Last summer my sister jokingly suggested that I start a food blog.

I followed through on that, and that’s how Cat the Critic was born.

With the few weeks I had left in Atlanta, I took it upon myself to eat out at as many different restaurants as possible, bringing a small notebook and pencil with me in my purse everywhere I went. 

I came to terms with being seen as the girl who can’t finish a meal without snapping a picture of her food, believing in my own cause.

With all of the tip money I made with my summer job, I came to discover Atlanta, a city that I’ve always had at my fingertips, in a completely different light.

Through food.

I frequented Chinatown, Brookhaven and many other cities in the Atlanta suburbs.I visited cafes and bakeries, such as Sugar Shack, Korean tofu houses like So Kong Dong Tofu House, Vietnamese restaurants like Com in Dunwoody (Banh Xeo pictured above!!), and more.

I hit up popular Atlanta spots like THE VORTEX and Hankook (Korean-Mexican fusion – bulgogi and tempura avocado tacos pictured below!!) and also experimented with writing less than positive reviews.

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Once I started college at Northwestern, I transitioned away from Southern classics to the diverse food opportunities that the great big city of Chicago had to offer.

I would make every effort to get out of Evanston and head to the city with friends to see if there is more to Chicago than just deep dish and hot dogs.

Natalie and I had a blast eating at the busy and in-demand brunch spot Wildberry.

Lisette and I explored Chriskindlmarket Chicago, a German outdoor market. That’s where I had this delicious Leberkäse sandwich, pictured on the right. 

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As college kids, however, we didn’t always have the time/means to ride the subway, which meant having to scour for food in Evanston. This didn’t prove to be very difficult. It was great fun to find great deals and present them to my fellow Northwestern peers, making my articles appeal specifically to them.

I prioritized cost, speed, service, and of course, taste.

From crêpes at Crêperie Saint Germain (pictured left) to gourmet burgers at DMK, I embraced all of the ups-and-downs that college dining has to offer, and learned a lot about how to describe and represent a restaurant, a product of someone’s money, hard work and passion, to a reader in 1,000 words or so.

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Then I realized that not everyone who might read my blog would live in Atlanta or Evanston or Chicago. But a lot of readers share a Universal Love of Food, so I created a section devoted to highlighting my favorite food Youtube channels, guidelines for writing food reviews and more.

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Finally, as a college student who is excited to be living in an apartment next year with her very own kitchen, I started to put together some college recipes I’ve been experimenting with this summer. They are meant to be easy, delicious, cheap and relatively healthy.

I start out with my Chicken Spinach Alfredo and already have a couple of articles in the works for my readers.

I am very proud with my improvements over the past few months. I hit some slow spots, missing writing food reviews for weeks at a time, but in the end, I remembered why I started it in the first place: the beautiful possibilities at the intersection of writing and food.

Whether you’re a college student like me, someone living in the Evanston area, an Atlantan, or just a general food lover, I hope you head over to Cat the Critic to see what it’s all about! Thanks a lot!!