As I’ve mentioned before, I’m an advocate of experiencing the whole wide world from where you’re sitting, whether that’s on a train, a plane, or your living room couch. Instagram is a wonderful way to do that, with people from everywhere sharing their lives from anywhere, open and ready to be explored. Scrolling down a screen, we can experience a moment of joy in Spain, introspection in Egypt, and salacious food porn in Paris.
Personally, it’s the food posts that get me going, so I’ve curated a list of my favorite chef and foodie Instagrams for your viewing pleasure. Whether or not you’re in a position to visit these places, I hope this gives you a chance to live and binge vicariously. Well, until your next digital detox.
@Davidlebovitz
American pastry nerds are going to roll their eyes at me for this one because anyone who knows their sugar has already been following David Lebovitz for years. Still, for the uninitiated, this is the chef you have to thank for modern food blogging, which practically began with the site he launched in 1999.
On his Instagram, you’ll see snapshots of life in Paris, from stories meandering the street markets to images from his recipe testing to moments with his French partner Romain in restaurants. He makes you feel like you’re living in Paris with him, just a sweet man sharing his day and occasionally turning the camera on himself to upload an eight-part story to chat with his followers about crock pots.
@Coco_jessi07
Also an expat in Paris, Tian is sharing high-quality images and videos from her food scouting around town. My favorite thing about her feed are her pastry posts, each of which she concludes with an immensely satisfying video of her cutting the pastry in half to show off the inside. She’s not a pastry chef as far as I know, but certainly an enthusiast, so following her account will make you drool and give you plenty of food recommendations for the next time you’re in Paris–not to mention other cities when she decides to shut up and go!
@Foodballstylee
Let’s get out of Paris now, shall we? This account is based in Bangkok, full of hand-shot videos of food stalls, and each post includes the price and location so you know where to find them. Following him, I’ve seen videos of food I never knew existed, from colorful crêpes with a pillowy coconut filling to mysteries wrapped in banana leaves. I’d tell you the names of the dishes, but his captions are all in Thai, so get ready for our old friend Google Translate.
@Kimjoyskitchen
A finalist in the latest season of The Great British Bake-Off, Kim-Joy is one of the sweetest, kindest, artsiest women I’ve ever seen on reality television, and her Instagram lives up to that reputation. She posts pictures of her pristine, usually pastel pastries with intricate, adorable designs, not to mention the occasional selfie of that cute little face of hers. It just makes you smile. Kim-Joy is a fan of the long caption as well, so get excited for some uplifting messages whenever you feel like clicking Read More.
@Bakerhands
And now for a trip to my home country to check out Tara Jensen, a chef I found out about in Bon Appétit Magazine, whose pies, breads and candid personal posts make me feel at peace. She’s a floaty fairy moon child who bakes as meditation as much as a profession. From her account you can expect natural grains, introspective musings, the occasional recipe, and gorgeous wood-fired breads and pies.
@Karinpfeiffboschek
Speaking of pies, Karin Boschek and Bruce Boschek are a German-American couple living in Germany, making and photographing their artistic pies. Each is a masterpiece. They’ll take a lattice crust and twist it into a perfect geometric pattern, or create Starry Nights-inspired swirls of color using slices of apples. I’m more of a pie person than a people person, so this account has my eyes and my mouth watering.
@Lu_pastry
Y’all will hopefully forgive me for throwing a friend of mine into the mix when you see these calming and professional photos of her work. Yulia is a Russian mom of four living in Germany, using what little spare time she has to bake cakes, cookies, and other treats, which she photographs in soft light for us to enjoy. Go check it out. And while you’re at it, go visit the rest of our pastry school crew: Uni, Yevgenia, Alina, Yulia A, Sarah, Katya, and Sayda.
There you have it! Some of my favorites. Instagram is a world in itself, so I’m sure I missed some, which gives you the chance to shout out your own favorites in the comments below. Let me know! Always happy for another excuse to kill my brain cells and scroll for hours.
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