Friday’s Foodie – 10 Questions with Stella Yu

When I first started View the Vibe, I realized I needed to embed myself into Toronto’s food community.  As a result, I met a ton of people (some of whom thought I was a bit of a kook for video taping myself eating) who blogged about food just as a hobby.  I was amazed – I had never realized how many people did this.  Since, many have become friends, collaborators and inspirations.  This is why we, at View the Vibe, decided to highlight some of these food bloggers who just write, tweet, take pics, spend money at restaurants, promote chefs and more, all for the love of food in Toronto.

My first pick for our weekly “Friday’s Foodie” is Stella Yu (@foodieyu on Twitter).  She is the creator of www.FoodJunkieChronicles.net, a food and restaurant blog that I have always loved.  I first noticed Stella on twitter in December 2010 – she tweets more than anyone I know and her pictures are always mouth watering.  We quickly became twitter friends and one day @ZuccaTrattoria tweeted us about their 15-year anniversary and invited us to do a tasting of their legendary pastas.  So on a cold March evening, Stella and I had dinner together for the very first time.  Kinda weird to share a 5-course meal with someone you’ve never met – but we became quick friends through our of our love of food.  My first impression of her?  A cute and tiny girl that can eat whatever she wants and stays tiny (B@*!H – kidding ;).  Fast forward 16 months, we are still great friends and she has impressed me enormously with her consistency and dedication to sharing with her followers what she loves about food in Toronto as well as always remaining honest and real.  I sat down with her and asked her 10 questions…

When and why did you start writing about food?

I started my blog in April 2010. To be honest, it was actually never my intention to write about food nor have a food blog. It was only because a good friend of mine noticed my constant upload of food pictures on Facebook that she suggested I start one. It sounded like a lot of work at first (compared to just uploading pictures on Facebook) but I eventually went with it. Initially, my blog was meant to be an archive for my pictures and for friends to look at but as I find myself putting more and more time and effort into it, I wanted other people to read it as well.

What do you love most about food?

On a personal level, eating good food makes me happy…simple as that! Food is also universal, everybody needs to eat, it brings people together yet everybody can have a different opinion about it. That is precisely why I love food.

What do you do when you aren’t writing about or eating food?

Thanks for asking me that because believe it or not, I do have other hobbies! I enjoy reading novels, watching movies & musicals, doing arts & crafts like origami, knitting & crocheting, biking, going to the beach, and spending quality time with my family and friends.

Do you cook? If so, what’s your specialty? If not, why?

I love cooking and baking. I used to do it a lot more. I’m just a beginner though so I don’t have a specialty yet. Ask me again in a few years.

What’s your favourite type of food(s) and where do you go to get it?

This is a tough one. I don’t have a favourite type of food or cuisine but I do find myself always falling back on a big bowl of pho just because it is so comforting. For pho, I like to go to Golden Turtle or Pho Linh in downtown or Pho Dau Bo in Mississauga.

What’s your favourite hidden gem?

Fuel House. A fabulous sandwich shop at College & Clinton. It is practically my second home.

What’s your go-to restaurant?

I don’t have one.

What’s the most memorable meal you’ve ever had?

The Takumi tasting menu at Sushi Kaji. It was a mind-blowing experience.

What’s one restaurant you have to try before you die?

I can’t say I have one, although after watching “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” I do want to visit Sukiyabashi Jiro in Tokyo.

What’s your biggest restaurant pet peeve? (Play nice.)

My biggest restaurant pet peeve would probably be snooty maître d’s or hosts. It sucks to walk into a restaurant, full of anticipation about the food and dining experience, but then given attitude.