@JoelECarlson: Hello everyone on this sunny Spring day in Minneapolis. Today’s Food-Friday Twitterview guest is @leezukor, so lets get started!
Lee: Yes!
Q – #1 So @leezukor, tell us, where did you grow up? Where did you go to school, and what was your 1st job as an adult?
Lee: I grew up on Long Island, went to college at Boston University. My first job was at United Health Group in IT
Soon I become a tech writer. I had moved to Minnesota to become a rock star.
… and a husband.
Q – #2 What did you study at Boston U? A rock-star and a husband in Minnesota? Really?
Lee: Are those things mutually exclusive? :-) I studied English (writing and lit) and French.
Well, a songwriter-musician, if not a rockstar, yes.
Q – #3 So how did you swing from IT to interest in food as your occupation?
Lee: Just in the past few years. I was working for a startup as product/UX guy/social media/blogger…
and I had done a whole bunch of reading about good food, and I was trying to figure out how to eat better …
I started @simplegoodtasty because I wanted an easy, simple way to make changes for myself and my family.
Growing up in NY I didn’t know any farmers, but everyone I know here is just 1 or 2 generations away.
Why does it seems like the distance is so much greater?
Q – #4 So would you say you’re following a NEW passion or a pasion that you’ve always had?
Lee: Food has always been a passion. GOOD food is more recent for me.
But I jumped in with both feet!
Q – #5 Talk more about the goal(s) of @simplegoodtasty and also about your new venture @44blocks.
Lee: @simplegoodtasty aims to help you make better food choices by surrounding you with tasty things and easy tips…
and by occasionally asking readers to consider what they eat and why. We lead with taste but the issues are important!
@44blocks is a new company focused on helping local business owners find new customers online.
Both companies are about exposing people to things that will (hopefully) improve their lives.
Q – #6 If social media didn’t exist, do you feel it would be harder to get your messages out to the public?
Lee: Yes, absolutely. Like it was when I was stapling flyers to telephone poles to try and get people to come to my gigs.
@simplegoodtasty exists because I was able to use social media get the word out and get feedback.
Q – #7 What are 3 things about food that you see improving in the Twin Cities? Options? Variety? Organic?
Lee: Those 3 things for sure. People are asking more questions and growing more gardens — finding good food is easy.
I used to think that we needed to get all of these little local food initiatives to work together to create change…
but I realize now that the sheer number of small “good food” initiatives creates change too.
Making change doesn’t always have to be a coordinated effort, it can be really personal, individual.
Shoot, I got all sentimental, didn’t I?
Q – #8 That’s okay. It’s REAL! :) Now for some of your FAVORITES: Restaurants, stores, comfort food, vegetable, spice and TV chef/cook.
Lee: so many restaurants! @grandcafempls, @birchwoodcafe, alma, @brasarotisserie, lucia’s, @spoonriver1, @commonroots, quang
I’m not much of a shopper, except at @electricfetus.
comfort foods: burgers (grass-fed, turkey, veggie). Does a banh mi count? Cassoulet? I’m getting hungry.
Favorite spice? Salt and pepper! Cilantro! Basil! Jalapeno! Does Alex Roberts count as my celebrity chef?
Q – #9 There are no wrong answers. :) If you could share a meal with any 1 person (dead/alive) who would you pick and why?
Lee: My Dad died a couple of years ago. I’d love to eat with him again. Maybe at Blue Hill, I haven’t been there yet.
Q – #10 For people who are looking to start eating healthier and making good choices, what advice would you offer to them?
Lee: You can start small – buy one or two things locally, or ask the server where the food came from when you eat out…
Best (and cheapest) of all, grow your own food and learn to cook it. You don’t have to get fancy.
Buy directly from farmers when you can. We have so many terrific farmers’ markets and co-ops in town!
Big life changes are hard, but there are lots of small things people can do. There’s no excuse for sitting this out.
@JoelECarlson: Good points! Thank you very much @leezukor for sharing some of your life and work today on #jectv. It’s SPRING! Enjoy it! :)
Lee: Thank you, sir.
This was fun. I hope to see you soon.