Friends of Tabletop: Meet John Huisman of Triangle Explorer
We are so excited to continue our monthly series highlighting the many social influencers and bloggers who have become not only our colleagues, but our friends throughout our journey with Tabletop Media Group. A couple of months ago, we started a new series here on the #TabletopTalk blog called, “Friends of Tabletop.” We’re here to spread some positivity and highlight the bloggers + influencers who we enjoy collaborating with and who are so incredibly talented!
This month, we’re featuring John Huisman of Triangle Explorer. Check out our fun Q&A with him!
Photo credit: Mick Shulte
Tell us about Triangle Explorer:I started my blog a little over ten years ago as a way to share recommendations for fun things to do and places to eat around the Triangle. I like to feature local businesses and funky local events that you might not have otherwise heard about. I tend to focus a lot on coffee shops (love coffee!) local breweries, arts and entertainment, and cool places to get outside and run around the Triangle.
Why do you write about food + Triangle area happenings?
Growing up my family owned and operated a wedding reception hall at the Jersey Shore so local businesses are something near and dear to me and I like to support them any way I can. Photography and writing are a passion of mine having a blog provides me the opportunity to explore these interests while using them to do good and share about small local businesses to help get the word out about them so they can be supported by the community. I like to keep things well rounded by sharing about both places to eat and fun things to do, because I see the two as going hand in hand when it comes to experiencing everything this area has to offer.
What's your favorite ice cream flavor?
I’m going to cheat here a little bit and share my favorite ice cream dessert which is an “Affogato” which is scoop of vanilla ice cream with a shot of espresso poured over it. I love ice cream and I love coffee so this is the absolute best of both worlds to me!
What is your least favorite food?
The one thing I just can’t seem to get into are dishes that include raw meat. Don’t get me wrong, I love a medium steak, but I just can’t eat cold raw meat like steak tartare! I’m also deathly allergic to shellfish so while it looks amazing I just can’t enjoy it and have to always avoid dishes that include it as an ingredient. Having a food allergy like that makes going to some food competitions very interesting because chefs (understandably) love to use lobster and crab in their amazing dishes!
Photo credit: John Huisman
What about favorite food?
I absolutely love Korean food. Especially street food like pork mandu dumplings and Korean BBQ tacos from local food trucks like Bo’s Korean Kitchen and NC Bulkogi. I love catching these two food trucks at local breweries around the Triangle and grab dinner from them whenever I see them out and about!
Bar order?
I have three “go to” orders when I’m at a bar. Most of the time I’ll just grab a pint of local beer. My current favorite breweries are Trophy in Raleigh and Ponysaurus in Durham. When I’m in the mood for a cocktail nothing beats a classic Gin & Tonic (Brooklyn Gin is my current favorite). In the summer months I also love Margaritas made with fresh lime juice and Cointreau instead of triple sec.
Photo credit: John Huisman
What's the most useful lesson you've learned from being a blogger?
Write about the things you are passionate. I’ve learned over the years not to worry about being the first person to cover a new restaurant or event. Do what feels right to you don’t worry if you aren’t covering the latest trend. There is always going to be a new hot spot that people will be excited about. I’ve learned to enjoy the freedom of covering businesses and topics that interest me and using my time to learn to be a better writer and story teller by honing my interview skills so I can share stories that readers will connect with.
Photo credit: Mick Shulte
What's your most unpopular opinion about food?
I recently went to Char-Grill for the first time after living in Raleigh for over 14 years. I guess waiting so long built up my expectations and when I finally went I wasn’t all that impressed. I totally get the nostalgia factor for NCSU students and Raleigh folks who have fond memories of late night visits the Char-Grill, but it just didn’t live up to my expectations When I shared my less than five-star review on social media I was skewered by my followers, but it was all in good fun!
If you could redo one thing in regards to your blogging / social influencer career what would it be?Looking back, I wish starting out I had developed a system for cataloging and organizing all the photos I take. I love taking photos I have taken a lot over the years and they are saved across various phones, laptops, and iPads. It’s great to have quick access to your photos and fun to go back and look at subjects you captured in the past. One day I’ll get around to archiving all my photos in one place, but it would have been so much easier if I had started doing it from the start!