“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift; that’s why it’s called The Present.”

— Bil Keane

Summary

This has to be the craziest year I have had in my entire life between having to couch hop between friends, commuting an hour and a half to school in the spring semester, and then this pandemic making our classes go all online. I’m glad this semester is starting to come to an end because it has been a roller coaster, but with this semester being so crazy I found myself dedicating more time to my craft and trying to finish this semester strong.

As I look back at this semester and I look at the progress I have made on my website, I am proud of what I have created, but I can’t say I am 100% happy with it. While in quarantine I have discovered a new passion of mine and wish I had created my website over something I am a little bit more passionate about.

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What Do The Stats Say?

Clearly the statistics show that I didn’t reach an audience besides myself and the grader which is okay because I didn’t feel ready to share with the world the posts I was creating because I felt there wasn’t much passion behind what I was doing. I could have promoted myself through networking with other students, brands and groups. I also could have posted to the Instagram I made specifically for this website and it’s content, but in the end I wasn’t comfortable with that as well. I think the best experience I had with this project was learning how to use WordPress so in the future when I create a website over content I am passionate about I’ll be ready. Everything that I have learned throughout this class I will be able to apply to my own business that I will hopefully create through streaming and making a name for myself.

Was It Effective?

My most popular week I had was the week of February 2nd where I had 75 views and four visitors. That post was my very first one over a local favorite in San Marcos, Don Japanese Kitchen! I think this post was the most popular to my audience because I felt like it was one of the best ones I did all semester and many locals in San Marcos already love Don! Overall I am not surprised by the statistics because I didn’t put forth 100% when creating my posts, but what I will say is that this class has shown me that I have new interests and passions rather than food that I should be putting my time and effort into instead.

“Cooking and baking is both physical and mental therapy.”

— Marry Berry

Baking is Fun Right?

Well everyone, I finally hit that wall of boredom in quarantine and I had to get creative with all the energy I had. One day I was scrolling through my Well everyone, I finally hit that wall of boredom in quarantine and I had to get creative with all the energy I had. One day I was scrolling through my Facebook and I came across this Tasty video from BuzzFeed about making a beautiful grilled peach cobbler for when you’re grilling outside. Earlier that day my Dad suggested he’d grill some steaks for the family, so when I saw this recipe I thought it would be the perfect time to make this dish! I went to the store to get all my ingredients and I was so excited to actually be baking something again!

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The Process…

The recipes that are produced from Tasty are typically all made from scratch and the recipe I was doing was all from scratch, so from the start I decided I wasn’t going to make the biscuits due to the fact that I didn’t have enough time to proof the dough. This the hardest part out of the way, all I had to make was the filling, and let me say this was a fun process! The recipe called for a whole vanilla bean that I had to scrape the seeds out myself. The bean smelled AMAZING and put a smile on my face as soon as the aromas hit the air! The filling was pretty easy to put together and the hardest part was to come.

When I first saw the recipe I didn’t realize that the actual cobbler itself is When I first saw the recipe I didn’t realize that the actual cobbler itself is grilled and not the peaches, so cooking a whole chilled cobbler in a grill at a constant temperature presented itself to be difficult. After our steaks were done it was time for my cobbler to cook, which needed to “bake” for one hour at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. I was constantly checking on as I was eating my meal to ensure that the temperature was always around 350 and that the biscuits weren’t burning before the filling had time to cook all the way through. Overall I thought that it came out beautifully and seemed to cook all the way through. Some pros of this recipe were that it looked pretty, easy to make and fun to bake! Cons were flavor was a little tart, biscuits were a little bit doughy, and by the time it was done cooling everyone was full. Overall I had fun making this dish and allowed me to distract myself a little bit from this whole quarantine stay at home. 

“Without an open-minded mind, you can never be a great success.”

— Martha Stewart

Mother’s Day Has Never Looked More Different

I hope everyday had an amazing Mother’s Day this year with their loved ones and hopefully you and your family weren’t too affected by this Pandemic. For some families today, there isn’t much interaction happening since we’re still social distancing and most grandmothers are at risk during this time. I found some tips and tricks to help with the little bumps in the road!

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What Do I Do for Mother’s Day?

It is tradition for my family to make my Mom chocolate and strawberry crepes! I have been doing this since I was a kid, but as we grow older, things start to change. Because of working and being far from home last year I missed out on celebrating with her, so I wanted to make sure we made up for last year, so we (my dad and I) woke up early to get cooking! We made a complete brunch this year with her favorite crepes, hash browns, cherry filled rolls and a variety of breakfast sausages. I also got my mom a heartfelt card where I wrote a personal message on how much she truly meant to me with a new Orchid plant that I try to get her every year!

While Mother’s Day is a happy day, I know some people are out there without their mom’s today and I wanted to extend my celebration for Mother’s Day to your families. To all of the Mother’s out there past, present and future, thank you for being you and giving some much love to your families! Keep up the good work and I think I can say on behalf of everyone who doesn’t say it enough (including me), I love you and appreciate everything you do!

I always say that I don’t believe I’m a chef. I try to be a story teller.

— Jose Andres

What is Much Ado About Fooding?

Much Ado About Fooding is a professional food blog that produces amazing foodie content! They produce a wide variety of content from recipes, interviews, and different food reviews from restaurants. The author Minvera Thai has contributed to LOCALE and WHERE magazines and is open to other editorial opportunities. This blog is currently her main focus and produces content with her partner and photographer Ðuc Duong. They believe in showing off different dishes and combinations that allow the food to tell its own story. Allowing for a dish to speak for itself is a key component in creating her successful food blog.

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Quality of Content

Much Ado About Fooding is currently based in Austin, Texas and strives to show off the different specialty dishes within the city. Minvera does an excellent job of finding hidden gems around the city and successfully puts smaller businesses in the spotlight. She is promoting food that is one of a kind, elegant, and overall dish that looks mouth-watering. She doesn’t just stop at food though, she reviews some of the Austinite favorite bars! Austin has a huge bar scene with people creating their own Ales, IPA, Whiskey’s, etc.

Overall Feel of Blog

Her blog is beautiful and honestly makes me want to revisit how I run my blog. The amount of time and effort that she has put into this blog has truly shown off. Her partner allows for the dishes to show you their story and the quality of how it was prepared. Minvera then does an excellent job of going behind the scenes and supporting the dish with an in-depth review of the food being produced from establishments. Coming Christmas of this year they will be celebrating 10 years of the blog is up and running! I hope to create something this astonishing here in the near future.

We go through our careers and things happen to us. Those experiences made me what I am.

— Thomas Keller

What is COVID-19?

COVID-19 is also known as the Corona Virus, as many of you are well aware of this by now. It is a virus that has flu-like symptoms that mainly attack the respiratory system. People with weak immune systems are the most at-risk people to this Virus, but it can affect anyone and can have devastating results. Since the CDC and WHO announced that this is a Pandemic, the country has been on quarantine with increasing numbers every day. This quarantine has shut down multiple businesses as a result of people being advised to stay at home and social distance yourself from others.  Every aspect of the economy was affected and there is a high chance a lot of smaller businesses won’t survive being closed for so long. Restaurants have had to lay-off most of their employees, if not all. With this comes an opportunity for other parts of the foodservice industry to flourish. Those fortunate businesses have been able to go completely drive-thru, delivery, or take-out to stay open during this time.

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What Does This Mean for Restaurants?

A lot of businesses are now forced to think of a different plan of attack when it comes to bringing in revenue. The only options that the FDA and CDC will allow are take-out, delivery, or drive-thru. While most restaurants are going completely to-go and having success, not all businesses have enough consumers to support this option and are having to close down until further notice. Many people are losing their jobs as a result of the restaurant industry providing millions of jobs to American Citizens. So far people are being directed to stay at home unless it’s for essentials, but this Virus isn’t even at its peak. It will be devastating to see once a lock-down is put into place to try and control the spread of the virus.

What’s Next Going Forward?

While you still can, go support your local business by buying their products!  There is no telling when things will get worse, so go pick up some of your favorite food options and support the businesses you want to see open when this is all over. We’re all going through a tough time right now, so if you’re interacting with someone be nice! A smile can go a long way right now without dark our days can seem! Make sure to stay safe, wash your hands constantly, and be kind to one another.

You don’t need a silver spoon to eat good food.

— Paul Prudhomme

The Best Wood Fired Coffee

With the recent current events of the COVID-19 pandemic, a majority of the restaurant industry has closed down due to unsafe conditions and social distancing. Fortunately, some businesses have been able to go completely drive-thru, delivery, or take-out. Summer Moon was one of the first I saw in my community to switch over to a socially distant coffee shop! I love their coffee so much that I used to get it every day before going to class, but now I can get it every day with their drive-thru. They are a specialty wood-fired coffee house that always produces quality drinks! Every Summer Moon locally source all their food options from local bakeries and breakfast taco shops! Their coffee isn’t like other competitor’s coffee shops, they don’t use processed, burnt, or stale beans when brewing you a fresh drink.

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The Experience

This Summer Moon location is lucky to have a drive-thru option because it is allowing to produce still in mass quantities. Every time I go in the morning there is always a line for the drive-thru, but they tend to get through the lines pretty fast. They have gone completely cashless with only accepting credit cards and you just insert the chip through the reader! They’re definitely taking the correct measures during this time in quarantine. The employees seem to be in high spirits too! They always have a smile on their faces and everyone seems to be glad to work instead of staying inside.

The production value of their products hasn’t been affected by this quarantine and I  have enjoyed every time I have gone so far! Something to note about their drinks is that they make their own Sweetened milk called Moon Milk! Moon Milk is sweet milk with a hint of caramel and I’d personally say its the perfect touch to any drink.  My go-to order would be a 20 oz Winter Moon ($5.50) with four shots of espresso and a vegan cinnamon roll ($3.50). If you like your coffee iced then I highly suggest getting the Winter Moon! The Mocha Moon ($5.25) is probably my favorite hot drink on their menu because it tastes exactly like caffeinated hot chocolate. If you like your coffee with a tad bit of sweetness then I’d suggest going with the Half-Moon Latte ($5.25).

Overall Food Review

• Product Quality: 5/5
• Mastery of Techniques: 4/5
• Personality within the Dish: 4/5
• Value/Cost: 4/5
• Consistency of Food: 5/5

Closing Thoughts

This is by far one of my go to places if there is one around me! The coffee is amazing and I feel like I can start my day off right with my Winter Moon in hand! I highly recommend their coffee over other places solely due to the fact that they produce quality coffee. Burnt coffee isn’t real coffee in my book. To see if they have a Summer Moon around you go to their website! They are open during this quarantine to serve the community, so if you have a local Summer Moon please support them! I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Delicious food is the minimum we can expect from restaurants, I want customers to tell me my food makes them happy.

— Takashi Saito

What is Don All About?

Don is a small Japanese kitchen that provides authentic food with a little bit of a San Marcos Twist. This small restaurant is run by two amazing guys, JC Gutierrez (Owner and Chef) and Edward Summer (The MAN), who are locals producing some amazing dishes for other locals. The food ranges from six different proteins (two of which are vegan/vegetarian) that comes with traditional sushi rice, ginger, and a tiny bit of shredded nori (seaweed). There is a wide range of extra add-ons you can add to any bowl to give it a little more flavor! Everything is made in house and they have even created their own sauces to go with your food, which we’ll get into later on.

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The Experience

When we first walked inside the restaurant it seemed very relaxed with a modern feel that invites people in easily. The smells coming from the kitchen were mouth-watering and invigorating! We were greeted warmly by Edward, who kindly guided us throughout the menu ensuring we each knew what we would be getting. With it being our first time, he kindly added a free poached egg to each of our dishes (optional) and offered us drinks while we waited for our food. Overall the process is very easy and Edward can help you find exactly what you’re craving.

The first thing that came to the table from our order was the Don style fries ($7). This one-pound box of waffle fries drizzled in their house-made spicy mayo and teriyaki was absolutely delicious! No one could keep their hand off of them because they were that good! Our food came relatively fast after the fries and was steaming hot when it got to the table. I got the Saute Veggie King with two egg rolls (About $9) on the side and let me say this is some of the freshest food I’ve had in San Marcos. The flavors all worked perfectly together and the egg rolls weren’t soggy at all. The only tiny issue I had with the dish was the rice seemed a little overdone.

Overall Food Review

• Product Quality: 4/5
• Mastery of Techniques: 4/5
• Personality within the Dish: 5/5
• Value/Cost: 4/5
• Consistency of Food: 4/5

Closing Thoughts

Overall I loved the food here and the portions are enough to last you a second meal! With Don being right behind campus off of LBJ (829 N LBJ Dr) I’d say every student should go give this restaurant a look because they offer some amazing dishes. I can promise you can’t find anything like this in San Marcos and will be worth stopping by. As it stands they’re only on Facebook which I’ll link here if you want to stay up to date with them! I know I’ll be going back there real soon, so if you see me in there don’t be afraid to say hey!