Photo courtesy of Callie Blount.
The latest edition of our occasional series Foodie Views highlights a longtime Birminghamian and once and former member of the local blogging community, Callie Blount of the blog Luv Cooks. Blount, an effusive and very busy young woman, has been featured in magazines as talent as well as a stylist for food and props. Her client list includes Food Network, Time, Inc. Digital, Cooking Light, My Recipes, Health.com, Southern Living, Southern Lady, Cooking with Paula Deen, and many others.
Although she has moved to Nashville, she remains linked to Birmingham, where she lived for dozen years. She maintains a fondness for the Magic City. “Birmingham was my home for a good long while, and I think the city has a fantastic food scene — especially the barbecue, oh my gracious!” she said.
She spent a few minutes sharing her philosophy about food and other things.
Weld: Your blog is Luv Cooks. What does the descriptor food+prop+video mean and which came first?
Callie Blount: I totally happened upon styling by accident! I knew I loved food, and thought having a food blog would be fun. That’s where it all started — on Luv Cooks — and from there, I fell in love with the beauty of food. Now my career has evolved to include food, prop, and my favorite, video styling. Basically, I do my best to make the food look beautiful — whether it’s for the cover of a magazine, an editorial ad, or a recipe how-to video. I also adore developing recipes for clients that are easy to follow and delicious.
Weld: You’re an actress, a model, a stylist, and a cook. How do you have time to eat?
Blount: Like my Southern momma says, “You gotta eat!” Eating is one of the highlights of my day, every day. I have never been that girl who “forgot to eat.” Hah! That’s pretty laughable to me. When food is your creative expression, it can become a bit all-consuming, so I think about food throughout the day. That’s why I love making food videos and talking about food on camera. I want to share the luv! But something that helps me a ton is prepping food ahead of time that my husband and I can just reheat or combine in different ways.
Weld: How did your love of food begin?
Blount: Wow! I was raised to love food, so I believe the love story began as a child in the South. My family will tell you that we built the home we grew up in for hospitality. Events were never insular to me — they always involved people at the house, laughter, and lots of food. So really, I think it became a way for me to show people I cared, and now it’s a way to tangibly show my friends and family how important they are to me.
Weld: What’s your favorite food?
Blount: Such a hard question to answer. My food faves revolve around three main food groups: coffee, chocolate, and cheeseburgers/pork products. But I also love vegetables in every way, shape, form. And summer watermelon… Yep, I can’t narrow it down to one.
Weld:Where do you like to eat?
Blount: I love to eat everywhere! Food is so much fun to me. I also have a voracious appetite, so I firmly believe the old Southern saying, “It’ll eat!” My husband loves Asian food, so we are huge fans of pho, ramen, and sushi. I also love to eat at home. I am constantly experimenting with flavors and doing recipe development, so that’s really fun for me.
Weld: How does your love of beauty figure into your food — or your work with food?
Blount: I remember plating food with the final look in mind from the days of making blue-box macaroni and cheese in college. I want every food image and video I work on to cause your mouth to water. It should create a visceral, “I must eat that” response!
Weld: What’s the next exciting chapter for you?
Blount: Lately, I’ve been struck with the realization that people need a way to better feed themselves — so they can experience the joy of food on a more regular basis. I want to help with that! Also, my husband and I just bought a home, and adopted a dog, in West Nashville…. and I am pumped about that.
See more of Callie Blount at callieblount.com, which includes a link to her food blog, Luv Cooks, as well as her ongoing series of YouTube videos, Do you have a favorite local food writer who makes you devour every word and bite? We’re looking for local food bloggers to profile in Foodie Views. Drop us a line at editor@weldbham.com.
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