Meet Heather from Basilmomma

“Isn’t it great that we live in a country full of choices?,” says Heather from Basilmomma. Yes. It is! We couldn’t agree more; it’s even mentioned in our mission! When it comes to her food philosophy, Heather is all about education and choices. With her blog Heather has the goal of “affecting as many people as possible in a positive way — teach as much as I can for as long as I can.” She’s not just passionate about teaching but she is a self-proclaimed life-long learner. There’s too much out there in the world to experience to not want to be learning. When it comes to food choices, Heather believes it’s all personal. How you feed yourself and how you feed your family is your choice and you should buy how your pocketbook dictates. What’s right for one person isn’t necessarily the same choice for another person and Heather says that’s okay! We agree.

There’s no shortage of inspiration here. Read on to learn more about Heather and what inspires her!

What inspired you to start blogging?

I had notebook after notebook of stories, anecdotes, recipes, stories about recipes — and when I had a month off of work in 2008 due to a surgery, I decided to start typing all of this up. Little by little, I showed a few friends and family members. I was then asked to write a column in my local newspaper, which was eventually syndicated. After three years, I started doing weekly and monthly cooking segments from my home kitchen. Later, I started appearing more in local media and weekly on a popular local radio show. At that same time, I started a podcast called Around the Kitchen Sink, which aired for three years — every week. Now I focus more on food choice and agritourism, visiting farms and food producers throughout the Midwest and Indiana, and sharing along the way for my readers.

What is your favorite food to eat?

I could live off of a good dip, hummus or salsa.

What is your favorite food to cook?

I make a lot of stir-fry’s, all-in-one meal skillets and Mediterranean-style foods.

Favorite kitchen/cooking hack?

Gosh, I am not sure. Recently, I perfected the “place a plate on a dozen cherry tomatoes to slice in half” trick and didn’t shoot them all over the floor!

Favorite kitchen gadget?

I am a pretty big fan of any Microplane brand zester.

When it comes to ingredients, what will you always splurge on?

I will always buy good oils, vinegars, chocolate, cheese and herbs/spices.

Can you share with us a #foodfail moment?

I fail almost every time I am on TV. Luckily, no one knows but me! There will always be something that burned, dropped or is raw. It just has to look good on TV!

What is your favorite part of being a food blogger?

I love the interaction with my readers and seeing the good I can do in small ways. It’s like a ripple effect.

Who are some of your favorite food bloggers?

That’s like picking a favorite child!

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• food,
• blogger,
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• basilmomma,
• microplane,
• zester,
• #foodfail,
• blogging