Meet Feta Topalu | Food Blogger

We had the good fortune of connecting with Feta Topalu and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Feta, we’d love to start by asking you about lessons learned. Is there a lesson you can share with us?
One of the biggest lessons I have learned from blogging/brand partnerships is that I’m going to mess up and for me to learn from the mistake and try not to do it again. It’s not a matter of “if”, it’s a matter of “when” because we all make mistakes! If I can learn how to avoid the same mistake, I will, and obviously, there will be new mistakes for me to learn from in the future.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m a food blogger and I love to share mouth-watering food that feeds my soul. That includes recipe creation, food styling, photography, and videography. I’ve always loved hard lighting in food photography and decided to switch things up this last summer. I started incorporating it in photos and videos. To my surprise, Instagram loved it, and my account gained traction. Over the years, I’ve learned to tweak my style, and my personal touch is what makes Fetty’s Food Blog.

Brand partnerships can be a bit tricky. It’s just like starting your own business. You make a lot of mistakes and have to learn from them. I can’t say yes to all the companies that come my way, I have to choose brands that are aligned with my brand.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
When we have friends and family visit, there’s a number of places with take them so they can get a “feel” for TN. We always ask that they visit in the Fall because it’s not as humid and it’s so lovely to go to events outside! Fox and Locke (Pucketts in Lieper’s Fork) on a Thursday night when they have open mic night (sometimes my husband is selected to perform a song on one of those nights). The talent on the stage is SO good!
Arrington vineyards is another beautiful place, especially for kids to run around and have fun outside. We grab a bite from the food trucks and a bottle of wine and make our way to the barn for bluegrass music (it feels very “Southern” to guests that are visiting).
Downtown franklin is our favorite place to show them our city, it feels like it’s out of a hallmark movie. We’ll make reservations at Cork and Cow, Red Pony, 1799, or Grays on Main for some of the best food!
And if we have time, we look at concert tickets at the Ryman to see if we can squeeze in a show.
A few other favorite restaurants are: Henrietta Red, The Stillery, Twelve Thirty Club, Hampton Social, Liberty Common, City House, and Prince’s Chicken.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
A shoutout would have to go to my good friend Linley (Bake to belong). She bakes custom cookies and macaroons from her home for events/weddings/farmer’s markets. The cause behind the cookies – a percentage of the proceeds go to adoptive and foster families.

My husband, Val, has stood by my side since day one of my blogging journey. He encouraged me to start a blog in 2017, and then take classes for photography to grow my skills. Even on the really hard days, he told me I can’t give up and that I will regret it later. So thankful for his words and pushing me to start.

Website: fettysfoodblog.com

Instagram: @fettysfoodblog