All things ‘foodie’
Food may be the focus in most kitchens, but it is only the starting point for Tracey Steel and her Kapi-mana News online blog.
In My Kitchen went live on our website in March as part of our commitment to provide digital readers more fresh and exclusive content online.
Tracey has proved the perfect scribe to wax lyrical about all things ‘‘ foodie’’, from cooking shows to health- related interviews, to offering her two cents on ‘‘Marmageddon’’ and kids’ fondness for tomato sauce.
From the start Tracey had no interest in just serving up another column about recipes. As the adage goes, the kitchen is the ‘‘heart of the home’’ and not just because of the cooking appliances.
‘‘When you sit at the kitchen table, you don’t just talk about food,’’ she says.
‘‘I try to find different topics and keep it fresh.’’
Tracey says she is keen to blog about local people in the food trade who are successful, like Ruby’s cafe and Whittaker’s.
‘‘I want to celebrate local business. It’s a great way to promote what’s good and great about Porirua.’’
She also plans to keep folks updated on food-related events, smart shopping tips, and recipe attempts from new cook books.
‘‘If I could design a kitchen it would have a whole library wall of cook books,’’ says our food culture blogger Tracey Steel. However, a notepad is always close by and ideas often come on a whim.
Tracey has lived in Pukerua Bay for four years, and Whitby and Paremata before that. She loves food culture, from aprons to collecting rolling pins and kitchen gadgets – both practical and novel.
‘‘I have an ice-cream scoop that says ‘ice-cream!’ when you use it.’’
When it comes to the cooking, olive oil, garlic and onions are her most trusted ingredients. Just don’t expect too many blog entries about hosting dinner parties.
‘‘You spend all day prepping, deciding what to do, the shopping. And I love the planning. But by the time it’s ready to go in the oven, I’m over it – just give me a bucket of wine.’’
In My Kitchen is updated regularly at kapimananews.co.nz. We will endeavour to publish one entry each month in the print edition.