TV show that you watched recently and really enjoyed?
I love watching „Friends“, the outfits from the 90ies and the gags of the show are great. I really feel with the characters of the series!
What really scares you?
Horror movies or books - „IT“ really scared me!
What networking do you do that you feel helps your blog?
I get most of my readers from Facebook and, if they accept my photos (they’re really strict) I occasionally get lots of views from Foodgawker.
What’s your strategy with your blog in general?
I try to provide my readers beautiful, high-quality photos, most of the time easy recipes and personal rankings such as restaurants etc.
Do you think Page rank plays a vital role in a blog’s life? Why?
Yes, I do because lots of views may come from search engines. If I’m searching for a recipe or a new menu idea, I do search them online, too. The pages that are ranked on the first google page are usually the ones I click on.
What would you prioritize? Content? SEO? Traffic? Readers?
First of all, it’s the content that counts. That’s what brings you readers and traffic. Also SEO is important today in the long-term but without a good content people will never click on your site (or don’t return to it).
What are your aspirations apart form being a chef?
A family, concluding my studies successfully and starting a successful career.
If you were allowed to change one thing in you, it would be?
Sometimes I may be too ambitious.
Do you time your breakfast, lunch & dinner or eat when you are hungry?
Usually, I eat when I’m hungry but on certain days when I have to go to university, for example, I have to eat before the lecture starts or I don’t get to eat until dinner at all.
Name some of the ingredients you hate the most or you love to use in your recipes?
The ingredients that I hate the most are mayonnaise and marzipan - I don’t like them so it’s very difficult to season the dishes. I love to use a good olive oil and fresh ingredients for my recipes.
How often do you go to restaurants? Not that often. Maybe once a month/once every two months, but the few times I eat in restaurants, I try to eat in good ones.
If you were told to change one thing about the restaurants, what would it be?
There should be more different restaurants (Thai, Indian, Lebanese…) in my hometown and in Italy in general.
What was that one thing or person that really annoyed you while cooking, blogging, traveling?
The one thing that annoys me sometimes is that I don’t find the time to blog when I have to study, work or do other stuff.
Which is your favorite traditional cuisine of your native place?
Pasta!
Approximately, how many people have tried the recipes you made? Any feedback that you loved the most?
I love the feedback that I get in the comments or when my stats show me that I’ve got lots of views on a certain day, more than usual, after posting a special recipe. Depends, there are recipes where lots of people tell me that they’ve made them lots of times, there are others that aren’t that popular.
What are your future plans as a chef? Continue with my blogging, participate in lots of new cooking classes and expand my skills!
What is that one thing a food blogger must always remember?
Try to see the blog as your personal cookbook - I always look up recipes on my own blog, it should be that simple and the photos should be that beautiful that you would like to cook the stuff you post yourself.
Which is your favorite and least favorite recipe?
Least favorite: too heavy and old-fashioned dishes. Favorite recipe: Ravioli, pralinés, all kinds of pasta.
If you found Aladdin's lamp, what three wishes you would ask Genie?
Health, success, love.
Which life is better? Living in the city or living by the beach?
I can’t really say what living by the beach is like. I love living in a small town near the mountains, though.
What is your favorite sea food?
Seafood pasta and octopus salad.
Name some of the food bloggers whom you look up to and why?
Lots of instagram bloggers I casually find. Mostly, I look up to foodbloggers with great high-quality photos and delicious recipes but that are not too commercialized.
What would be a few things you would suggest to new food bloggers?
Keep going, it takes some time (and improvement) to build a readership and explore what your readers most like to read and see.
What has been your strategy for creating visibility to yourself and your blog?
Social Media and two interviews in local newspapers.
Favorite quote you live by is...?
“You don’t need a silver fork to eat good food.“ Paul Prudhomme
Visit: www.annalenashearthbeat.com
I’m a 20-year-old communication student from Southtyrol, Italy.
How you first got involved in with food blogging?
I first got in touch with food blogging when I seriously started to think about creating my own website that combines food (cooking and baking) and my other passion, writing. This was in the summer of 2015, after some friends and my family suggested I should try this.
When did you realize you have qualities of chef?
I wouldn’t consider myself a real chef - but I started to realize that I really liked cooking, baking and that I was sort of good at it when I was a teenager and started to cook for my family during summer when I didn’t have school. Most of time we see that moms are the gurus and "the kitchen queens."
Would you like to share with us your inspiration, teacher, or a person who inspired you to become a chef?
Actually, also in my case, it was my mom. I still cook very often with her and we love to develop new recipes and menus together.
What do you find most challenging about creating a great recipe?
Most of the time, the real challenge is to find something that everybody likes. When I have to cook for more people, this can be rather challenging.
Tell us about some of the people you’ve met while working on your blog?
I met two journalists that interviewed me for two local newspapers since I’ve been writing my blog.
How would (someone) describe your cooking style?
Classics as well as innovative recipes, open-minded to try many new ingredients, cooking-styles and dishes.
What are your preferred activities when you aren’t working on recipes?
I love reading books, going to the gym and spending time with friends and family.
One person you really love to meet in your life would be?
I would like to meet a really good chef, one that inspires me and whose cuisine I admire - for example Jamie Oliver!
In what ways can a chef be creative?
Cooking and baking is all about being creative - it starts with creating a recipe, choosing the ingredients and arranging the final dish on the plate. Especially when you have to cook for more people that have all to be pleased.
While making a new recipe, how do you know what ingredients would make it taste delicious? Is there any trial and error experiment you do?
I decide the ingredients for a new recipe based on intuition, actually. If there’s an ingredient that I’m not sure about if it would work well in the dish, I add a very small amount of it, first, then, in case, I add more of it.
What is your specialty as a chef?
Pasta, ravioli, bread.
Was there a time in your life when you have put yourself into a situation that tested your ability as a chef?
This year’s birthday cake that I was supposed to make for my sister. It was in August, the fondant was melting all over the cake and in the end it kind of looked like the one Hagrid sits on in the first Harry Potter film, you know?
What is your greatest strength?
I’m very ambitious, when I’ve got a goal I give everything in order to reach it.
Do you get great free stuff from running the site?
No, unfortunately not (until now).
What is your greatest accomplishment?
The most challenging cakes I made: the Ballon d’or, the Juventus-cake and the dragon-cake.
Best deal as a chef you have ever seen?
I think it was at Steffen Henssler’s restaurant „Henssler Henssler“.
Since the first day as a chef till now, what kind of experience has helped you grow your knowledge?
Trying over and over again till perfection.
Was there any moment when you were disappointed for not having prepared the exact recipe?
I usually follow the recipe, but there were some exceptions where I maybe changed something (usually happens with cakes or baked goods) that didn’t turn out the way it should have.
As a chef, how do you look after yourself in matters of diet and health?
I try to keep a balanced diet, eat healthy, many vegetables and fruit, cook with fresh ingredients and go to the gym. People are afraid of putting on weight, especially those who have spent a lot and worked hard to get rid of obesity. Do you have any special items those are full of nutrition and meant for people dealing with obesity? I cook lots of dishes with many vegetables, not that many fat and carbs and try to use as much healthy (not just for obesity, in general for your body) spices like ginger, chilli, curry…
What are your goals as a food blogger?
I would really like to cooperate with interesting food-companies/restaurants… I would also like to integrate my blog experience with my future work life, maybe by working in the food-business.
What motivates you every day to keep yourself up and creative?
The feedback, the number of views and the communication with my readers - it’s the best feeling.
Name some of your "must have" food essentials in the kitchen.
Olive oil, salt, parmesan cheese, spices.
Name some of your most complex recipes.
Macarons, ravioli (with different stuffings), pralinés.
What is more important to you, money or success?
I think that, in general, personal success pushes you more than just a higher paycheck. But it’s also true that you need money for a living and that most of the time, money and success are correlated.
What is that one thing you have never done but want to do?
See lots of places I’ve not been to yet and explore their cuisine.
If you could plan a perfect holiday, what would it be?
A mix of sightseeing, lying on the beach and relaxing with a nice hotel and people I love.
How many books do you read in a month - roughly?
Depends. When I’m on vacation, I can also read 10 books in one month. But most of the time, I have not that much free time and maybe read the same book for 2 months.
Favorite book character or film character crush. Yes you can pick 2 :)
Jay Gatsby (The Great Gatsby) and Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries.
A character you love to hate in what book/TV show or movie.
Malfoy in the Harry Potter books.
Name some of the favorite celebrity chefs you look up to?
Steffen Henssler, Jamie Oliver, Roland Trettl.
Coffee or tea?
Coffee if it’s cappuccino and I’m with the girls, tea in the morning or while reading a book on a cozy Sunday.
Vanilla or chocolate ice cream?
Chocolate.
What is a movie or TV show that you watched recently and really enjoyed?
I love watching „Friends“, the outfits from the 90ies and the gags of the show are great. I really feel with the characters of the series!
What really scares you?
Horror movies or books - „IT“ really scared me!
What networking do you do that you feel helps your blog?
I get most of my readers from Facebook and, if they accept my photos (they’re really strict) I occasionally get lots of views from Foodgawker.
What’s your strategy with your blog in general?
I try to provide my readers beautiful, high-quality photos, most of the time easy recipes and personal rankings such as restaurants etc.
Do you think Page rank plays a vital role in a blog’s life? Why?
Yes, I do because lots of views may come from search engines. If I’m searching for a recipe or a new menu idea, I do search them online, too. The pages that are ranked on the first google page are usually the ones I click on.
What would you prioritize? Content? SEO? Traffic? Readers?
First of all, it’s the content that counts. That’s what brings you readers and traffic. Also SEO is important today in the long-term but without a good content people will never click on your site (or don’t return to it).
What are your aspirations apart form being a chef?
A family, concluding my studies successfully and starting a successful career.
If you were allowed to change one thing in you, it would be?
Sometimes I may be too ambitious.
Do you time your breakfast, lunch & dinner or eat when you are hungry?
Usually, I eat when I’m hungry but on certain days when I have to go to university, for example, I have to eat before the lecture starts or I don’t get to eat until dinner at all.
Name some of the ingredients you hate the most or you love to use in your recipes?
The ingredients that I hate the most are mayonnaise and marzipan - I don’t like them so it’s very difficult to season the dishes. I love to use a good olive oil and fresh ingredients for my recipes.
How often do you go to restaurants? Not that often. Maybe once a month/once every two months, but the few times I eat in restaurants, I try to eat in good ones.
If you were told to change one thing about the restaurants, what would it be?
There should be more different restaurants (Thai, Indian, Lebanese…) in my hometown and in Italy in general.
What was that one thing or person that really annoyed you while cooking, blogging, traveling?
The one thing that annoys me sometimes is that I don’t find the time to blog when I have to study, work or do other stuff.
Which is your favorite traditional cuisine of your native place?
Pasta!
Approximately, how many people have tried the recipes you made? Any feedback that you loved the most?
I love the feedback that I get in the comments or when my stats show me that I’ve got lots of views on a certain day, more than usual, after posting a special recipe. Depends, there are recipes where lots of people tell me that they’ve made them lots of times, there are others that aren’t that popular.
What are your future plans as a chef? Continue with my blogging, participate in lots of new cooking classes and expand my skills!
What is that one thing a food blogger must always remember?
Try to see the blog as your personal cookbook - I always look up recipes on my own blog, it should be that simple and the photos should be that beautiful that you would like to cook the stuff you post yourself.
Which is your favorite and least favorite recipe?
Least favorite: too heavy and old-fashioned dishes. Favorite recipe: Ravioli, pralinés, all kinds of pasta.
If you found Aladdin's lamp, what three wishes you would ask Genie?
Health, success, love.
Which life is better? Living in the city or living by the beach?
I can’t really say what living by the beach is like. I love living in a small town near the mountains, though.
What is your favorite sea food?
Seafood pasta and octopus salad.
Name some of the food bloggers whom you look up to and why?
Lots of instagram bloggers I casually find. Mostly, I look up to foodbloggers with great high-quality photos and delicious recipes but that are not too commercialized.
What would be a few things you would suggest to new food bloggers?
Keep going, it takes some time (and improvement) to build a readership and explore what your readers most like to read and see.
What has been your strategy for creating visibility to yourself and your blog?
Social Media and two interviews in local newspapers.
Favorite quote you live by is...?
“You don’t need a silver fork to eat good food.“ Paul Prudhomme
Visit: www.annalenashearthbeat.com
Annalena Ganner
http://www.annalenashearthbeat.com/
My Foodblog Annalena's Heart(h)beat is like my personal cookbook. I share recipes from Italy, Southtyrol and all over the world, post restaurant tipps and share photos and stories with my readers. It's a bilingual foodblog that I write in English and in my mothertongue, German. I post cakes, desserts or cookies as well as bread and savory dishes like curries, pasta and pizza
http://www.annalenashearthbeat.com/
My Foodblog Annalena's Heart(h)beat is like my personal cookbook. I share recipes from Italy, Southtyrol and all over the world, post restaurant tipps and share photos and stories with my readers. It's a bilingual foodblog that I write in English and in my mothertongue, German. I post cakes, desserts or cookies as well as bread and savory dishes like curries, pasta and pizza