Meet Our Guest ‘Grammer of the Week: @MollyTavoletti
Each week we’re teaming up with a popular food-stagrammer who will take over our Instagram feed and fill it with their own delicious pics. This weekend on #TastyTakeovers, New York-based journalist and bagel aficionado Molly Tavoletti is our guest. Learn her secret for taking delicious photos in the Q&A below and head over to Yahoo Food on Instagram to watch her foodie adventures unfold all weekend long.
Molly Tavoletti at Murray’s Bagels. (Photo: Molly Tavoletti)
Name/Instagram Handle: Molly Tavoletti/ @mollytavoletti
Tell us a bit about yourself!
Simply, I’m a young and hungry 23 year old (clearly). I grew up in Pittsburgh, born and raised. I graduated from Ohio State University in 2015 with a degree in journalism and political science and am whole-heartedly a Buckeye for life.
IRL outside of my Instagram, I work for CNN’s morning show, New Day. I absolutely love my job. I never saw myself working in TV, but now I truly couldn’t imagine my life otherwise. It’s a tough and crazy world, but you’re apart of this incredibly talented and creative team and you really learn to thrive off of the energy.
When I’m not at work, or photographing my bagels, I’m likely breaking a sweat one way or another. I’ve been dancing since age two (legit was still in a diaper) and in college I developed a real love for running, so staying fit has always been a big part of my life. In the city, I also maintain a low-key but pretty serious addiction to Soul Cycle — I’m at the West Village studio at least twice a week. Gotta make room for all the pasta, right?
Fun facts? I’m a singer and until approximately age 18 I dreamed of being on Broadway. I also have two tattoos, but wish every day that I was cool enough to pull off a sleeve.
Photo: Instagram.com/mollytavoletti)
What first got you interested in food and photography? Where do you draw inspiration from?
As a full Italian, food has naturally always been a huge part of my life, and then in college photography became a hobby. So almost accidently those two worlds collided when I bought my first DSLR camera — back when I was an intern living in the city. I started posting photos of my food, letting my sarcastic personality come through in captions, and really sharing my “eating my way through New York journey. Soon after, I started my blog Running For Wine, and the rest is history.
Honestly, my inspiration comes so unpredictably and from so many different places. I’m absolutely a creative human, and I almost approach my photos as art more than anything else. Sometimes I’ll think of a caption I love and build a photo around it, sometimes I’ll just see a food and know exactly how I want to capture it. And sometimes, I go in with no plan at all and end up with a completely unexpected final product. No matter what, it’s always an adventure that usually includes standing on chairs or holding my food in the middle of a downtown NYC street.
Throwing bagels in the air at Black Seed Bagels. (Photo: Molly Tavoletti)
How do you take your photos? What are your favorite photo editing tools and/or tips for taking exceptional food photos? Give us the scoop!
I use both my iPhone and my Canon DSLR — probably a 30/70 ratio. But honestly some of my most popular photos were taken on my phone! Any photographer will say it, but it’s because it’s damn true — natural light can and will make a photo go from 0-100 regardless of what you’re using to take it. If you do anything at all, get to a window ASAP.
One of my signature photos has became my tiny hand holding up a large bagel on a New York street. I normally use my camera for these. And to get that super blurred background, use the zoom on the camera, as opposed to moving the camera closer to the object. The further you’re zoomed in, the more blurred the background and the more focused the subject will be. Takes some practice and coordination, but if I can do it with my short arms, I promise you can too!
(Fun fact: Without fail, anytime I’m photographing something I’m holding on the street, at LEAST one person will stop and ask one of two questions, both of which still make me laugh every time. 1. “Do you want me to take a picture of YOU holding it?” (Nope, I’m good. Thanks.) 2. “Do you want ME to hold it?” (Nope, stranger, I definitely do not want you to touch my bagel)
For editing, I swear by Google’s photo editing app, Snapseed. It’s essentially a free mobile version of Photoshop. But honestly, the key is to minimize post-production. Nothing kills a great, natural food photo faster than a over-kill filter.
Brunch at Eastwick. (Photo: Molly Tavoletti)
Who are three of your favorite Instagrammers? What do you like about them?
1. @CHAARG. So admittedly, I’m a little biased on this one, but if you’re a 20-something female, you MUST follow this account. At Ohio State, we ran this organization to “liberate girls from the elliptical” — an all female health and fitness club designed to get girls out of their fitness comfort zones. A great and wonderful friend of mine, Elisabeth, now runs CHAARG as the CEO and has expanded it to 29 universities nationwide. The Instagram is filled with bright and wonderful photos of healthy eats, killer workouts, and daily inspiration.
2. @SymmetryBreakfast. As someone who spends ENTIRELY too much time fussing with the alignment of my photos, this account does something magical for my soul. The dishes are not only unique and inspired, but so well plated. This whole account just wins.
3. @TheBrothersBouy. This is seriously one of my favorite accounts of all time. These three guys just rock. They’re all over the Brooklyn and Manhattan food and drink scene, posting KILLER photos along the way. But my favorite part of their account? The captions. I felt like I knew these guys well before I actually met them in person because they really have a voice that tells a story and shines through every post. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll want to eat everything they post — I’m telling you, just trust me.
Clam linguini at Seamore’s. (Photo: Molly Tavoletti)
Where are some of your favorite places to eat in NYC? How about Ohio?
This question can almost be compared to asking a mother to choose her favorite child. She’ll insist she loves them all equally and “just can’t choose!”, but secretly deep down she knows there’s absolutely that one kid that really is just better than the rest of them. For me? That kid is Charlie Bird. They put out a high-class menu paired with even higher-class wine, but entirely without shoving pretension in your face. The pastas and small plates are near perfect, but old-school hip-hop bumps the entire time — keeping the vibe so damn cool and proving you can be great without making a fuss about it. Each and every time, the entire experience from start to finish reminds me why I love New York so much.
It’s a given I’m essentially addicted to Black Seed Bagels, the #11 + bacon actually fuels me 2-3 times a week. Otherwise in Manhattan, I love Corner Bistro for burgers at 2 a.m, and actually anything and everything al pastor from Taqueria Diana. I’m also a frequent all day guest at both Happy Bones and El Rey.
In Columbus, I love Bakersfield — killer guacamole and even better tequila. Also, love Northstar Cafe, Katalina’s and of course Buckeye Donuts. Hot Chicken Takeover in North Market holds a very special place in my heart. As does Mission Coffee Co. — where I spent approximately 80 percent of my college years downing espresso between term papers.
Chicken from Hot Chicken Takeover. (Photo: Molly Tavoletti)
What do you enjoy about Instagram compared to other online communities?
I love Instagram more than other online communities because it is the truest form of just that, a community — particularly for those in the food/lifestyle world. I can honestly say it has introduced me not only to places I never would have visited, but also to people who have become some of my closest friends in New York. The best way I can sum it up is with a caption from a recent Insta-females dinner: “V casual six course meal with some friends I met on the Internet.” Yes, it’s somewhat a joke, but with all honesty none of it could’ve happened but not for Instagram.
What’s the best thing you’ve eaten recently?
It’s an old favorite, but I recently made a return trip to L’Artusi. I live in the West Village so it’s a great go-to “treat yourself” dinner — not to mention my favorite Italian in the city. The house-made ricotta and tagliatelle bolognese can and will change your life. Make sure you add a bottle (or two) of Sicilian red wine and a slice (or two) of olive oil cake.
The perfect pour. (Photo: Molly Tavoletti)
If you could throw a dream dinner party for any three people — living or dead — who would they be and what would you cook for them?
Aziz Ansari, because he’s my New York food soulmate and just doesn’t know it yet. Anthony Bourdain, because he’s Anthony Bourdain. And Drake, because what dinner party doesn’t need a very emotional Canadian? Plus he’s my low-key hero.
Assuming I suddenly have the culinary prowess to impress Anthony f****** Bourdain, I would definitely go with small plates from around the world. But because it’s me, the menu would absolutely heavily include plenty of homemade pastas — that’s for you Aziz (if you’re reading this I’m ready and waiting to be BFFAE).
A slice from Joe’s Pizza. (Photo: Molly Tavoletti)
How do you maintain the balance between food Instagramming and a healthy lifestyle?
I will be honest with you, it is not always easy. I work early hours at CNN (4 a.m. alarms during the week), so by afternoon I could easily fall asleep with a cheese plate and It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. But like I said, I’ve always been passionate about staying fit, so breaking a sweat has honestly become as much a part of my daily routine as brushing my teeth.
MAJOR key for me is variety! I work right by Central Park and Equinox is also downstairs. So some days I’ll run outside, some days I’ll workout in the gym, and some days I’ll indulge my Soul Cycle addiction. I also LOVE running with the Nike Running Club through the city when I need a little extra motivation. Some of my greatest blog posts/Instagram captions were born and developed during long runs — it’s absolutely my me time.
And even though you and 20,000-some other people see the pasta, bagels, and donuts I eat, I promise you there is healthy food in between. My roommate (greatest human on earth) also works at CNN so we cook healthy “packable” meals at home all the time. I’m also the QUEEN of healthy snacks — never will you find my purse without one.
A hibiscus donut from Dough. (Photo: Molly Tavoletti)
And last but not least — what’s your favorite food?
This question carries a lot of weight — to be honest, probably more thought will go into my answer to this question than when (if…) someone asks me to marry them. “Favorite” can mean so many things and can be applied to so many cuisines — Yes, wine. Yes, pasta. Yes, meat and cheese plate. But if the question is “What is one food you could not go a day without”? The answer may surprise you…
Carrots.
I f****** love carrots. You can ask any one of my friends. Not a single day goes by that I’m not munching on baby carrots — 95 percent of the time they’re in my purse/at my desk. In fact, there was a period of college where my palms and the bottoms of my feet turned straight orange.
A serious bagel spread. (Photo: Molly Tavoletti)
Looking for more food-stagrammers to follow? Check out our past guests from #TastyTakeovers:
Kylie Mazon of @cookingwithcocktailrings
