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Frequently Asked Questions

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Q: Why is your blog called The Wednesday Chef?

A: It’s not because I only post on Wednesdays, or only cook on Wednesdays. Wednesdays were the day that newspapers used to publish their food sections. And since my blog task, as I defined it for myself when I first started, was to cook my way through all my recipe clippings, I wanted my blog name to reflect that in some way. A little secret: I actually think my blog name is kind of corny, but it’s way too late to fix it now and, in any case, other people seem to like it. Thank goodness!

Q: Do you have any advice on starting a food blog?

A: Sure! Post regularly and often. Learn how to shoot photos in natural light (never, ever use your flash). Be passionate about what you’re blogging about – whether it’s cheese-making or popcorn, you’ll find your audience if your passion has free reign. Make yourself part of the blog community – read other blogs, comment generously – and you’ll find readers and, more importantly even, friends. If you’re starting a blog to get rich and famous, I’d look into another line of work – do it because you love to write or take photos or connect with other people (or all of the above).

Q: How did you get into cookbook publishing? What advice do you have for people wanting to get into that line of work?

A: See this post for answers.

Q: What kind of camera do you use?

In the early years of the blog, I used a little point-and-shoot Panasonic Lumix, but since 2008 I’ve used a Nikon D80. I have a 50 mm fixed lens on it and although I keep talking about getting a wide-angle one next, the fixed lens serves me really well. It shoots beautifully in low light.

Q: Can I use one of your photos on my site? Can I use one of your blog posts on my site?

Everything on this site – photos and text – is protected by copyright. If you would like to publish one of my photos on your site, please have the courtesy to credit me and link back to my site. Please do not republish my writing on your site.

Q: I’m coming to Berlin. What restaurants do you recommend?

Head on over to my Berlin blog, Berlin on a Platter, for my latest restaurant recommendations. You can also check out these articles on my favorite cafés and bakeries and brunch spots that I wrote for the Guardian.

Q: I have a blog. Can we do a link exchange?

I don’t do link exchanges and, as my friend Deb says, neither should you. I only link to websites that I love to read and visit regularly. But if you’d like to email me or leave me a comment pointing me to your blog, please do so! I love discovering all the amazing blogs, writers, photographers, and general creative geniuses out there.

Q: Do you accept advertising on your blog?

A: After years of being in an ad network, I recently decided to handle my own advertising. I value my readership very highly and will only work with an advertiser if I already use your product or think it is a good fit with my blog and my readers. If you’d like to discuss a collaboration, please send me an email.

If I haven’t addressed your question here, feel free to email me at wednesdaychef[at]hotmail[dot]com.

Press

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“highly amusing…” – The Los Angeles Times, January 25, 2006

“Two of America’s most notable newspaper food sections get a proper licking in this clever culinary blog. …Whatever recipe Weiss takes on, she chronicles the outcome with an honest, no-holds-barred writing style. And in less than two years she’s gathered quite a loyal and vociferous readership. – Culinate.com, April 19, 2007

“The Wednesday Chef has such a unique angle. Weiss’ writing [is] is really enjoyable…[and] she is very honest. You can trust her. Weiss will be the first to tell you if something (gulp) does not impress.” – MSN City Guides, August 2007

“My favorite of the moment is The Wednesday Chef…a New York writer who chronicles her attempts at cooking recipes clipped over the years from The New York Times and the LA Times. I admire how regularly and ambitiously she cooks and posts, usually with plenty of yummy pictures. Reading it is almost enough to get me through until the weekend, when I might be able to cook again.” – Food & Wine, September 2007

Number 3 on the Times of London’s list of 50 of the world’s best food blogs – February 2009

“New York-based Luisa Weiss started this blog as a way of documenting her trawl through clippings of recipes from the New York and LA Times. A mix of recipes and humorous anecdotes…it’s a charming blog packed with information (indeed, a whole 700 words about coleslaw).” – The Times of London, February 2009

“I love thewednesdaychef.com, written by Luisa Weiss, a book editor living in Queens, New York. [Her blog] is very American, so full of a particular brand of warmth and honesty…There are also some great recipes ( Turkish-style pasta with beef and yogurt, or banana and crystallised ginger cake). This blog is about life and – as another blogger, Heidi Swanson of 101cookbooks.com, puts it – the recipes that ‘intersect’ it.” –Telegraph, July 2009

“Luisa Weiss [is the] mastermind of The Wednesday Chef. These women engage their readership with food-related narratives and storytelling techniques, garnering comment counts in the triple digits and cultivating a community of loyal fans.” –PBS.org’s Need to Know, July 2010

Number 8 of The Top 100 Culinary Blogs – July 2010. “The result [is] a blog charming not only for its recipes, but also for humorous anecdotes from Luisa’s personal life.

Number 6 of Olive‘s Top Ten Bloggers – October 2010. “Cooking with humor – Luisa Weiss’s trawl through a decade of recipes clipped painstakingly from American newspapers.”

Seen on:

Design*Sponge
Elizabeth Street
Leite’s Culinaria
Serious Eats
momfilter
üBerlin
Popmatters
Gourmet.com
Epicurious.com
Yumsugar.com
Slashfood.com
Studio Fifteen
Food in Jars
Slow Travel Berlin
Seven Spoons Sweet Amandine
Moveable Feasts