About Toby @ Plate Fodder

 ABOUT (Version 2.0)

I’m Southern. To some of you that really doesn’t mean a lot – it’s like saying ” I have a blue car”. However to others, it speaks volumes. I’m a single guy eeking out a living in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

First and foremost I’ll tell you what you can expect to see here and what you wont.

What you’ll get:

Plate Fodder began as a way of working though some of my own issues with moving to the mountains, refocusing my career at 50, and some nagging insecurities that  erupted after a particularly bad business decision. Thankfully, I’ve come through the other end of it all in one piece and better for having that experience…. so expect a certain amount if ranting, whining and the like.

My initial vision was to share my family stories I’d heard told and retold over the years – interlaced with food. So, along with the historical bits, I tried to put in print as many of the family recipes I either remembered as a child, ciphered from scrawled bits of paper, or transposed from Jane’s recipe box as I could. It was fevered, hurried, and the posts were chucked full with 5 and 6 recipes at a time. It was maddening.

And, by the end of the first year, I was pretty much done. Only, I wasn’t… I realized that the frustrated writer in me really enjoyed this exercise. Although I’m mostly working on special needs diets and refining recipes I’ve created in the past. There will still be some of the other stuff as well. The family stories are still there, they just come along at a slower pace.

What you wont see:

Restaurant Reviews. Since my actual business is restaurant consulting, what you’ll never see here is a restaurant review. I typically work with struggling, independent operations on the verge of collapse. These operations depend on my candor, knowledge, and discretion. It wouldn’t be fair to any of them to air their dirty laundry here. Nor for that fact, to talk about any operation that could one day be a client. It’s just bad business.

My take on restaurant reviews?

Generally speaking, Restaurants have bad days; Chefs have bad days; Waiters have bad days – it comes with the territory in dealing with an ever-changing dining audience. To focus a sharp tongued criticism on any restaurant gleaned from a diner’s viewpoint on a single visit is at the very least irresponsible on the part of the author – and in some cases ought to be considered liable and actionable by the establishment.

Processed Food Product Endorsements or Reviews

If I’m going to talk about something, it’s going to be a product I either use on a regular basis – or have tried and think it’s worth the (hype, money, effort) to go out and get. That list, historically,  is pretty small.  I’m happy to talk to you about your product, and even happier to give it an honest review.

Fair warning – don’t expect me to be all glowing and happy just because you gave me a free sample to try out.

How about those comments?

Here’s the thing – I love comments. I practically eat them up…. But just because I love them doesn’t mean that I’ll reply back to your comment immediately – or in a very timely manner. My job is time consuming, the care and maintenance of the property here at Turtle Creek is demanding. I get to them when I have time. It is what it is.  

A recent development has been the closing of comments 60 days after article publication. I’ve noticed an increasing trend in crawlers on the site and they seem particularly interested in posts where there are comments. Closing the older posts to comments tends to slow them down a bit when all they are after is Your  information. I’ve also taken to blocking those IP addresses that I can determine to be a crawler.

Umm, those Photos… 

In a perfect world, I’d have the time and talent to stage / cook and recook / and the wherewithal to purchase plates, props and kitschy little thingies to make my food pictures look like everyone else that has a food-based site.  But, I’m just not that kind of guy. I’m a fairly decent photographer, and I’ve even sold some pieces from time to time. However, this is about actual – edible – food. I think it is more advantageous to you kind readers to stage a plate like it’s going to be served, in the best realistic setting and natural light possible..  My camera used is either a Nikon CoolPix S6100 (yes, that’s a point and shoot), or the camera integrated in my Nokia SmartPhone. I do play with the settings a bit when I think the colors come off a bit washed out, but generally – what I cook is what you see…. thumbprints, splatters, drips, and a dirty sink included,

This section will undoubtedly change over time, so it’s worth checking back every once and a while. Until then, Poke around our new site – check out the tabs  and the featured recipes. We’re still a work in progress, so bear with us until I get all the goods in place.

Thanks for visiting!