Food Fetish Friday: Featured Foodie 8/24/2012

The Food Fetish Friday series has featured food from over 250 unique bloggers in the past 9 months. Without these bloggers' hard work and dedication to outstanding food, Food Fetish Friday couldn't exist. So I have devoted a new section of Food Fetish Fridays to the bloggers to make this series possible and it's called Featured Foodies.

Featured Foodie posts are a chance for us all to meet the real people behind the food. Every Friday, I select and interview an amazing foodie who has been previously featured in the Food Fetish Friday series. We'll discover what makes these foodies tick, where they find their food inspiration, and gain valuable insight from their experiences. And of course, we'll drool over their food!

Please welcome this week's Featured Foodie!

Lorraine from Not Quite Nigella

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Lorraine Elliott is the founder and publisher of the food blog Not Quite Nigella. A former Advertising Media Strategist, she began the blog in September of 2007 after repeated suggestions from friends and family. She has been blogging full time since January 2009. The blog features a new story every day with stories alternating between a cooking story and a restaurant review or store visit. Her blog with 190,000 unique readers and 380,000 page views per month, it is the most popular food blog in Australia. She has a memoir due out in 2013 about the adventures of her blog which is published by Penguin Books. She lives Sydney, Australia with her food apathetic husband and her collection of 140 pairs of shoes.

Q&A with Javelin Warrior

JW: When did you start blogging? And why?

Lorraine: I started blogging almost 5 years ago and my blog really started as I was bored with my job (in advertising as a media strategist). It helped fill a creative void. My husband suggested that I start the blog as a means to start writing and creating although never did I ever think that it would become a job for me! :)

JW: How - or where - do you find inspiration for your food creations?

Lorraine: I find that everywhere and everything is inspiration. Walking down the street and seeing a house may inspire a Halloween gingerbread house or seeing a flower might be the base of an idea for a cupcake decoration.

JW: If you had to pick just one favorite food to make over and over again, what would it be?

Lorraine: Hmm that's a toughie because I always like trying new things. But if there is something I eat over and over again, it would be salad. But is that a boring answer? :P

JW: What kind of camera lens do you use?

Lorraine: I use Sigma lenses, they're my sponsor and I have four lenses which include a 17-50mm zoom lens which I use most often, then a 30mm prime lens which is so crisp and beautiful, a fish eye lens which is great for hotels and travelling and a macro lens which is great for those detailed close ups.

JW: Your food and photos are an inspiration to me - and I'm sure to many others - but who inspires you?

Lorraine: My husband - he comes up with the most madcap and fun ideas!

JW: Based on your personal experiences, what three cookbooks would you recommend right now?

Lorraine: I really like Around the World in 80 Dishes by David Loftus, Peggy Porschen's Boutique Baking and instead of another cookbook, I'm going to say that I find most of my recipe inspiration from blogs!

JW: What advice or tips for success can you offer other bloggers?

Lorraine: Be yourself and be creative! :)

JW: When you're not in the kitchen or working on a blog, where would I find you?

Lorraine: Probably traveling...or sleeping! :)

Inspired Creations from Not Quite Nigella

Previously Featured in Food Fetish Friday

Rolls from Morena, Surry Hills

Shattered Black Forest Cheesecake

Cross Stitch Cupcakes

Bacon Salt

Made From Scratch Yogurt in a Thermos or Oven

Cheese, Caramelised Onion, Pork & Fennel Sausage Rolls

Sticky Orange, Chilli & Vodka Cake

Made From Scratch Mustard

Mondrian Battenberg Cake

Baked Eggs With Chorizo

Chocolate Hedgehog Cupcakes

Lil’ Lamb & Mint Sauce Pies

If you missed last week's Featured Foodie, check out my interview with Chung-Ah from Damn Delicious