@JoelECarlson – Hello everyone and welcome to the Food Friday Twitterview of @FreshTartSteph, a cook, blogger and photographer. Lets get cooking!

@FreshTartSteph – Hi Joel! Thanks for inviting me!

Q – #1    So @FreshTartSteph, where did you grow up, what HS did you attend and did you get schooling or training after that?

A: Grew up in SW Minnesota (Lakefield!) & Grand Forks, ND. Graduated Red River High School, go Roughriders.

UW-Madison for college, I’ll just say Go Bucky instead of the usual off-color cheer. Pure class, Badger fans, ha.

Q – #2    So what kinds of classes did you take?

A: I was an early political science major, didn’t wear enough patchouli for that crowd, changed to communication arts.

Best class was Our Hazardous Environment (summer, sci credits), about tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes. Fascinating.

Maybe I should have been a meteorologist?

Q – #3    You should follow @ChikageWindler. :) So what steps took you from that to what you do now with food?

A: Always loved the kitchen & cooking, always. I was a very picky eater as a child, but loved what I loved.

Cooking and learning to cook gave me control over my food. Plus I was fascinated by the process of transformation.

Still am! Also, I come from a family of great cooks. Mom, stepmom, grandmothers, aunts. All good. I’m lucky.

And I’m grateful they let me mess around, nurtured a taste for real food. I ate plenty of crap as a teen/young adult…

But the seeds of enjoying real food were planted. I hope I’m doing the same for my kids. Who love to eat crap!

Q – #4    Besides your own blog, you also post for the @mnmomag. What would you say is your focus or theme regarding food?

A: Home cooking with real, fresh ingredients. I endeavor to keep it simple, accessible. I try to provide a lot of…

…substitution ideas, ways to ditch the recipe and innovate. Because in the end, that’s how people will make their…

…own food – if they get the hang of it and don’t have to use recipes all the time. Then it gets fun, fast & easy.

It’s an uphill battle though – cooking at home is a dying tradition. People would rather watch food prepared on TV.

Q – #5    Do you use any prepackaged foods in your cooking? Do you ever do reviews or local restaurants?

A: Sure I do – pasta, yogurt, milk…all packaged! Hard to get around packaged foods entirely. My kids love cereal…

…tater tots, crackers, chips, all of it! My husband is a candy freak. I prefer to just make things myself because…

…I’m picky, and because I can. Ha! I work from home, so I can make myself whatever I want.

Also, I don’t eat gluten, & very limited grains, so it’s easier to make myself something fresh.

Q – #6    Now the FAVS question: Favorite – restaurant, store for food, store for cooking tools, tech gadget and Fall activity.

A: I’m genetically programmed to not be able to choose just one, hopefully that’s OK…

@FreshTartSteph Top 2-5 is okay.

Restaurants: Lucia’s, Corner Table, La Belle Vie, Alma, many others, tough question for a food lover!

Store: Whole Foods, Byerly’s, local co-ops. I buy cooking gadgets online. Tech gadget: iPhone, what a device, yeah.

Fall activity – this yr it’s been exploring great off-leash dog parks w my pup (Louis). Lk Rebecca, Bryant Lk…

…but also biking, yoga, walking around the lakes, taking drives w my husband. This is my time of yr, I perk right up!

Q – #7    How do you feel photography helps you share your skills and messages about food to people?

A: Well, as I’m quickly learning, the photos are everything. People who will never make one of my recipes …

…love to look at the pics, so I quadruple my reach. Sometimes they even read the articles ;) The photos make it real.

Q – #8    Very true! To end today, what cooking advice or mantra would you like to share with everyone?

A: I’ll go out on a limb and say cook your own food :) You’ll be healthier & thinner & eat better. And you’ll never…

…be alone, because everyone loves a good cook! Thanks for the Twitterview, Joel, great fun! #jectv

@JoelECarlson – Thanks @FreshTartSteph for sharing your thoughts and passions today! Enjoy the weekend and keep up the good work!

@FreshTartSteph – You too, Joel. Thank you so much!

@JoelECarlson – Hello everyone and welcome to Twitterview 2.0 with @JennaBennett01 this morning. Lets get things started!

@JennaBennett01 - Joel!

Q – #1    So @JennaBennett01, when you last Twitterviewed, you were in St.Paul, what area do you live in now?

A: Still in St. Paul- in Merriam Park area on the west side of St. Paul now instead of the east in Cathedral Hill.

Both beautiful- love living by the river and bought a bike this summer! Been doing a lot of riding and rollerblading!

Q – #2    The outdoors is great! Now have you done any traveling up north at all this past summer?

A:    Yup-took a hiking trip to North Shore with a friend for Labor Day- went to Gooseberry Falls & Split Rock Lighthouse.

Beautiful up there. Next day, went to Bayfield, WI and the Apostle Islands, took ferry to Madelaine Island.

It’s a quick trip to the Apostle Islands, and TOTALLY worth it. Great wknd getaway.

Q – #3    Fun! Now when you take trips like that, do you go off of the “Social Media grid”, or do you stay connected?

A: Haha. I’m like Carmen Sandiego. I’m always on the “grid.”

No, unless I am out of cell range, I still tweet/FB, it’s kind of a bad habit. But I like to share what I’m up to.

Plus, when I was in Duluth with friend Jess debating whether or not to go to Bayfield, I put out a tweet about it…

And I had a lot of people tweet me back saying I should really go to Apostle Islands, and sharing tips of what to do..

That was pretty cool!

Q – #4    @JennaBennett01 You also had some visitors from MI come visit you and you Tweeted for some touring tips. Any good Ideas?

A: Haha, yes, those visitors would be my parents from MI. I did tweet asking for touring tips and got a lot of good ones!

I took them to @uptowncafeteria for dinner, Lucia’s in Uptown for brunch, they met some of my friends like @tuckat…

We went hiking at Ft. Snelling State Pk, to Minnehaha Falls, and of course, to the @MNStateFair! (it was opening wknd)

We also went to @VicsDining for dinner and walked across the Stone Arch. They thought Mpls was gorgeous.

Q – #5    So some good tips! Now you also have broken a “reservation by phone” barrier recently using Social Media. Explain.

A:    Well, my birthday was last weekend & so I reached out to @stellasfishcafe and @WannaBangkok (Chino Latino) on Twitter

They were both wonderful about getting me a good table & @stellasfishcafe was able to hold a spot on the roof for us.

It was MUCH easier tweeting for reservations than calling, & they were so cool to hook me up on my b-day w/extras!

So, it was a fun time! I had a great birthday celebrating with friends and yes, we did sake bombs at Chino! ;)

Q – #6    A good use of Social Medial! Now how has your PR work been going, and are they hiring over at @Labreche2020 now?

A: PR is good, we’ve been very busy @LaBreche2020 this Fall already & we are having a lot of fun!

Love our office culture. My boss @tamikou got mimosas for my b-day last wk & we just had a bridal shower 4 @sarachuck.

It’s a fun place to work and the team including @bethlabreche @tamikou @lboyd1010 @lizzybits @hyedi & @sarinamb rocks!

We are hiring now for an AE pos.- about 3 yrs. of agency exp. required. DM me, @LaBreche2020, or @abuzzell for deets!

Or click the link for more info. http://www.labreche.com/news?page=0&id=105

Q – #7    @JennaBennett01 You were involved with some mentoring when you used to do TV reporting in Montana. Are you getting involved again?

A: I am- I think you saw my tweet the other day :) I was a Big Sis w/BBBS in Montana & WI before & I am doing it again.

I haven’t met my little yet but I will next week- she is at FAIR School downtown. Follow @BBBSGTC on Twitter, too!

Q – #8    As we speak, you’re getting ready for vacation. Have you asked for any tips of places to see and visit on Twitter?

A: No, but that’s a good idea! I’ve been packing during our Twitterview for Chicago- I lv in a half hour for the airport!

I am going to visit my college roomie. She has been in Chi for a yr now, so obviously knows a lot to do but…

I would love to hear fave places to shop/eat/drink/sightsee from Mpls Tweeps that go there often!

Q – #9    To end @JennaBennett01, what’s one piece of job searching advice that you would share with people looking to get into PR work?

A: So you have to make yourself stand out. Get creative. One person I know made a website about why he was perf for a job.

2) Form a personal connection with the interviewer or someone at the company. Ask them for an info. interview, etc.

Then build upon that connection and don’t let it just drop.

Finally 3) If you have an interview & you want the job, SEND A THANK YOU NOTE! And not via e-mail. Hand.

That’s my two cents :) #jectv Thanks for having me on your Twitterview! Hope it was interesting for someone :)

Now I am going to fly (both figuratively and then literally) to Chicago & will tweet about my wknd, I am sure! :)

@JoelECarlson – Thanks @JennaBennett01 for sharing today and have a great time in the “windy city” of Chicago this weekend!

@JennaBennett01 – Thank you Joel! I will :) Excited for a fun wknd in Chicago!