Ticking off her infinite food list, one eatery at a time!
Alma, aka food blogger @ohmyfoodiegoodie, is always serving. Her followers are treated to mouthwatering and aesthetically pleasing food reviews and guides—covering the crème de la crème eateries from Auckland to Seoul. So, whether you wanna know where to get the best Korean fried chicken or what’s the most bang for your (student) buck, Alma has got your cravings and weekend brunch plans sussed.
What’s also special about @ohmyfoodiegoodie is that Alma’s food gram was created in July 2018 during her time as an undergrad at UoA! She managed to balance food content creation alongside her studies, and now full time work—serving as an excellent example of how our passions can be turned into fun and fulfilling side hustles.
In celebration of hitting 10k followers, @ohmyfoodiegoodie will be launching some exciting giveaways to commemorate this milestone! Be sure to keep an eye out on Alma’s Instagram and Tik Tok for more details.
Tell us about yourself!
I did a BCom at UoA, majoring in Accounting and Finance. I actually did two years of law as a conjoint but didn’t continue this. I’ve now been working at Deloitte for two years, in Tax & Private (which means March madness currently!). I’m also studying towards my Chartered Accountants qualification, with one final paper to go.
What motivated you to begin your food blog and Instagram @ohmyfoodiegoodie?
I used to share a lot of my food photos on my personal account but I only actually decided to start the food gram when I got a new phone, which had the best phone camera (at the time, now there are even better phone cameras!), and so thought I should make use of it and share my food photos separately. As much as I loved to eat out, I was also conscious of my spending so I loved finding deals and I thought it’d be a good platform to share with other students. This was in my third year of uni and I honestly didn’t think I would keep it going this long! Now, I’m motivated to keep improving my photography skills (still got a lot to learn), and the opportunity to work with local businesses and brands, especially supporting them in ways I can during these tough times.
How did you balance this project during your studies at the University of Auckland?
In uni, it was just a hobby I did in my spare time. On a student budget, I obviously couldn’t afford to eat out too much so it was a bit hard to keep the content up. But time-wise, it was actually easier then, as I could go wherever, whenever—much more flexible. Whereas now, as I work full-time in a very busy role, on top of studying when that’s on, I generally am only able to do things gram-related on the weekend.
For current students, what cheap eats and places would you recommend for us to check out?
My top cheap eats are definitely:
- Japanese Dining You (aka YouCurry) which does $6 curries and $8 udon, free upgrade to large. They used to be on Queen St, a lot closer to uni, but are now on Hobson St.
- Cosmo Coffee, opposite Albert Park, does cheap coffees ($4.50 for large).
- Velvet Burger 2-for-1 Tuesdays was a favourite deal of mine when I was at uni.
Outside of the CBD I also recommend:
- Chu Long Ji in Wairau Valley
- No.1 Pancake which has moved out of its iconic little shop to Rosedale and Basu Lounge in Takapuna and Browns Bay.
I also recommend using Foodprint and eVouch apps for great deals—both are free to use.
For students who are interested in food blogging and content creation, what are some words of advice?
There’s heaps of food bloggers out there now (I’ve seen so many pop up since I started) so find your point of difference and think about how you can create value for your audience, be consistent in posting and develop your own style.
