Avocados. Goat Cheese. Jalapenos. These three ingredients make everything better, said UNC's resident food blogger Sara Tane.
Though that's a quirky list of food, Tane definitely knows what she’s doing. She has a knack for creating delicious and beautiful dishes and a love for food in general. She shares photos of her culinary talents on what_she_ate, her popular food-based Instagram account that has more than 5,000 followers.
“It is kind of like my own little pride and joy,” Tane said. “I’ve been able to meet people from it and gain some sort of mild recognition in the sense of people know what I’m passionate about and it’s just fun."
Tane created the Instagram as a way to document her food experiences without bombarding her personal account.
“I like running it because of the feedback I get from other people about it,” she said.
She meets new people through her blog, as strangers often recognize her from what_she_ate. Tane said her roommates tease her about not being able to take her anywhere because she always gets stopped in the street.
“When people I don’t know compliment me, it’s like the best thing ever and I’m so appreciative of that," she said.
She certainly deserves their praise — her account is gorgeously decorated with mouthwatering photographs that display unique takes on classic dishes. Whether from a restaurant or flipped with her own spatula, every meal is art.
“I love experimenting in the kitchen!” Tane said. “A lot of times I’ll find a recipe online or on Pinterest and then change it around based on what I have or how I think I could make it better. So a lot of what I make is loosely based on other recipes, but I’m not good about following recipes super strictly.”
She proves you can eat as well as you want to in college — or at least as well as you can cook. For breakfast, she might eat avocado toast with berries and melted brie, or blackberry mint scones or even apple pie oatmeal.
Needless to say, cereal might taste suboptimal if eaten while scrolling through what_she_ate.
“I honestly get more enjoyment out of giving my roommates and friends bites of the food I make than eating myself. I love cooking for other people, so my roommates definitely have some perks living with me,” she said.
Tane considers herself someone who loves food culture and is passionate about making fun creations.
The fact that she is a food studies major reflects her creative spirit, because it is an interdisciplinary major. She is also majoring in global studies and minoring in anthropology.
Tane interned at Saveur this past summer, a food magazine in New York City.
“It was the best summer ever, so now I’m hoping to pursue a career in food media or something, but I’m open to all careers loosely related to food," she said. "And there’s also a part of me that thinks about like going into the culinary world, but that’s kind of like a huge leap, so I don’t know about that.”
Tane has been involved with food media throughout college — she is the founder and editor-in-chief of the UNC chapter of Spoon University.
Spoon University is a website that publishes articles about food and plans food-based events.
“It takes up a lot of my time, but it’s fun because it is something I’m interested in, and I like reading other people’s posts and helping them move along with their ideas and pitches and forming published articles," she said.
Sometimes she will go to restaurants to take pictures for articles, and the restaurants will give her free food. She found Spoon University through what_she_ate and has been involved ever since.
Tane said you should not be afraid to start an interest-based account.
“There’s really nothing stopping you," she said. "Just like find what you’re passionate about and what you think other people would take interest to and just experiment and don’t be afraid to push the boundaries of what’s typically on Instagram.”
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