Instagram – Baltimore Magazine https://www.baltimoremagazine.com The Best of Baltimore Since 1907 Tue, 23 May 2023 16:59:39 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/cropped-favicon-32x32.png Instagram – Baltimore Magazine https://www.baltimoremagazine.com 32 32 Food Influencer Chris Franzoni Uses His Platform to Celebrate the City https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/fooddrink/food-influencer-chris-franzoni-uses-reels-tiktok-to-celebrate-baltimore-food-scene/ Tue, 23 May 2023 16:59:39 +0000 https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/?post_type=article&p=141965
—Photography by Justin Tsucalas

Eight years ago, Chris Franzoni was just a guy with a cell phone who photographed his food. That is, until a food blogger friend encouraged him to do something with his snapshots.

“She was like, ‘You’re going out all of the time, you’re taking pictures of food and posting all of the time. Why don’t you have your own Instagram account just for food?’” In 2015, Franzoni started his food-focused social media account, EatMoreBeMore. “At the time, I had an hour-and-a-half commute to D.C. each way, which gave me time to think about what I wanted to post,” says the 42-year-old Franzoni, now the assistant attorney general for the State Labor Relations Boards. “So, I just started posting places I really liked.”

Others like them, too. Now with 143,000 followers on Instagram and 83,000 on TikTok, Franzoni has become one of the premiere food influencers in Baltimore. In the past year, his primary focus has moved from stationery stills to creating content—from previews of new places to themed videos for his lively 20-second reels and TikTok videos.

“Reels can be more entertaining—that’s the appeal,” he says. “You can pass on more information in a fun way and be a little more humorous.”

To make reels, Franzoni goes through the painstaking process of shooting and editing his video, writing a script, then adding the voice-over. “Reels are so much more work,” he says. “Gone is the day of snapping a picture in a restaurant, posting it, and getting a thousand likes. Each video is like a mini-motion picture.”

Franzoni is not in it for fortune or fame, rather he sees himself as a booster for Baltimore.

“When I was in law school in New York, every time I told someone that I’m from Baltimore, they’d say, ‘Is it really like The Wire?’ I got tired of that and saw it as an opportunity to shed light on everything our city has to offer.”

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]]> The Lemonade Selfie Museum Brings Fresh Fun to Mt. Vernon https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/artsentertainment/the-lemonade-selfie-museum-brings-fresh-fun-to-mt-vernon/ Tue, 05 Apr 2022 20:59:36 +0000 https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/?p=118758 Continued]]> On a Friday evening in Mt. Vernon, the upbeat sounds of Otis Redding, Stevie Wonder, and Diana Ross bounce between the walls of 1 East Franklin Street as guests sip glasses of tart lemonade, and novelty pool floats in myriad designs and colors—a popsicle, a diamond ring, a camera, a hot air balloon, and unicorns with multicolored tresses—float above the entrance.

To the right, a lush, green velvet couch waits against a yellow wall, and to the left, a hoisted floor-length mirror sits precisely photo ready. After all, the Lemonade Selfie Museum’s entryway was designed with a purpose. Opened to the public since February, it joins a growing trend of local spaces that were designed to be posted on Instagram, featuring various rooms created for parties, field trips, pop-ups, and, you guessed it—selfies—which can be reserved by the hour on Wednesdays through Sundays.

At a lavishly pink table, we catch up with the museum’s founding owner, Michelle, who is using a pseudonym to protect her privacy, about the inspiration behind the first venue of its kind in Baltimore.


What led you to open a museum?
I went to California and they have some selfie museums that are similar to this one. I remember thinking, “We don’t have anything like that in Baltimore.” I really wanted our museum to have a theme and speak to something more than just taking a picture, so I did a lot of research and went to other museums to make sure that ours was [up to the same standards]. At the Museum of Ice Cream in California, the coolest part about it was the props. We wanted to make sure that we had props that people could actually pick up and utilize. We make sure we have staff to help take pictures. Sometimes guests will stand in our windows and we’ll go outside to take pictures for them. Creativity is really what I want.

How would you describe the Lemonade Selfie Museum’s theme?
The idea was for the Lemonade Selfie Museum to be a museum of affirmations. I had experiences with domestic violence, and putting little sticky notes with affirmations on them in my bathroom, on the window, or my mirror, was always just a way to remind myself that I had everything I needed to move on. I didn’t want to do this for the money. I created this place to be a way to remind myself that I’m always going to have good vibes, I didn’t stop, and I’m still going to be great. And every person who walks in here, they’re going to be great too!

It reminds us of Beyonce’s Lemonade album.
Exactly! She created that album as a self-proclamation, like, “I am Beyonce. Whatever I went through, I made lemons into lemonade.” We wanted to embody the effects that album had and bring them into one space. We have a sign that says, “This Must Be the Place,” meaning any place you are is “the place.” Our mirror in the entryway says “G.O.A.T.,” because we want everybody to feel like they’re the “Greatest of All Time.”

What went into designing every room?
I wanted each room to be its own and everything to be friendly and family oriented. That’s why you see stuff that looks like it’s for kids, but adults can use it too, like the seesaw. We also have a rain installation. Why not have our rain be colorful? And why not have a clear umbrella so we can see how pretty it is? We reached out to different artists in the area; one of them hand-painted our Burberry wall.

How do you decide what music to play?
We always try to make sure our music is PG-13, but we try to mix it up. When people come in with big crowds, we let them choose their own music. The museum is about creativity, and music is a form of art as well.

What’s the most rewarding part of this experience?
Being able to use this platform to reach out to other women. Besides coming in here to feel good, I want them to be able to utilize the space for their own businesses as well. We’ve had people come and ask to use our backdrop for their podcast. We want them to be able to use this space for pop-up [vending.] Why not make it a one-stop shop? A lot of people can’t afford [their own] brick-and-mortar.

What’s next for the museum?
I’m hoping to create an upstairs, too. I definitely see us coming up with multiple locations. I’ve been playing with the idea of music. Maybe recreating old music videos from back in the day, like Missy Elliot’s videos, or recreating the scene of the SZA album cover with the TVs.

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]]> For The ‘Gram https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/artsentertainment/selfie-fantasy-brings-instagram-worthy-experience-to-ocean-city/ Wed, 07 Aug 2019 08:30:00 +0000 https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/?post_type=article&p=17242

Let’s face it, we all have “Instagram husbands” who take pictures of us oh-so-casually sipping coffee in our favorite local spot for the sake of posting the “plandid” moment to social media. In the digital age, there’s a lot of pressure to maintain a social presence that projects a fun and aesthetically pleasing lifestyle, especially when our Instagram feeds are filled with colorful landscapes from European vacations and sun-kissed afternoons on the lake. But how can a 21-year-old like me compete when I can barely afford the cover charge at Seacrets?

This slight obsession with spicing up our social media pages is what has drawn crowds to interactive pop-up exhibitions such as the Museum of Ice Cream and the Color Factory in New York, and now Selfie Fantasy, Ocean City’s first immersive photo studio on steroids. Since opening in June in the former home of Ocean City Screams Haunted House on Worcester Street, owners Stacey and Mark Warner and Jason Tillman have welcomed about 200 visitors per day into their one-stop Instagram shop.

For $13 per visitor, wannabe models can spend an hour taking pictures on the swing in the garden room, on a golden throne beside a pile of money, or on a surfboard riding a tidal wave. With a prime location on the inlet across from the under-21 dance club H2O and with current pop songs blasting through the sound system, Selfie Fantasy primarily markets to members of Generation Z. However, the owners say they’ve hosted more families than they anticipated. “We thought the demographic was going to be the 15- to 19-year-olds,” says Mark, “but we’re finding that families are coming in and they’re having a nice time.”

Unlike similar Instagram-worthy attractions, Selfie Fantasy doesn’t revolve around a central theme but instead features a “hodge-podge” of changeable rooms, Stacey says. During a recent visit to Selfie Fantasy, my mom was my Instagram husband of the day, snapping shots of me in a hot pink clawfoot bathtub, “talking” on a rotary phone in the cherry room, and swimming in the second-floor ball pit filled with emoji-themed blow-ups for the allotted three minutes. Thanks to help from the OC community—local artist Mark Brown designed the interior backdrops and Alexandra Jacobs of T.C. Studios Arts & Entertainment painted the building’s exterior as well as the psychedelic entryway—Mark says the Selfie Fantasy team has “brought a family’s vacation experience of creating lasting memories to a whole new level.” And I have the pictures to prove it.

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]]> Feeds We Are Falling For https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/artsentertainment/four-baltimore-food-instagram-accounts-we-love/ Mon, 18 Feb 2019 08:30:00 +0000 http://server2.local/BIT-SPRING/baltimoremagazine.com/html/?post_type=article&p=423

We all know that social media has changed the way we digest food, with everyone and their grandmother using Instagram to flaunt their stylish meals out. Some people have even become quasi-celebrities, or “influencers,” over the food-porn pics they post. Personally, we’re sort of over all the avocado toast glamour shots. The new trend we’re falling for is the use of this platform by local food makers to share their own drool-worthy goods and garner a loyal following. Ranging from home cooks to epicurean artists, here are four of our favorites that are worth a follow. A few swipes down their feed and you’ll be turning into Pavlov’s dog in no time.

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Bramble Baking Co.

Sweet dreams are made of this small-batch pie, cake, and cookie company run by local baker Allie Smith. Using artisanal ingredients and unique flavors, these desserts will inspire you to spend your weekends knuckles deep in dough. “If even a few people feel motivated to work with their hands, that’s exciting for me,” says Smith. Try her sweets at the Prime Corner bodega in Hampden.

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In Absence Of

of Food goes high-fashion in this new “comestible design studio” by Krystal Mack, founder of culinary startups such as The PieCycle and BLK//SUGAR. She’ll soon be using the space, located in her own home and documented on her Instagram, to host #FauteDeMieuxAM, a salon-style breakfast and art experience. “Food can be a vehicle for so much more than flavors and nutrients,” says Mack. “Food is art, and like most art, it can tell a story.”

Loaf Bakehouse 001

Loaf Bakehouse

While scrolling this roving micro-baker’s Instagram account, we find ourselves thinking, “Give us this day our daily bread!,” as the staple gets the star treatment. Never before has sustenance looked this good, with stunning portraits of artisanal flours, hand-kneaded doughs, and old-world loaves that showcase the true art of baking. Find these sourdoughs IRL on Saturdays at the 32nd Street Farmers’ Market.

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Brown Bread

Is there any carb more bodacious than scratch-made biscuits? (We think not!) This local baker takes the Southern comfort to a new level with inventive riffs on savory and sweet. Whatever the flavor, these are flaky, buttery “biscuits worthy of a happy dance,” according to owner Jess Obayan, who bakes them in her Baltimore rowhome and serves them at pop-ups mentioned on her Instagram.

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]]> Social Media Creates More Accessibility in the Art World https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/artsentertainment/social-media-creates-more-accessibility-in-the-art-world/ Thu, 16 Aug 2018 10:03:00 +0000 https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/?p=26662

Last Wednesday, hordes of art lovers gathered on the sidewalk of Art Museum Drive to take in the illumination of Tavares Strachan’s exhibit In Broad Daylight. Above the grand columns and staircase of the Baltimore Museum of Art, the orange letters came to life in front of everyone’s eyes. And, thanks to social media, everyone following along at home also had a front row seat.

Not only has social media been great for promotion and education, but it’s also redefining how the art world operates.

“It gives everyone equal access digitally to get their work out there and to get the word out about what they’re doing,” said Andrea Boston, the social media manager for the BMA. “I use social media to share facts about an artist or to share the history behind the work of art. It creates this experience with art and what’s going on behind the doors in real-time.”

Aside from artists using it to sidestep galleries to make a name for themselves, social media also makes it easier to sell their work. Boston says that she’s actually purchased prints from artists through Instagram and notices that some even forego professional websites for Facebook and Instagram accounts instead.

“Social media requires strong imagery and a compelling message, which is perfect for art,” she said. “Particularly Instagram, which is a platform that is pretty much designed for beautiful, well-curated photos. That’s the perfect soil for artists to grow a following.”

For local visual artist Hoesy Corona, he believes that social media is a game changer for the art world. By opening up the possibilities that were once limited to reach potential audiences, it’s helped him to establish his brand on his own terms.

“I tend to use it as a professional extension of my studio practice—a virtual marketing assistant of sorts,” he says. “I can give both insight into my studio process, as well as keep my audience informed about my goings-on.”

Strachan himself has a complicated relationship with social media. While he believes that it’s beneficial to his craft, he also knows it’s hard to escape. As an artist, he has to make sure that his work remains the most important thing.

“The art world and being an artist has become kind of global I think,” he says. “It allows for us to stay connected.”

Corona shares a similar philosophy about the influence of social media and believes that it will only continue to help open the doors for artists and patrons alike.

“Just a handful of years ago, artists were limited by the ways in which they could reach potential audiences and had to rely on discriminating middlepersons to sell their goods or gain access to show their work,” he explains. “Social media gives artists plenty of exposure without the help of predatory arts professionals which allows smaller independent artist run spaces to carve a niche for themselves and build a wider audience.”

The BMA has seen that happen quite literally. In just one year, their Instagram followers have grown from 8,000 to nearly 17,000 due to what Boston describes as “growing interest in the dope things the museum has been doing.” By using Instagram and other social media channels to share what’s new or coming soon, they have been able to draw in more visitors than they would have a decade ago.

“Our numbers show it,” she says. “It creates this immediacy and accessibility that we didn’t have before. It opens this portal to art and discovery that may have felt exclusive or roped off in the past.”

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]]> Book Lovers Create an Online Community Through Instagram https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/community/book-lovers-create-an-online-community-through-instagram/ Mon, 06 Aug 2018 13:39:00 +0000 https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/?p=26701

These days, there are groups for everything imaginable online—food, pets, makeup, hair. But hordes of bibliophiles are popping up on Instagram. These book-obsessed people are known as “bookstagrammers” and they use the online platform to build communities for book lovers just like them.

It’s not your old-fashioned book club with ladies (and gents) sitting around a coffee table discussing the latest Fifty Shades novel. These groups are diverse and are perfect for anyone who wants to get in a good discussion on a great book with limited human interaction. Bookstagrammers post their favorites online and some even host discussions with their followers.

Take Baltimore native Katharine Scrivener who has her own Bookstagram account, @kathareads. She’s a member of several book clubs, including an online book blog she started with her friends, The Bookly Club. She started her book-focused account after she realized there was an entire online community that shared in her love of literature.

She created her account a little over a year ago and now has more than 12,000 followers, and she even hosts an online discussion complete with the hashtag #ReadWithKat to engage them to read along with her. Scrivener has become so popular that Sarah Jessica Parker actually re-grammed one of her posts.

“It is a little bit surreal,” she says. “I didn’t realize this community existed, or how big and wonderful it is. It’s just full of smart, caring, supportive, book-obsessed people. It’s just this little corner of the internet that is unlike any other I’ve found.”

Scrivener, who enjoys literary fiction, memoirs, and thrillers, believes that the online platform has also provided an open pathway for publishers and authors to connect with readers in a way that wasn’t possible a decade ago. It also opens readers up to genres and titles that they wouldn’t otherwise check out if not for the abundance of literature sharing that takes place on these accounts.

“I love Baltimore-based authors like Laura Lippman and Anne Tyler,” she says. “It’s great to see other people from other places get excited about books that are written by Baltimore authors or that take place in Baltimore.”

Although this Bookstagram account began as just an entertaining hobby for Scrivener, she has been toying with the idea of making it something bigger than just an online account. She has grappled with the notion of local meetups, newsletters, and growing the presence of book influencers online, although she’s still looking for a way to monetize her passion.

“What’s unfortunate about book influencers is they aren’t looked at the same as other influencers,” she says. For now, I love reading so much and this account is so much fun for me that part of me is also afraid to take it to a place where it becomes work.”

Whether your preference is a physical book, audiobook, or a Kindle—Scrivener bounces among all three but prefers an actual book—these online communities are perfect for a veracious reader looking to connect with other bibliophiles.

“I decided to create this Instagram account dedicated to books because I wanted to reignite my excitement for reading,” Scrivener says. “But I also just wanted to talk about books with other people who love books. I had no idea where it would go or what would happen, but it’s just been so much more than I imagined.”

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]]> Style File: Dayna Bolden https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/styleshopping/style-file-fashion-blogger-instagram-star-dayna-bolden/ Thu, 19 Apr 2018 09:45:00 +0000 https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/?p=27439

With more than 50,000 followers on Instagram, Dayna Bolden documents her day-to-day life for the masses leaving us feeling completely inspired. From fashion and beauty to travel and family, she has all of the bases covered and offers heartfelt advice, aspirational goals, and attainable fashion tips and tricks in a truly genuine way. We caught up with Bolden to talk about how she got started blogging, adventures in motherhood, and where she likes to shop in Baltimore.

What made you want to start blogging?
I really wanted to create a platform for myself where I could share my lifestyle as an entrepreneur, a mother, a wife, and just document all of the things I love. 

How is being a mother impacted your posts?
I love showing my readers the beauty of motherhood and how I am still able to follow my dreams, while still being an amazing mother. I feel that a lot of women feel that once they become mothers and have another little life to take care of, that everything else has to stop and that is definitely not the case. I believe that being a blogger mom also really inspires my daughter to know that she can do what she loves as she gets older. 

style dayne bolden 2

Where do you love to shop in Baltimore?
I love Brightside Boutique—they have amazing clothes and great quality stuff. I also recently discovered another cute store called Poppy and Stella, I haven’t had the time to shop there as much as I would like too but I’m definitely planning on it. There is also an online clothing company I really love called Mess in a Bottle, sadly there so no real store yet, but my friend owns the company and she sells really cute t-shirts online. Those are probably my go-to places in Baltimore.

What do you like to do outside of your blog?

I’m an entrepreneur. I own a business called Bolden Creative Media, where I brand consult and work with brands on creative directing, functions, and strategies. I also love spending time with my family and traveling. I don’t have a lot of hobbies because blogging was always my hobby when I was younger and I turned that into a full-time career. 

Any style tips for the summer?
I love a cute dress, and I feel that you can never go wrong with a maxi dress. The perfect maxi is always going to look chic and is really easy to dress up or down. Also a nice pair of shorts, that aren’t too short. I don’t like super tight or super short shorts, but a nice fitted pair of shorts are essential for your summer wardrobe. 

What is your go-to outfit?
My everyday go-to outfit right now is sweats, a cute T-shirt, and just pairing that with some sneakers. But If I’m actually going somewhere and need to look cute, I love nice tapered pants, a cute blouse, and a statement heel as my go-to.

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]]> The Social Network https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/fooddrink/the-social-network-food-bloggers-instagram-yelp-shaping-restaurant-scene/ Mon, 19 Mar 2018 08:30:00 +0000 http://server2.local/BIT-SPRING/baltimoremagazine.com/html/?post_type=article&p=1898

By Lauren Cohen
Photography By justin tsucalas
Arts & Culture

The Social Network

How food bloggers, Instagrammers, and Yelpers are shaping the local restaurant scene.

By Lauren Cohen. Photography By Justin Tsucalas.

nside Horseshoe Casino, a row of 10 nattily dressed servers greet guests as they enter Gordon Ramsay Steak. On the evening before its official debut, the swanky steakhouse is packed with nearly 150 visitors. They stop to pose for photos in front of a branded banner before making their way into the dimly lit lounge with plush couches, etched ice sculptures, and flat screen TVs projecting headshots of the restaurant’s famously fiery creator.

Restaurant staffers make their rounds, carrying platters of smoked salmon cones filled with herb crème fraîche and caviar, and bite-sized samples of wagyu beef filet. But the most sought-after dish of the evening sits beneath a glass dome in a cloud of liquid smoke.

“Technology has brought out the food nerds in all of us.”

Many in the crowd inch forward and gather around the dome in anticipation, as if awaiting the arrival of a movie star on a red carpet. With cameras properly positioned, they nod and give the server the go-ahead to remove the cover. He lifts it, swirling it around as the smoke dissipates. What surfaces beneath the haze—amid a cacophony of iPhone camera clicks and flashes—is a platter of Yukon gold herb potato chips topped with mounds of beef tartare, and garnished with lemon zest and capers.

For some, a plate of smoked tartare doesn’t exactly seem like a Kodak moment. But in the mind of a professional blogger or food Instagrammer, capturing the theatrics leads to the best-performing online posts.

LEANDRO LAGERA AND HEIDI KLOTZMAN STAGE CHARCUTERIE FROM CULTURED IN MOUNT VERNON MARKETPLACE..

In recent years, these ad-hoc food writers, known as social media influencers, have been creating an entirely new way of helping to market local businesses—though they’re not to be confused with foodies who occasionally post pictures of their meals just for fun.

Influencers build a following by curating their feeds with eye-catching content and are often sought out by businesses and rewarded—either monetarily or with complimentary goods and services—in exchange for their coverage. Whether intentionally or not, they have become mini-celebrities unto themselves. And while there are many types of influencers (think fashion gurus promoting boutiques, or lifestyle bloggers endorsing a local yoga studio), the food beat is one of the most powerful and popular.

“Technology has brought out the food nerds in all of us,” says Adam Sachs, former editor-in-chief of Saveur magazine. “Food trends travel at the speed of social now. I’ve definitely had the thought while strolling in Paris that, if I’ve got one morning to find one perfect pain aux raisins, I’m going to look through people’s social feeds and find the best-looking one with the most credible responses. I trust that more than looking it up through a traditional guide.”

The visual focus on food has become so commonplace, in fact, that the prestigious Culinary Institute of America (CIA) added an elective course covering food photography and styling to its curriculum this spring. The class will focus on properly shooting dishes for the still camera—whether that means adjusting light or purposefully overcooking vegetables to convey a more defined texture.

RACHEL LIPTON GETS HER CAMERA PRIMED AND READY FOR OYSTERS AND RAMEN.

“We’re becoming more of a visual culture in general,” says Denise Bauer, dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Food Studies at the CIA. “We’re moving away from the written word toward the visual. This is our students’ entire world. They’re on their phones taking pictures of their food all the time—it’s become natural for them.”

LEANDRO LEGARA STAGES A COCKTAIL PHOTOGRAPH..

The eat-with-your-eyes mentality has certainly caught on locally. As the area’s culinary options continue to expand, more people have taken an interest in documenting the offerings on a digital platform of their own.

A recent list published by Baltimore food blogger Leandro Lagera (@foodnomad) names more than 100 local culinary influencers, whose accounts reach millions of diners in the city and beyond. Whether they’re posting a gooey cheese pull or runny egg yolk on Instagram, writing reviews on Yelp, or sharing their dining experiences on a personal blog, these food personalities are making an impact on where we go out to eat. Love them or hate them, they’re a force to be reckoned with.

Lagera’s Instagram feed, for example, could make even the most hardcore health fanatics ditch their diets. Lagera attended high school in Howard County and later moved around the East Coast building his career in corporate media finance. He didn’t discover his passion for dining until he was transferred to New York City for a job with ESPN in 2005. “There was so much to try,” Lagera remembers. “Momofuku was on the rise, and David Chang was still cooking at Noodle Bar. Wylie Dufresne had just opened WD-50, and the whole molecular gastronomy wave had started. I always liked food, but didn’t recognize the possibilities until I moved to New York.”

Lagera began chronicling his dining adventures with a Google map of the restaurants that he loved to frequent in the Big Apple. The hobby then became the Food Nomad blog, and, when he moved back to Baltimore in 2015, Lagera, now the vice president of operations and finance for The Real News Network, started maintaining an Instagram account that quickly caught on with diners. “There was some sort of satisfaction in taking a picture, lots of people liking it, and gaining followers at a good pace,” he says.

Followers are critical to establishing an influencer presence, says local public-relations veteran Heidi Klotzman. The CEO and founder of HeidnSeek Entertainment started her own company in 2005, back in the heyday of platforms like Friendster and MySpace. In the past decade, she has seen how social media personalities have become an integral part of endorsing local businesses—especially restaurants.

SCENES FROM MOUNT VERNON MARKETPLACE.

Klotzman has become known for organizing what she calls “influencer events”—parties in which local movers and shakers gather at the venues of her clients (restaurants, shops, luxury real-estate sites), and subsequently promote the brand by posting about their experiences online. “There’s nothing more powerful than getting everyone together,” Klotzman says. “Because you don’t just have 150 people in the room. You have 150 people, times each one of their followers.”

With more than 14,000 followers, Rachel Lipton (@liketheteaeats) has enough acolytes to fill Royal Farms Arena. The 27-year-old social media and marketing specialist started her food blog soon after graduating from Towson University in 2013. In her senior year, Lipton made it a point to stray from dining hall fare and familiarize herself with city restaurants. Once she settled in the city after graduation, she started writing about restaurants on a blog, and eventually launched an accompanying Instagram—which appeared on Zagat’s list of the nation’s top food accounts to follow last year.

“One time my brother was explaining to my mom that I’m a ‘social media influencer,’” Lipton recalls. “And I was like, ‘That sounds so icky.’ It feels like I’m [taking advantage] in a weird way. But that’s never been the goal.” Instead, blogging has been a form of expression for the typically shy Lipton: “It’s fun,” she says. “I’m taking pictures, eating food that I like, and hanging out with people that I would never know otherwise. I can be very reserved, so it’s a good way for me to be more outgoing.”

VARIOUS COCKTAILS LINED UP AND READY TO PHOTOGRAPH.

While to some it might sound like a breeze, keeping a food blog requires a significant commitment. Aside from working their daily nine-to-fives, Lipton and Lagera estimate that they attend restaurant events (reviews, openings, media previews) three times per week.

Equally time-consuming are the hours devoted to editing photos, writing blogs, and communicating with publicists about media opportunities. Most public-relations companies have a list of tastemakers that they frequently invite to dine at a new restaurant or sample dishes off of a chef’s seasonal menu. And often, the influencer is asked to post photos or write about the experience in exchange for a complimentary meal.

The quid-pro-quo model has become somewhat of a hot-button issue in the world of restaurant marketing. Though there are some big-name foodies who pitch their services to restaurants in exchange for cash (a recent Washington City Paper article reported that California food personality Jonathan Cheban—one of influencer queen Kim Kardashian’s best friends—asked a handful of D.C. restaurants for $3,500 in exchange for one tweet and one Instagram post on his platforms), Lipton lets the eateries approach her first. “If a restaurant says, ‘We’ll buy you some sushi if you take a few pictures and post,’ I’m not going to be like, ‘Yeah, but you have to pay me,’” she says. “You’re giving me dinner, and probably leftovers for lunch tomorrow, too.”

HEIDI KLOTZMAN ENDEAVORS TO CREATE THE PERFECT LIGHTING.

And while influencers generally tend to be big boosters (Lipton has vowed to only post positive reviews), other platforms such as Yelp have made it so that anyone, no matter what their profession or lifestyle, can be a critic.

Robert Wong, an anesthesiologist at Mercy Medical Center, posts reviews on Yelp as a way to save patrons from bad dining experiences. Wong wrote his first post in 2009, and was later granted elite status—the Yelp algorithm bumps Wong’s entries to the top of its feeds—by the website after consecutively keeping up his streak. “Eating out is a big deal,” Wong says. “You’re taking time out of your day, and using your hard-earned money. So, I’ll absolutely write negative reviews—because I have no stake in it. They’re not paying me to be there. I’m paying it forward for other people.”

While Yelp has continued to be a well-regarded source for consumers, it can be detrimental for businesses. “The whole Yelp revolution almost killed me,” says Brian Acquavella, who owns Blue Agave Restaurante y Tequileria in Federal Hill. “I almost left the business because of it. I’ve interacted with guests one-on-one for an entire experience where they’ve told me everything was amazing and shook my hand on their way out the door. And then, two days later, they go on Yelp and say that the jalapeño relleno was too spicy and give me a one-star review.”

A veteran in the hospitality industry, Acquavella says that human interaction has gotten lost in the digital age. “I didn’t get into this business for any other reason except to make people enjoy themselves when they go out,” he says. “When all you hear is what you did wrong, and you never hear what you did right, it wears on you.”

RACHEL LIPTON RAISES HER CHOPSTICKS FOR A DYNAMIC RAMEN SHOT.

To encourage a lighter approach to online reviews, Acquavella opened a new bar, One Star Country Club, just around the corner from Blue Agave last October. As its tongue-in-cheek name implies, the concept asks patrons to leave it an ironic, one-star review on Yelp (“The Natty’s are way too cold,” one Yelper writes), with the hope being that new diners come check out the space for themselves, rather than making a judgment based on others’ online critiques.

“I’m not saying that the review system is all bad,” says One Star’s general manager Don Messinese. “It just doesn’t need to be taken so seriously. I would rather people take it in stride.” Despite all of the criticism, restauranteurs acknowledge that online dining culture can also have its perks—whether an influencer is purposely promoting a place, or a regular patron is casually posting their meal. Many are even taking advantage of the new focus by enhancing plating and installing mono-point lighting systems in their restaurants to up the eye appeal for the camera.

“The whole Yelp revolution almost killed me. I almost left the business because of it.”

James Beard Award-winning chef Andrew Carmellini, who opened Rec Pier Chop House in Fells Point and Rye Street Tavern in Port Covington last year, says his restaurants have benefitted from the online foodie craze. He recalls back to the summer of 2016, when his New York City restaurant Bar Primi debuted Frosé—a slushy drink that freezes rosé and pureed strawberries. The pink cocktail caught on with Instagrammers, and news outlets even began to send video crews to document the process of making it. (An Insider video about the drink reached nearly 12 million views on Facebook.)

“With Frosé alone, we broke all of the sales records at Bar Primi that summer,” Carmellini says. “We had lines out the door. Customers were coming in, ordering Frosé at the bar, taking a picture of it, not drinking it, and leaving. It’s kind of a sad commentary, but, at the same time, it was great for business.”

From a business perspective, Lagera says that he doesn’t see the digital focus on food fizzling out any time soon. “When you go to any restaurant these days, there’s always going to be someone pulling out a camera.”

So while a steak tartare dish enveloped in smoke might seem like a mundane moment to most, these food photographs are conveying a much stronger message to millions of followers around the world.

“You can only fill your feed with so many inspirational quotes and pretty sunsets,” says Sachs. “It’s more satisfying to say, ‘Hey look, I’m eating a hamburger.’ Or, ‘Check out this pie I made.’ It’s an easy, shorthand way of saying, ‘Life is good.’”

LEANDRO LEGARA GOES FOR THE COVETED AERIAL ANGLE.

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]]> Pet Project https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/community/local-pack-of-french-bulldogs-rise-to-social-media-stardom/ Wed, 07 Mar 2018 08:30:00 +0000 http://server2.local/BIT-SPRING/baltimoremagazine.com/html/?post_type=article&p=1929

When Adam Mittadam started posting photos of his five French bulldogs on social media, he never expected them to become stars. But snapshots of the Highlandtown resident’s charming companions—full of scrunched expressions, adorable costumes, and creative poses—have captured the hearts of dog-lovers from Baltimore and beyond, earning their cheekily named Instagram account, @we.farted, more than 52,000 followers to date.

Today, the pack can often be spotted having lunch in Fells or taking a walk through Patterson Park, but their story starts in the mid 2000s, when Mittadam was a fresh-faced college graduate who had always dreamed of owning his own pup. After doing some research, he knew that Frenchies, with their small size, lively temperament, and funny faces, were the ones.

In 2006, he bought his first, Mango, a classy “gentleman,” and before long wanted to help more Frenchies by adopting them. A decade later, he still has Mango, now age 12, as well as Vespa, 7, the “lazy cuddler,” Coconut, 7, “the cheerleading squad captain,” Moped, 5, “the football team captain,” and Chopper, 3, aka “Baby Chops, the Energizer bunny.”

But it’s not always easy being a dog owner of five. Not only do the costs of vet visits and food add up, but some of the pups have health problems. Baby Chops, for example, has an esophageal condition that makes it difficult to swallow food. Before meeting Mittadam, he couldn’t find a steady home.

“It’s a big commitment,” says Mittadam, “but I wasn’t going to be the person who returned him again.”

Mittadam and his Frenchies have received endless support from their growing brood of fans, and the 34 year old has now started sharing training tips and health advice to other dog owners on social media. Mittadam does have a full-time job as an analyst, but he’s not opposed to having his pack become Insta-famous like other leading pooches Jiff Pom the Pomeranian or Doug the Pug.

“We’re accepting sponsors,” jokes Mittadam. “I’d love to get to the point where I can take on my dream job—posting about my five potatoes with little legs all day.

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Mango

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Vespa

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Coconut

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Moped

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Chopper

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Mittadam and his pups.

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]]> Style File: The Bmore Creatives https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/styleshopping/style-file-the-bmore-creatives/ Wed, 15 Mar 2017 14:05:00 +0000 https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/?p=29675

What do you think makes Baltimore such a great city to photograph?
Alexa Gaines: Baltimore is so different depending on where you live or what you like to do. So, it’s interesting to see other peoples’ views of the city.

LC: It’s cool when we post a picture and someone asks, ‘Where is this?’” I feel like we’re opening up people’s eyes to things and places that they may not have noticed. Also, the city is very supportive of people’s ideas and people are always offering to help with events or collaborations.

We were just immediately drawn to the spirit of Baltimore.

Phyllis Langley (@lifeofphylly)


If you were on a deserted island and could only bring one thing what would it be?
AG: My cat, Trippy Cat.

LC: A 6-pack of Flying Dog’s Bloodline.

What is your favorite photo on your Instagram account?
AG: We recently did a day of featuring dog pictures, which were a lot of fun.

LC: It’s also cool to see pictures of people in their natural environment, like their studio or living room.

What do you love photographing the most?
AG: I love photographing people and getting to go to coffee shops and sit down and just talk to them.

Mary Ellen LaFreniere (@steelcutflowerco)

Ian J. Bell (@ianjaredbell)


What is your guilty pleasure?
AG: Pitango [Gelato] and Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

LC: Lately, tacos from Clavel. And I don’t totally feel guilty about it.

How has social media enabled The Bmore Creatives to grow?
LC: People searching through hashtags and locations helps them find us. We wouldn’t exist without Instagram because our way of growing a following in the beginning was commenting on people’s photos and liking them. Social media means everything to Baltimore Creatives.

Who is your idol?
AG: Beyoncé. Also Lane Harlan, the owner of W.C. Harlan, because she’s such a boss.

Rosemary Kourdoglou (@officegoth)

Olivia Witherite (@oliviawitherite)


If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
AG: We would love to live in Europe.

What do you hope people get out of seeing the pictures you share?
LC: I hope people who live in Baltimore can see the city from a new perspective. But also, for people who don’t live here, it’s nice when someone stumbles upon our feed and realizes they may have had a totally different idea of what Baltimore was like.

What’s next for The Bmore Creatives?
AG:We have an event coming up called Baltimore IRL, a pop-up gallery at Wet City featuring photographs by some of Instagram’s most avid photographers.

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]]> Gastro Grams https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/fooddrink/expert-tips-getting-picture-perfect-instagram-food-shots/ Wed, 26 Oct 2016 08:30:00 +0000 http://server2.local/BIT-SPRING/baltimoremagazine.com/html/?post_type=article&p=4271

We’ve all been there. A server delivers our dishes to the table and, before we can dig in, one iPhone-wielding diner implores us to wait while they get the perfect shot, angle, and filter for every plate. And you know what? Experts say that’s okay. “We eat with our eyes,” says Dave Seel, founder of Blue Fork Marketing, which handles public relations for Gunther & Co. and Gnocco. “Visual content is quickly becoming a primary driver in the food industry.” We decided to survey a chef, a food blogger, and a marketing expert for their best tips on getting those picture-perfect food shots.

Zack Mills
(@zmills417)

executive chef, Wit & Wisdom

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Lighting is Key
“It seems to be all about the lighting from what I’ve learned. I always try to make sure the light is natural and coming from the back of me.”

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Aim For No Filter
“Ideally, I am trying to find the best lighting possible and try not to use any Instagram filters if I can. But I am partial to Ludwig.”

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Always Look Back
“I like looking back over my Instagram account at a lot of the pictures of our food over the years. It is a nice yearbook of sorts, and helps me remember what to improve on.”

Rachel Lipton (@LiketheteaEATS)

food blogger, Like The Tea Eats

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Right Tools
“I usually travel with a portable lighting device that I use when it’s dark. I also have a mini tripod for my phone to keep it steady. The app Enlight is great for editing.”

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Quick Captions
“If it’s more than 90 characters, people lose interest. I get the name of the food item in there and the restaurant in the first five words.”

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Backdrop Matters
“Make sure there is little to no clutter in the background of your photo. No one wants to see your dirty spoon. I do my best to eat dinner outside and, if I’m lucky enough, to have a water view.”

Dave Seel (@thefoodadventurer)

founder, Blue Fork Marketing

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The Editing Room
“I try to avoid using a filter, but I generally edit my shots. I bump up my brightness level. Look at Bon Appétit and Saveur—that’s what they do.”

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The Right Angle
“Go low and close, with the phone at the edge of the table, to bring out the juiciness of a burger or the crust on a scallop.”

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Story Time
“Instagram Stories are the next big thing. You have to be a director and screenwriter all at once, but also keep it real, have fun with it, and make it interesting for your audience.”

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]]> Tapas in the City Pop-Ups Allow Diners to Try Almost Everything https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/fooddrink/tapas-in-the-city-pop-ups-allow-diners-to-try-almost-everything/ Mon, 08 Aug 2016 14:59:00 +0000 https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/?p=30778 Continued]]> Decisions, decisions. When it comes to food and drink, some are easy. Cheese on a burger. Regular over decaf. Sure, go ahead and make that Jack and ginger a double—why not?

Others, not so much. We’ve all experienced the agony. You sit down at a restaurant you’ve been dying to try, peruse the menu, and narrow your choice down to the braised pork belly, the grilled lamb chops, the cornmeal-fried chicken, and the seared scallops. Or the porterhouse, medium-rare of course. Come to think of it, the roasted butternut squash ravioli sounds good, too.

Rachel Lipton, Andrea Samlin, and Jordan Zelesnick feel your pain. Every time the trio of Instagram food bloggers get together for dinner, they want to order . . . everything.

It was while sharing a particularly delicious bowl of fish ceviche at Puerto 511 that their new company, Tapas in the City, was born. It’s dedicated to bringing more of restaurants’ menus to the masses. They host multi-course dinners at city restaurants, during which diners shed the shackles of ordering just one dish, and instead, indulge in several. The women try to pick places that are relatively new, and they work with the chefs to choose the set menu, which always includes a vegetarian option.

“We think of tapas more of like a small plate for yourself,” rather than a shareable dish, says Samlin (@Bmore_Hungry). “A young professional couldn’t afford to order everything off the menu, nor could they eat it all, so we thought picking signature items would be more appealing.”

That was clear on Wednesday, when the trio of city-dwelling 26 year olds hosted their third dinner at Sammy’s Enoteca. Like the first two (and the next one, on August 25 at Cava Mezze), it was sold out.

“It makes it more affordable because you can try a little bit of everything and not have to worry about spending 20 bucks on this, and 20 bucks on that,” said Austin Rose, of Mt. Vernon. “Rachel has been posting these amazing pictures of food on her Instagram (@LiketheteaEATS), so we had no choice but to come.”

He’s glad he did. For a flat fee of around $50 (which included three drinks and gratuity—non-drinkers pay less), he and the other 30 or so guests each enjoyed their own six-course small plate meal. Sausage and rapini, risotto with wild mushroom, watermelon salad with feta and mint, gnocchi in Bolognese sauce, and duck ravioli were among the dishes chef Sam Curreri served at his new Fells Point restaurant, which opened three months ago.

“We’re not typically a small plates restaurant—being Italian, it’s almost like an oxymoron,” Curreri says. “This gives us more exposure.”

As the night progressed, conversation flowed at the large communal table and a few other smaller ones. The women take great care to make all their guests, most of whom are millennials, feel welcome.

“With all the young people who are going on dates on apps like Tinder and Bumble, this is a great activity,” says Zelesnick (@jzeats) “Or for people who just moved here and don’t know anybody, this is a great way to meet people.”

And get to know some new food.

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]]> #WhatsYourFilter https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/fooddrink/whatsyourfilter/ Wed, 25 Jun 2014 13:39:45 +0000 https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/?p=67842

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]]> Instagram meet-up at Artifact Coffee https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/fooddrink/instagram-meet-up-at-artifact-coffee/ Mon, 23 Jun 2014 11:13:00 +0000 https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/?p=67815 Continued]]> Fans of the popular photo-sharing app Instagram are invited to a networking party Tuesday from 6-8 p.m. at Artifact Coffee. Baltimore magazine, along with Charm City Cook, will be hosting Instafact, a meet-up geared towards foodies and photographers.

For $10, guests can enjoy snacks by Woodberry Kitchen chef Opie Crooks, signature punches, beers from Union Craft Brewing, and a free glass of bubbly to start the evening. Guests are, naturally, encouraged to post about the event on Instagram using the hashtags #instafact and #whatsyourfilter. 

We hope the party can help connect like-minded people also stir some conversations about favorite restaurants, photographers, and, of course, Instagram filters. (I’ve personally always been a fan of Lo-Fi).

This is one of many night-time events that Artifact Coffee puts on—from chef pop-ups to speakeasy nights. See the calendar for a complete schedule. Hope to see you all tomorrow!

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