CT SPRINKLES
Blair Church and Jennifer Telford, are always out to eat so it’s not a surprise they were constantly being asked for restaurant recommendations. So they created a food-stagram, @CT_Sprinkles, in January 2020. Their name is derived from their obsession with sweets, especially anything with rainbow sprinkles, although they post all types of food.
During the pandemic, they pivoted, using their platform to support local businesses providing takeout and family meals. Now that we’re able to attend restaurants again, the pair is back to dining out as much as possible and documenting every meal.
According to the duo, their favorite spot is Café Silvium in Stamford for “the best Italian food, wine pours, and people!” And yes, they eat all the food they post!
YUMMY DOMAIN
When Meghna Hegde moved from Bangalore, India to Norwalk, she started @YummyDomain to share her meals with family and friends back home. Not only did her friends and family love following her, other local residents and foodies flocked to the account.
She loves that so many restaurants are moving toward sustainably-sourced ingredients and local produce. She’s a big fan of supporting local in all aspects. No surprise, her posts of pizza, doughnuts, and indulgent desserts get the most love. While she does have a regular 9-5 job in NYC, she sometimes spends up to six hours a day creating content for her 10k+ followers.
Her favorite meal? The arepas at Valencia Luncheria in Norwalk.
FOODS WITH FINN
Early in life, Tiffany Guckin realized that food gets people talking, prompts people to gather, and builds relationships.
In 2017, Tiffany started sharing her love of food on a different account but rebranded as @FoodsWithFinn when her son, Finnegan, was born.
Since she and Finn have become a mother/son duo, she also shares parenting and lifestyle content. More recently, Tiffany has been focused on growing her blog beyond her home and surrounding towns. She’s amazed at the tiny towns she never knew existed, exploring the state of Connecticut more than she has in the past 30+ years she’s lived here!
She recently visited The Cottage in Westport and says the Deviled Farm Eggs and Sweet Corn Tortelloni were out of this world; one of her top meals to date.
STAMFORD FOODIE
Raenah Farina, a Radiation Therapist, is the foodie behind @stamfordfoodie. Though initially a bit embarrassed, she kept the account secret from friends and family (for years!) when she started in 2018. Now she’s prouder than ever to share her food journey via Instagram.
Raenah’s love of the food industry goes way back to when she opened “Raenah’s Rainbow Café” at home as a small child and served… well, what a 5-year-old would consider gourmet: boxed macaroni and cheese, hotdogs, nachos, you get the picture.
Her siblings were her regulars and would invite their friends over to dine. The tradition continued for many summers and voilá: a foodie was born!
When she’d use her personal account to post food images, her friends would complain she always made them hungry which is was spawned @stamfordfoodie into existence. Since then, she’s turned it into a creative outlet and a way to decompress after work.
If she can offer one piece of advice it’s that people in the restaurant industry are the most fun, down-to-earth people, and diners should tip them well!
You can usually catch her at Rosina’s in Greenwich enjoying the cacio e pepe.
GOOD FORKING EATS
Christie O’Brien and Sarah Jeffery are the dream team behind @goodforkingeats_ , created after they spotted a group of foodies taking food photos and realized “Hey, we can do that!”
After several glasses of wine and a delicious prosciutto pizza, the account was born (I’m convinced this is how all the best decisions are made!) Between the two of them, they maintain a running list of restaurants to try and work their way the list to dine in and post drool-worthy photos. Their growing group of followers are certainly devout as a bagel with tofu cream cheese which garnered almost 9k likes!
These two have been friends for over twenty years and have traveled the world together trying all types of cuisines, so they’re well in sync.
Their favorite meals are from Quarterie, Kouzina, and the cilantro lime chicken salad from Chicho’s Cocina.
FOODIE WITH A BOOTY
You may be surprised to learn that Tiffany Tu had no master plan when creating the account @_foodiewithabooty. It started on a slow work day in 2017. As she scrolled through the numerous food photos on her phone, she decided to post.
She doesn’t want anyone to miss out on an excellent restaurant because they’re intimidated, can't pronounce a dish, or don’t know what’s in it. So, in each Instagram caption, she describes the dish by name and any noteworthy details about it. That way, her followers can go to a spot they may not be familiar with, know exactly what to order, and have an equally great experience.
Tavern at GreyBarns is a top contender for favorite restaurant but Kawa Ni could win it back if they bring back her beloved bone marrow dish.
