What Do Food Bloggers Do? An Interview With Chicago’s Blogger To Cookbook Author, Jocelyn Adams

Have you ever wondered: What do food bloggers do? Apart from inundate our social platforms with mouth-watering dishes that often trigger cravings that we didn’t plan on having that day.

Last month, I had the pleasure of meeting Jocelyn Adams, a Chicago blogger and now cookbook author of an amazing new book named after her blog, Grandbaby Cakes. 

Adams’ baked goods are a truly amazing culinary experience. After attending a short segment on Good Day Chicago, I also attended her book launch which involved having culinary students bake her recipes. They did an excellent job and many cupcakes were consumed that day. But I also wanted to find out from Jocelyn a little more about what it takes to be a food blogger, professional baker, and now cookbook author.

How long have you been baking?

Jocelyn Adams: About eight or nine years really. But I started at a very young age with my Big Momma. I’ve been in the kitchen for as long as I can remember.

When did you start your blog?

JA: I started Grandbaby Cakes about three years ago now. For a while, it was a side project while I had a full-time job but a few months into the second job I had while doing this, I had to quit. Things began moving really fast, and I had to dedicate my entire time to the blog.

What do food bloggers do, day in, day out?

JA: Recipe creation is a huge part of being a food blogger. It takes numerous times to perfect a recipe before you present it. Part of being a food blogger is doing a lot of research and writing too. I think a lot of people only see the finished product so they don’t know how much work goes into it.

What are people most surprised by in terms of being a food blogger?

JA: I think a lot of people are very surprised by the pictures! I took the pictures for my book and a lot of people thought I had used a professional. And yes, that takes a lot of practice and it takes a lot of doing it multiple times to get the right shot. But details are important and so is professionalism. So there’s that. I think a lot of people might also not be aware of the branding side of food blogging which as you can get more of an audience, tends to happen.

Could you tell me more about your experience with branding?

JA: Yes. I work with many brands either to showcase a new product or try out an existing product. And sometimes in utilizing brands, I also promote recipes. I definitely only work with brands I enjoy and would use anyway, because I want to make sure to keep everything honest.

Finally, how has your life changed since working on the book?

JA: It’s been a whole lot of work! I do a lot more TV segments and a lot more travelling. But in general, I think it’s been such an amazing journey to get to this point. I think the only thing I can say to anyone is this: Keep at it, be consistent and persistent, and put in the work. And hopefully good things will come from it!