The idea for this website stemmed from a passion for exploring new foods. I share this passion with some good friends, my family, and my boyfriend. About a year ago, my boyfriend and I had the idea of creating a food blog. We both enjoy trying out new restaurants and find it hard not to splurge on a good meal every now and then. This is where we began brainstorming ideas for creating a food blog. While some pictures were gathered and some reviews were written up, we never went through with the blog. Along with enjoying going out to eat, I also interned for a summer in the food manufacturing and distributing industry. Through doing this, I gained familiarity of restaurants in the area and local food trends.
To give a little background on the other half of the roots to this idea, I asked my boyfriend to write a little bit about his background in the food industry...
My name is Spencer Wild, I was born and raised in Grand Rapids. As the youngest of five kids I didn't get to go out to eat a whole lot as a youngin. I never minded though, one because my Mom is one of the finest cooks in Grand Rapids (and by far the best baker in West Michigan) and two because whenever we did go out we went to places where we were connected so we dined right. I slowly learned more about the ins and outs of the restaurant business and dining out as I worked my way through some of the top restaurants in GR. First just trying to save up for my first set of wheels as a host at the legendary Wolfgangs in Eastown, to Rose's on Reeds Lake. After serving thousands of customers over the past 5 years I learned that some people dine out right, while others have no idea what they are doing. They think they do, but just over half the people who stop in restaurants have the same mentality as squints from the sandlot trying to kiss wendy peppercorn, dive in the deep end and hope for the best.
A few things to note about my dining style. First, I am not allergic to anything. Second, besides olives and anchovies I like all foods, I don't believe in changing a dish to your fit your taste buds. Someone who knows way more than me about food has thought a lot about how this dish should be prepared, so who am I to compromise his creation. Third, unless you are taking notes, snapping pictures or your dining partner is in the bathroom your phone should never be out. Finally, not a rule but a general guideline: be adventurous... go outside of your comfort zone, allow the waiter to order for you. Allow your dinner plate to be anything but bland and predictable.
Our inspiration for this blog came during one of my friend's birthdays this past summer. She called in for a reservation of 10 at Rose's on Reeds Lake. When she found out it would be a two hour wait she stalled. She didn't really know of any other great restaurants in the area. For us young twenty somethings this isn't terribly rare. Sure, we know of a few places around town but we've just spent the past four years of our life eating cafeteria food and conning free meals whenever we could in college. So at first the idea was to give people of our generation in West Michigan a road map of the delicious food options around the area. One day while bouncing ideas for the blog off of each other at one of our favorite eateries, Butch's, we floundered. What could we do differently, what could stick out about our blog. That's when our waiter came to take our order, my boyfriend being the meat eater ordered the sinful pork belly; and I, the vegatarian, looked at him in disgust and ordered the goat cheese sampler platter. That's when we realized our unique position made up of a carnivore and a vegatarion who both love to dine out and explore restaurants. Because of this we both have to compromise when we go out, which has lead us both to going outside our comfort zone and continued our spiral down the rabbit hole as adventurous eaters.
Our audience is any and all who desire to try something new! We show that Grand Rapids is friendly to your personal food preference. As a vegetarian surrounded by carnivore friends, we may not agree on our favorite foods but we can certainly agree on a good restaurant. I place much importance on eating healthy, but I also enjoy endulging in a good meal. This site will guide you through the vegetarian, vegan, carnivore, healthy, non-healthy, and many more options offered by local restaurants. Being a college student, I very well understand eating on a budget. Something that I think everyone should know is that you definitely don't have to spend a lot of money to dine out right. This site will also show you how it is possible to enjoy a good meal on a budget! We want to share the popular as well as hidden gems that this city has to offer.