Meet Our Guest 'Grammer of the Week: @Acozykitchen
Photo: Adrianna Adarme
This weekend on #TastyTakeovers we tag along with Adrianna Adarme of the popular food blog A Cozy Kitchen. Her account is full of beautiful pictures of recipes she’s cooking in her Los Angeles kitchen as well as adorable snaps of her corgi Amelia. The blogger and soon-to-be cookbook author has earned over 93,000 followers on Instagram. Find out how it all started in the Q&A below!
Name/Instagram Handle: Adrianna Adarme/@acozykitchen
Yahoo Food: Tell us a bit about yourself!
I live in Los Angeles, in an eastside neighborhood called Echo Park. It’s probably my favorite part of LA; there are hiking trails, good coffee shops, and a few of my favorite taco trucks, too. I live there with my boyfriend, Joshua, and my very mischievous corgi, Amelia.
As for work, I write my blog, A Cozy Kitchen, full-time. This includes various brand partnerships, freelance recipe development work and my new book (!!), The Year of Cozy, which comes out Oct. 6.
Photo: Instagram/acozykitchen
What first got you interested in food and photography? Where do you draw inspiration from?
I went to film school so I’ve always been interested in images and story. Though, I’m not against formalism. Images and recipes don’t always have to have these very deep meanings; I’m cool with something just tasting delicious and looking beautiful.
I draw a lot of my inspiration from Instagram, actually. I love following restaurants and pastry chefs across the country. I also get a ton of inspiration from eating out. That’s probably where most of it comes from, just trying new-to-me food, thinking about it in different ways and then making it accessible and doable for home cooks.
How do you take your photos (with a camera or phone)? What are your favorite photo editing tools and/or tips for taking exceptional food photos? Give us the scoop!
I use both! I use a Canon 5D Mark I for the blog and any professional work I do. I have a few different lenses but my most used is my 50mm f/1.2L. I edit all of my photos using Photoshop. I know a lot photographers love Lightroom but I can’t get the hang of it; I’m so much faster in Photoshop so I stick to that.
For Instagram and when I’m on the go, I use my iPhone 6. I edit using VSCO cam. I love their ‘minimalist’ filters. They cost a bit extra in the app but I don’t care, I love them!
Sun dried tomatoes. (Photo: Instagram/Adrianna Adarme)
Who are three of your favorite Instagrammers? What do you like about them?
I only get to pick three?! I find so much inspiration from Instagram, so it’ll be hard to choose, but here it goes:
@nna_posey – She’s the pastry chef at Publican and Publican Quality Meats in Chicago. But most importantly, she’s also a food illustrator. I’m so in love with all of her drawings of my favorite foods. They’re really beautiful.
@francismallmann – There’s something so childlike about him. I love following him because he’s always traveling and always cooking something by fire. Normally I’m not a fan of poetry with my food photos, but there’s something about the James Blake quotes he chooses that are a-ok with me.
@okashinokobito – I’ll preface this by saying that I’m not a sugar cookie lover, but Kobito’s are on another level. I think it’s the color combos; they’re incredibly soothing and modern. And they’re just SO cute, I can’t take it!
Kiwi Coconut Popsicles. (Photo: Instagram/Adrianna Adarme)
What do you enjoy about Instagram compared to other online communities?
The interaction is so immediate and easy. On blogs you have to type in your email, name, etc. but with Instagram the connection is just so direct. It’s really wonderful.
What’s the best thing you’ve eaten recently?
I’m currently very, very obsessed with Mad Capra, located in Grand Central Market in L.A. Their green falafel with pickled fennel and cauliflower florets over greens is my absolute favorite thing in the world right now.
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?
Probably at the top of my list would be my boyfriend’s late mother, Amy Pressman. She was a baker and pastry chef. I’d love to talk to her about everything from how Joshua was when he was little to how to make the perfect cinnamon rolls.
My great aunt, Emilia, has owned a bakery in Peru for the past forty years. It’d love nothing more than to make her my very American versions of Peruvian dishes and talk to her about everything.
Baked Double Chocolate Cake Doughnuts. (Photo: Instagram/Adrianna Adarme)
Lastly, I’d love to have dinner with my uncle Leroy. He was in Vietnam and always tells me stories about his time there and the aftermath of coming home and having to assimilate — it’s an interesting perspective that I’m not sure we’ve heard enough of. He was shot a few times in his stomach and he only feels well if he eats hamburgers and hot dogs (I’m not kidding).
What’s the best dish you’ve ever made or the dish that you’re known for?
I’m probably known most for pie. I’ve made a ton of pie for the blog and in my upcoming book there are a few of my favorite pie recipes EVER. There’s nothing I love more. The process of making pie is so soothing and satisfying.
Pre-baked peach pie. (Photo: Instagram/Adrianna Adarme)
What does the new food revolution mean to you?
To me it’s all about us being aware as to where our food comes from. It’s about us asking the questions, doing the research, pressing our retailers to be more honest.
It’s also about cooking more and finding pleasure and reward in that process.
I wish cooking food was taught in schools more because it really is a life skill. The whole “I can’t boil water” thing that people love to brag about should actually be embarrassing. It should be up there with how to balance a bank account, how to brush your teeth, and how to change a tire. Cooking empowers people to make decisions that will affect their bodies for a lifetime. Also, it’s fun!
And last but not least — what’s your favorite food (if you had to pick one)?
My dad’s arroz con pollo. It brings back memories of childhood when my grandfather and him would cook on Sundays. Salsa music would be playing and there would be lots of laughs and joy.
Amelia the corgi. (Photo: Instagram/ameliathecorgi)
More of our past ‘grammers:
Social media consultant and photographer @Rach.esq
