A Passion for Baking Meets Online Networking

By Karen Marino, Marketing Specialist

Most people that know me know I have a passion…I love being in the kitchen, and specifically baking. Ask anyone in our office and they will tell you that I am the cupcake queen. In short…baking makes me happy.
I’m always amazed at the resources the Internet brings.

Back in 1996 I was surfing around on the Internet looking for recipes and stumbled across a live chat room for foodies on the website Epicurious.com, a Conde Nast site.

I joined the chat and, along with sharing recipes and talking about food and baking, over the years we’ve shared our lives too. Some of the members are married, some single, some are professional chefs and some are just learning how to cook. We celebrate births and new careers and provide support during tough times. Through online networking we’ve helped each other find jobs, get great travel deals and even find love a time or two.

We are located all over the country, really all over the world actually. Our group gets together in a various cities (from Cincinnati to Toronto to Texas and beyond ) to meet face-to-face, socialize and most of all, share our love of all things culinary. What could be better than chatting with someone in Greece and sharing a recipe for chicken fried steak…and receiving his or her favorite baklava recipe in return?

Several years ago Epicurious.com removed the live chat feature. We attempted to maintain contact with each other through email, but with so many of us, it was difficult. Then we found Facebook. Several friends took the initiative and started a special group page. We emailed and encouraged each other to join. We don’t chat live, but we still continue to build our group, share recipes, tips and what’s happening in our lives.

If you have a passion for something, you’re bound to find a group online that shares that same interest. Do a Google search and start looking. Get to know people and interact. I’ve made some great friends and although I don’t see them face to face very often and most of our interactions are through social media, they’re some of the best friends I will ever have.