Although Katie George is a senior SMAD major and art & graphic design minor, she may best be known as a foodie and food blogger. As the voice behind Honeycomb food blog, Katie publishes a post every week about one of her many food adventures, usually accompanied by a delicious recipe and scrumptious photos. She takes her passion for food wherever she goes – while studying in London in the fall of 2010, Katie visited three restaurants owned by her favorite chef, Jamie Oliver!
HCJMU: When did you first start food blogging? What made you decide to start your own blog?
Katie: I started food blogging during the summer of 2010. My sister had recently moved to Boston and, as a way to stay in touch, we decided to start a food blog together... I also started the blog as a way to prepare for an independent study I was going to do during my semester abroad in London that upcoming fall. For my independent study, I researched British food culture, explored the city, tasted all it had to offer, and wrote bi-weekly posts about it. When I got home, my sister and I still kept up with the blog, but she got really busy and could not continue contributing. So, this past summer, I started a new one on my own (Honeycomb) and have been working on it ever since.
HCJMU: When did you start cooking? Do you bake at all?
Katie: I have had a love for cooking all my life. I grew up in the country and my family had a large garden. Throughout my childhood, my family’s time together was spent doing things with food, whether that was planting seeds, harvesting, and, of course, cooking. But actually, my favorite thing to do in the kitchen was bake. I have a very high level of patience and meticulousness so the baking part of the culinary arts was the right fit for me. However, as I’ve gotten older, my taste for a wider variety of foods has expanded, and as I have had to cook meals on my own, my passion for cooking both savory and sweet things has grown equal!
HCJMU: What is your favorite dish right now and what is your all-time favorite to cook?
Katie: Right now, since it’s fall, all I eat is butternut squash! I eat it simply roasted, make soups from it, put it on pizza or grilled cheese sandwiches – anything! It’s hard to pick an all-time favorite, but it might just have to be a classic hamburger. I love going to Local Chop and Grill House in downtown Harrisonburg for burgers because they use free-range and local meat and add unique toppings like Gouda and mango hoisin sauce to really bring their burgers to the next level. My favorite thing to make is bread; nothing makes the house smell better than fresh-baked bread!
HCJMU: What other organizations are you involved in on campus?
Katie: Although this is not on campus, I am interning with Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance. As a foodie, this has been a great opportunity because I’ve met many restaurateurs downtown. I also contribute to their blog and have had gotten some great opportunities to write about these restaurants. I think it would be great if there were a club on campus for foodies and food bloggers where we could talk about our passions and stories and cook and eat together.
HCJMU: How do you balance school and food blogging?
Katie: I really just try to fit blogging into any spare time I have. I am dedicated to posting at least once a week; many times I’ll write up posts in the random hours I have between classes. And since it’s something that means so much to me, I make sure it stands out as a priority on my to-do list. What is most difficult is finding times to style and photograph my food. Since I rely on natural light for good photos, weekend afternoons are the only ideal time to photograph food.