Hey! My name is Carissa, and I'm behind the food Instagram @carissaeats!
How It All Started
When I was in 6th grade, my older sister, Antonia, gave me the idea to start it. I took a lot of photos of food, but no where to put them. So @carissaeats began!
So if you want to see my first post, no need to scroll all the way down my Insta. Here's what it looked like..
So, as you can see, it didn't start out all fantastic. The photo quality isn't great, but it's definitely gotten better.
This isn't the most accurate representation of my posts (getting close to 1000 likes is a once-in-a-blue moon typa thing!), but my content definitely reaches a much wider range of people than it used to.
What I Do for The 'Gram
I always use the excuse to go out to eat so I can post on the gram, but I don't only get Instagram - worthy foods. I get food that tastes just as good as it looks.
Obviously, there are foods that my sister call "Instagram traps" - food that doesn't taste great, but will definitely rack up the likes on Instagram. I try to avoid those as much as possible, but sometimes they're hard to resist. I do let my followers know when the food's not great though:)
Some other things I've done for my Instagram is go to some festivals designated JUST for food!
Just to name a few, I've been to food festivals like Brainfood (by SpoonU!), OMG! Dessert Goals, and EEEEEATSCON. They've all been so much fun, and all have been unique experiences to enjoy some amazing food, all while having a great time meeting new people and trying some fun activities.
Here's a few moments from each one of the food festivals I've attended:
2017 Me! A bit of a throwback, but here's a photo of me and my older sister at the photobooth @ Brainfood! One of the best value events I've ever been to - $30, which included access to many vendors that gave generous samples (enough for more than a meal...), this awesome photobooth (with several backdrops - some 3D!), talks by famous celebrities in the foodie world, and SO much more. Plus, we also got the VIP bags for FREE, because there were so many extra in the end!
2018 - EEEEEATSCON! Attending this food festival was simply incredible - including this one-time event exclusive collab between Emmy in NYC & Shake Shack. Definitely a burger I miss...
2017 Me - another throwback! This photo was from Dessert Goals in summer 2017, and was taken on the giant inflatable unicorn. This event had some great food and was absolutely made for your Instagram dreams. I also attended this event in spring 2018, and it was such a blast too.
Where I Am Now
After about three years of this food Instagram, I'm still going strong. I love my food account so much, because it really gives me a place to share some of my favorite moments with food, something I'm so passionate about. Although it definitely started with little experience, I've taken inspiration from many big food accounts, and have grown my own into something I'm proud to share.
So now you know all about my food account - don't be shy to hit that follow button (another shameless promo :) @carissaeats or even message me about anything.
See you there!