Shikha is wearing a Forever 21 jacket, Private Party shirt, American Eagle pants, purse from Crossroads Trading Co., and boots from Target.
What’s your name? Where do you live? What do you do?
I'm Shikha Kaiwar - a dessert, whiskey, hip-hop, and pun lover living in Lower Haight. By day, I do marketing at a startup (so SF); by night, I cook, eat, and explore the city and everything around it.
How would you describe your blog? What kinds of things would readers expect to see?
It began as a dessert blog, but it's since evolved into a medium where I eat, cook, travel, and share my ideas about food based on my experiences working in a kitchen. I am fascinated by the diversity and evolution of food, and I want to instill that same curiosity in my readers. My posts can be things like my favorite taco spots in Austin, a local restaurant review, or a recipe for hazelnut brownies.
How did you get into blogging?
I worked in a restaurant for 6.5 years, starting when I was 15 as a server at CPK (tostada pizza 4lyfe)! When I was 18, I became a pastry cook at restaurants all over SF and Berkeley and was part of the opening pastry team at Cotogna in 2010. I loved it, but I couldn't afford the lifestyle. When I left the industry, I started this blog to make sure I stayed involved in what I loved and continued to cook while also supporting local businesses wherever I was.
What have you learned from blogging?
It's a commitment! Organization is key to making sure you are putting out consistent content. That said, it is quality over quantity, so if you have to take a break for a few weeks, do it - it's worth recharging your batteries to make sure you are putting something out there that people actually want to read. Blogging is extremely rewarding; every time I publish a post, it's a reminder of how much I love cooking and travel and could never give either of them up.
What do you do when you’re not blogging?
Furiously Googling flight deals, furiously Googling concert tickets, or furiously swimming to prepare for Sharkfest - the 1.5 mile swim from Alcatraz! You can also find me at a rotation of coffeeshops for morning breakfast dates (I've been loving the cashew milk latte at Equator), taking hip hop dance classes, laughing at the latest meme or gif, or searching for the perfect slice of cheesecake. I think I do too much.
Cuba! Now that the US has taken Cuba off the terrorism list and relations are changing, I want to see the country before it becomes affected by the US industry. I also had a taste of Cuban food when I was in Miami and I need more!
What can we expect to see from you in the future?
That's a question I'd love to ask my readers as well! Personally, I'm having a blast sharing travel, restaurant, and recipe tips. I think that the food world is becoming increasingly more connected and I want to explore these connections however they manifest themselves. I also want to share more dessert recipes, because I think there is still a stigma around not eating too much sugar. In reality, everything is fine in moderation, and a dessert that is perfectly portioned and uses high quality ingredients is always so worth it - it's all about eating life to its fullest :)
Check out more posts from Work It, Bloggers and San Francisco.
Follow Work It, Berk:
