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Katie Merken has a passion for sharing meals with loved ones. Before the pandemic, the Syracuse University senior always tried new restaurants around her home city Philadelphia and used her food Instagram account to share her meals with others.

When businesses shut down in spring 2020, Merken began occasionally featuring meals she made, but her favorite posts are those from a time where she went out with friends or family.

Merken is one of many SU students who have turned to food Instagram accounts to debut new recipes and reminisce on enjoyable moments she shared with friends and family before the pandemic. She hopes to one day turn her account into a blog where she can write longer pieces about her experiences with food.

“Each meal can just be a memorable experience,” she said. “That’s definitely something I could really capture more in longer blog posts.”

Unlike Merken, who felt she had less content because of the pandemic, senior Lindsay Sayour made her food Instagram account mostly out of boredom.

Sayour posts photos and recommendations for restaurants in mostly the Syracuse area or Queens, where she’s from. During the school year, she will get photos from her friends and post those as well to stay active on her account.

She loves posting places her followers may not know about and is always excited when she gets a text from someone saying they took her recommendation.

“I’m just sharing content in the hopes of maybe someone will recognize it,” she said. “I don’t expect it at all.”

Other SU students turned to their food accounts as a way to fill their time after being home. Junior Sam Jezak has been interested in nutrition since high school, but being stuck at home gave her even more of a reason to dive into her account.

Because she usually shares pictures of meals she gets with friends or families at restaurants, Merken believes she has less content to post during the pandemic. Courtesy of Katie Merken

Jezak first created her account at the end of her freshman year and has gained almost 1,500 followers. She named the account “fromsamsplate” to make sure she isn’t perceived as someone who strictly eats healthy foods or supports eating disorder culture.

“I really try and get across on my page that I want you to eat what’s good for you and listen to your body,” Jezak said. “I try and not impose the decisions I make in my diet on other people. I’m just a resource for you, and that’s what I try and get through all my posts.”

Junior Olivia Templeton began her account in high school but took a hiatus during her time at SU because she did not have access to a kitchen. After being sent home in March, she started working on her account again.

Templeton is careful to mention in her posts that she ate more than what is pictured. She also posts stories and highlights of snacks and second portions to ensure her followers aren’t limiting and comparing their diets to her own.

“I don’t want people to compare their diet to my diet because I don’t post everything that I eat,” she said. “Just because I didn’t send you a picture of my ice cream doesn’t mean I didn’t eat it.”

As students interested in nutrition and cooking, Templeton and Jezak had more free time to learn new recipes and other aspects of nutrition after being sent home. Jezak found herself interested in sustainability and started composting in addition to starting a protein ball business, where she accepted orders from followers for bite-sized, protein-packed snacks. After a few weeks of taking orders from followers, Jezak partnered with a small coffee shop in her town, Village Bean, and started selling her protein balls there as well.

Templeton will mention in her posts that she ate more than what is pictured and post stories of snacks and second portions so her followers don’t limit or compare their diet to exactly what she posts. Courtesy of Olivia Templeton

Besides building a following, Jezak explained how she was able to find a close-knit community through her food account by direct messaging people about recipes or nutrition facts. When Jezak was a freshman, she had a mentor from her town who answered any of her questions at any time. This connection was just the beginning of Jezak finding a community from her Instagram account.

Both Jezak and Templeton want to enter the nutrition field and incorporate their Instagram accounts into their careers. Jezak hopes to one day be a nutrition professor, and Templeton wants to be a dietician. Once she has credentials as a dietician, Templeton hopes to build up her Instagram account with more information.

Merken is a double major in writing studies, rhetoric and composition and psychology but wishes to incorporate food writing into her future career.

Sayour will be working with a marketing research firm after graduating this spring, but her account will always be her side hustle, even if she isn’t getting paid.

“Honestly, I love posting. I love sharing things, and I love when people comment,” she said. “I will 100% be posting on the side when I get out of work. If I go to a restaurant for dinner with my coworkers, I want to share that, and I think it’s definitely something I’ll continue for a long time.”

Published on March 16, 2021 at 10:26 pm

Contact Iseabail: iakelley@syr.edu