Year! What started as an outlet for my gastro-curiousities and creative overflows has morphed into a social hub, general resource, and dare I say educational site for a small, but loyal, following. A year ago this Saturday I set out on the sea-o-tron, camera in hand, pans a’rumbling, with a blatant disregard for the Queen’s English and the goal of sharing my love of all things culinary with the world.
In the big scheme of things I’ve barely made it out of port, splashing along with a broken paddle and a slight leak, but I see the horizon and I’m going to keep paddling as long as anyone will stop by for an antidote or two.
I had considered hosting a huge pot-luck or social event for any and everyone interested in Giusto to celebrate it’s 1st birthday but there were a few snags: my casa is pretty small which would force our group (of a thousand atleast…) out into the arctic tundra that has taken over NC this week. Far more criminal than freezing our balls off would be the inability of my world-wide viewers to attend. You don’t throw a party if the VIP’s can’t make it.
Instead I thought we would recollect together (that means comment!) on some of our favorite Giusto Gusto posts, photos, quotes, milestones, and other opportunities over the past year. Cue Green Day’s Good Riddance (Time of your Life):
The Big Island Posts. I bought my new camera just before Megs and I left on our honeymoon. The idea of a food blog had been circling around my mind for a few months, but the time spent in Hawaii pushed me over the edge. Many Mahalo’s Big Island!
Smoothie Time! My first Tastespotting.com posting leading to a whopping 700 individual viewers in 2 days.
Pasta 101: The first installment of everyone’s favorite Giusto series. Also the first (but not last) post to be titled Blog of the Week by Food News Journal.
Apple Bananas? Almost…This short post turned into an opportunity to write for CaryCitizen.com, a local news blog for Cary, NC. I, the Supermarket Adventurer (bad name, I know), would traverse Cary’s markets searching for wild or uncommon items to cook with. Not my Mona Lisa, but a fun adventure none the less.
Nan’s Biscotti. It’s one of my favorite posts but for all the wrong reasons. Nan lived to serve her family and taught me what it means to be an Italian, and how to eat like one. Sadly she passed away before I could have her “on” Giusto but my week of posts in her honor became some of the most important and popular posts on the site. Ti manco Nana.
Beer Fest! Best Booze of the Month ever, stoked for next spring!
A’Bizz’. Hands down my favorite recipe I’ve ever posted. You just can’t beat pizza dude.
Shortly after I wrote for CaryCitizen I contacted one of my favorite local blogs, NewRaleigh.com, hoping to contribute a piece. After a few rounds of brew-ha’s with the sites creator I was on-board as the author of SporkThis! NewRaleigh.com’s new restaurant review column. How’s that for opportunities? 5 Reviews and going strong.
And lastly, last week’s Turkey’s and Pastures. One of the best photo-driven posts I’ve done. Those Shire-like hills would look beautiful thru a disposable.
Those are not my only favorites, but they all hold a special place in the young history of Giusto Gusto. Giusto’s still a baby, crawling to life and putting weird things in it’s mouth, and it will only continue to grow and put weirder things in it’s mouth thanks to your support. If it weren’t for you guys reading this ish I’d be nothing more than a rambling fool with an audience of 1.
So lift your glasses with me and toast to another year of drool-inducing, travel logging, politically incorrect, highly experimental, curse-riddled, metaphor laden and incredibly delicious posts to come! Cin Cin!
