Exploring the San Francisco Bay Area via food seems like a good way to see it, yes? That’s how Tim Cheung, the Bay Area Foodie experiences San Francisco. Taking a look at his IG, @bayarea.foodies and pretty soon you may very well be bookmarking the names of the restaurants he’s visited, or at the very least, you may start salivating. Sushi, brunch, sashimi, tacos, and boba tea are just a few of the types of dishes and plates Tim loves to munch over.
Tim began food blogging as anyone else may expect – due to a love of food. Tim had one simple desire, to find the local, hidden restaurants of the Bay Area. Back in 2015, when Tim was studying to become a computer programmer, he says he noticed that small, minority-owned restaurants didn’t have that much of a presence within the Bay Area Foodie community.
Ever the food lover and always wanting to try new places, Tim decided to change that. He began trekking around town, seeking out local places. Tim says that he always tries to be adventurous when it comes to food. Part of that includes going on Yelp and looking up all of the restaurants – each one – within the vicinity of the restaurant he is actually eating at. If a photo or review catches his attention, he’ll make sure to remember it, to go by and give it a taste.
He began sharing his finds on social media, and his content began to harness attention. His goal then, and now, was to focus on the local food restaurant business, and to get the word out on all of the best local places. As he continued eating his way around town, his following grew, as well as Tim’s love of food and passion for blogging.
But not just his passion- his follower’s appetites grew, too. Tim’s blog inspired others to begin their own foodie blogs, and he says he loves to know that “I’m getting people to try different ethnic foods that they would not have known about if I did not share my experiences with them.”
While he has stayed committed to eating at local food restaurants, he has also stayed committed to focusing on minority-owned businesses, often featuring different ethnic foods. He primarily stays within the Bay Area, sometimes trying new restaurants and dishes with other foodies. And other foodies are a good thing, Tim says. The more foodies in any given area, the more growth within the food scene. Tim says that “foodies tend to be more adventurous in their food choices which allows a more diverse range of restaurants to exist here.” Which is good news, for everyone, especially for those who love food.
But loving food and loving to blog about it doesn’t mean that you need to commit to everything food-related. Tim says that it’s okay to say no to collaborations or work that you don’t want to do. Why? Tim believes that “In the end, having fun is the most important part of making food blogging continuously exciting.”
And that’s the way Tim keeps it – exciting.