Meet Food and travel writer, Heidi Billotto. Heidi's jam is centered on seasonal food & locally raised, grown, caught or made proteins, produce and products. You'll find her traveling the Carolinas ( and sometimes beyond) to write about chefs, restaurants, farmers, farmers markets and all kinds of local producers. Get all of Heidi's travel and restaurant recommendations, Learn to cook with her printed recipes and cooking videos along with clever how-to tips & seasonal farm to table recipes at her blog & website, HeidiBillottoFood.com. You can also follow her hashtag at #TellThemHeidiSentYou
Meet Heidi:
Heidi Billotto has been writing about food and restaurants for regional magazines, newspapers, print and digital publications and sites since the early 1980s. In addition, she also makes regular appearances on Charlotte's WCNC-TV and on Raleigh’s WRAL-TV with monthly cooking segments, 3-day weekend travel segments; and segments that feature local products and monthly restaurant roundups.
Personal Appearances:
Heidi conceptualized the long running NCRLA Chef Showdown a state-wide year-long culinary and cocktail competition to benefit the North Carolina Restaurant & Lodging Association, and promote NC Chefs, Mixologists, Distilleries and local product from across North Carolina. Heidi has been the organizer and host of the year long event, since its inception in 2016. She also works with the NC Department of Agriculture to bring together chefs and farmers on the GotToBeNC Cooking Stage during the 10 -day stretch of the annual NC State Fair held in Raleigh, NC.
Cooking Classes, Catering & Then Some:
Between columns, television & personal appearances, Heidi, a former James Beard Foundation judge, is a food stylist for many national chefs and cookbook authors visiting North and South Carolina; handles social media feeds for several groups and businesses and teaches her own regular schedule of cooking classes both in her home & on local farms. In 2020 she started teaching these classes virtually as well. In addition, Heidi conducts private in-home or office or virtual cooking classes for corporate team building & social gatherings. Over the years Heidi has parlayed her culinary talents to develop a small but successful catering business. She publishes an email newsletter with info about her cooking classes and links back to her blog at HeidiBillottoFood.com, Charlotte restaurants, food happenings and more.
Heidi is married to well-known Charlotte singer and musician, Tom Billotto. The two often work together providing “food and mood” at private parties and corporate events.
A Little Taste of Heidi Billotto Food:
Heidi loves to share her favorite North Carolina eats on her blog. Here are some of her reader's favorite posts:
Drink Local Cocktails and Mocktails
Ready for some delicious Cocktailing and Mocktailing? Join Heidi Billotto as she shakes things up with a half dozen plus ways to drink local right now.
Nc Specialty Foods Association Awards
With so many North Carolina Products, the NC Specialty Foods Association holds a friendly little competition each year to showcase their membership and some of the top products of the year. In 2021, Heidi Billotto was asked to host the virtual awards ceremony and then after she shared the word on all of the winning product.
Ham Biscuits and Cheesy Carolina Gold Rice Middlins
Let's cook breakfast or brunch fare and keep it North Carolina local with three from-scratch printed recipes. Plus, in this post, Heidi shares an easy-to-follow under 30 minute video cooking class to help you make these three recipes into a delicious meal any day of the week. Featured in the video recipes and in this post, are three local North Carolina brands.Homemade Ham Biscuits and Cheesy Rice Middlins also known as Rice Grits.
Summer Seafood
Join Heidi for a seafood primer with everything you need to know to cook local seafood on and off the grill. Heidi’s Favorite recipes for crabcakes, whole grilled fish, grilled fish filets and steaks and an easy recipe for homemade seafood broth.
Plan an adventure to the Carolina Coast – Visit Beaufort NC
Heidi and her husband Tom escape for a getaway to the Crystal Coast in North Carolina’s Carteret County. Their destination: Beaufort, NC. If you are ready for a roadtrip and a satisfying adventure that checks all the boxes, Beaufort is the place. This charming and historic town is the perfect place to get away from it all. #TellThemHeidiSentYou
Getaway to Greenwood, Abbeville & Ninety Six, South Carolina
This food-centric adventure, finds Heidi Billotto in the towns of Greenwood, Abbeville and Ninety Six, SC. This adventure offers a tasty mix of food, shopping and a bit of history of the area as well. Follow along and then start planning a trip of your own. You’ll love this corner of South Carolina all as much as Heidi does! #TellThemHeidiSentYou
Connect with Heidi:
If you'd like to work with Heidi, you can connect with her on one of these channels:
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | LinkedIn
You can also read more about her work and find her email here.
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