Passionate about food blogging with Deeba Rajpal

by DANIELA DIAMARE

When you visit Passionate About Baking you may strongly wish you could grab a cake or biscuit from the computer screen.

Deeba Rajpal, the author of this “tasty” food blog, can indeed induce the reader to think for a moment that this would be possible.

How? Maybe because of the pictures, so beautifully composed with vibrant colors, where even the kitchen utensils are in tune with the recipe.

Maybe because everything looks extremely real and appetizing at the same time. Whatever the secret, you can figure something more out by reading this interview.

How and why did you start a blog?

Armed with a new digital camera, I began blogging in 2007 in an attempt to record recipes I was trying at home.

At the time, it was just a personal blog, something I was too intimidated to share. A handful of beautiful food blogs were my constant source of inspiration.

How much time do you spend working on it and what are the usual tasks?

I spent 2-3 hours on my blog on good days. Ideally would be happy to spend a couple more, but home, kids, dog, meals, grocery, laundry etc all demand their share of time.

My usual blogging tasks are the birth of a food idea, making it with substitutions which are almost always the norm, photographs along the way and of the final end product, recipe notes, then a draft in place as my thoughts are fresh at the time.

Then it is scheduled for posting and I return to ‘pretty up the post’ a day before posting date.

What is the best lesson learned that you would like to share with people who want to start blogging?

Best lesson? Be original and find your niche. Take inspiration yet build your own style, and do add photographs.

Nothing holds the reader more captivated. Good pictures must connect to well written prose. Please respect copyright. There is no room in the world for plagiarism.

What is your best advice on how to grow a blog?

Once you’ve established your niche, find ways to improve the content. Listen to your readers and build that most important relationship.

Read other related sites, blogs, magazines, look at trends, or set a trend. Innovate and post regularly.

What is your biggest success and biggest mistake as a blogger?

My proudest moment was when my blog began to get noticed and got it’s very first blog award in October 2007 from Abby – ‘Best Kept Secret’! I was elated!

A mistake I might have made? Not sure if I made any big ones as I am always careful of blog etiquette etc.

Personally I regret that I do not always have time to visit or reply to each reader that takes the time to leave a comment on my blog. I do hope I can manage that better soon.

See also the interview with Michael Natkin of Herbivoracious. And find out how tostart your own food blog.