#MediaMonday – Amy Martin

Each Monday, we are posting a blog to help our readers get to know the media just a little bit better.
With a TWIST!
No, we aren’t posting story pitch tips or media lists, but instead great stories from the media themselves about their lives, their work and other little known facts! Think of it as your first “networking” opportunity of the week!
Today’s #MediaMonday comes to us from Amy Martin, Editor in Chief of PhoenixBites.com.
So, Amy, time to share!
What do you want to tell the blogosphere about yourself today?
In a generation overtaken by social media, where more of us are known by our Twitter handle than our real names, I should first introduce myself as PhoenixBites.
The last couple of months have been a whirlwind for me. I created and launched PhoenixBites in August of this year, initially as a hobby to write and explore more about what I love: food. Since August, it has developed quickly into my primary focus and career, and has nearly taken a life of its own. I am amazed at how much fun I’m having along the way.
Originally from Claremore, Oklahoma (bet you’ve never heard of it!), I moved back to Phoenix in December of 2009 with my husband and daughter and am loving all of the restaurant options this city has to offer. I am a big ‘foodie’ and I’m not even terribly fond of the word (let’s invent a new one). I religiously watch the Food Network and find myself drooling at my television. Who doesn’t love food, right? I’ve found – and my friends and family will attest to this – that food is my number-one topic of conversation, so why not put that to good use? Even as a child, I loved to bake. But more than baking, I loved to go out to fancy restaurants with my parents even if it meant skipping my favorite TV show or less time to play with my toys.
My favorite restaurant growing up was Marrakech, a Moroccan restaurant in Sacramento, California. To this day, I’m still trying to re-create those dishes in my own kitchen. In high school, my English teacher assigned our first big English paper to be about a memorable experience in our childhood. Can you guess what I wrote about? I reminisced about the astonishingly delicious Moroccan cuisine I once enjoyed at Marrakech, detailed down to the color of the restaurant’s carpet. It won her praise and I’ll never forget that. It has always been a dream of mine to do exactly what I’m doing now: writing about food.
Today, I write about my restaurant and dining experiences as well as promote local food and culinary events. Phoenix has so much to offer on the dining scene, that I can’t cover the entire city singlehandedly! I’ve enlisted the help and expertise of my close friend, extraordinary writer and now colleague, Taryn Jeffries, since the site has grown. Our vision is to create a community of food-lovers in Phoenix, much like ourselves, and bring people together through our experiences. I am proud of what we’ve accomplished in such a short time and am so excited for the future.
When I’m not writing about food or chasing after my daughter, you’ll find me re-organizing my pantry, making the week-long grocery list, or scouring through cookbooks for recipes to experiment with on a rainy day. Really, I’m that addicted.
Follow the PhoenixBites tweets on Twitter to stay in touch!