Introducing Queen of the Food Age’s New Contributor

So, back when I started this blog in 2011, I had no idea it was going to become the behemoth that it is today. I was just a bored, broke, post-grad who wasn’t sure what she wanted to do with her life who started writing about food as a last-ditch effort to get her parents to give her an allowance while she found a real job. Since then, I’ve grown to over 5,000 views a month, over 1,600 Facebook fans, and I’m writing for amazing publications like Charleston Grit, Thrillist, Where Traveler, and Localeur (to name a few). I used to get 1 invitation every couple of months to attend events (I still remember my first one), and now I’m being invited to multiple events a week.

I’ve come to realize that I’ve spread myself a little thin and that I can’t give this blog the full attention I used to. My heart breaks every time I have to RSVP “no” to something (and not just for the free food…..although that is definitely part of it). In order to be more fair to you, my amazing readers who’ve supported me for so long, I’ve decided to add a contributor to help me out so that I can be in 2 places at once.

Introducing….

Sydney Turnquist

Yes. Her name is Sydney, too, which I can’t imagine being confusing for any of you in the least. Sydney (or Tquizzle, as I like to call her) and I started off as coworkers and became really close over the past year and a half. Not only do we share the same name, sometimes I think we share a brain. We order the same foods, we text each other out of the blue at the same time (I’m not even kidding she just texted me as I was writing this), and we like almost all of the same things. (Seriously, she’s even dating a guy named Ben. I’m not making this up).

But as similar as we are, we also have a lot of differences, too. She’s a dog person, she loves Lilly Pulitzer, and pink is her favorite color. So I think she’ll bring a new perspective and a fresh face to this little ole blog of mine. She’s going to be integral as I continue to expand!

Enough about me, hear from the new girl herself:

Thanks for the intro OGS! (Original Gangster Sydney, she totally came up with that name for herself though, to be honest). I’m excited to be joining such an awesome blog with an awesome friend! I’ve always thought it would be fun to be a food critic, so I get to play that fantasy out now!

Since moving to Charleston in 2009, my palate has become increasingly more sophisticated. Seriously, I’m so picky now going to restaurants, I basically critique everything and compare it back to my favorite restaurants in Charleston (my family loves going out with me). I mean, let’s be real though. I would eat a grilled cheese and mashed potatoes any and every day.

I’m originally from Minnesota where I grew up with all different kinds of animals (we had pot-bellied pigs, horses, chickens, miniature horses, pygmy goats, miniature donkeys, dogs, cats, and even a llama at one point). From a young age, I’ve always been on or near the water so it only makes sense that I landed in Charleston. In my spare time, I love to go paddleboarding, surfing (I’m terrible, but trying to learn!), kayaking, and taking Ben and my two adorable dogs to the beach.

I love all kinds of food, except for tomatoes and mushrooms. So if there’s a dish that’s heavy on those, sorry guys, can’t do it. My favorite cuisine is Asian (Thai is my jam). There was a period of time where I was a vegetarian, which then morphed into being a Flexitarian, but now I’ve come to see the light (as my friends would say) and eat all kinds of meat. I’ve become much, much more adventurous in my eating and will basically try anything once (I recently ate fried pig ears at Swig and Swine, they were surprisingly tasty).

I hope to continue the magic that is Queen of the Food Age and am thrilled to begin!