Originally from Guadeloupe and Brittany, passionate about cooking and gastronomy, Leslie Belliot, offers traditional and mixed cuisine but also creative. The invitation to travel by palate is her leitmotif. A rich cuisine in colors flavors and smells. Cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, clove … spices of islands kitchen have no secrets for her … Manager of a massage firm for 5 years, she decided after giving birth to her third child, to devote herself fully to her cooking passion. It is quite natural she embarked on the blog adventure to share her tested and approved recipes. In less than 3 years, her “Je cuisine Créole” blog has known a rise to fame with visitors from all over the world. Her culinary videos catch the attention of more than 245 thousand foodie subscribers on her Facebook page, with records at more than 1million views for some videos. Her talent also allowed her to be rewarded with the Blogger of the year Award by The Academy of Culinary Art of Creole World. Today, specialized magazines, brands, TV shows, media and works councils call upon her to create recipes, culinary consulting, video creation, chronicles, culinary animations, private workshops. “Je cuisine Créole” is now the website of reference for Creole flavors … Just looking at yummy dishes Leslie offers, she whets your appetite. She also shares recipes when she travels to other Creole lands for people to discover. Her goal? Spread and make travel around the rich Creole cuisine in flavors. For her it is one of the best and deserves to be recognized worldwide. AlizéLaVie Magazine puts on chef’s hat of Leslie’s world.
ALV: Could you introduce yourself?
LB: I’m Leslie Belliot, 31 years old, a culinary blogger and home chef. I currently live in Brest in Brittany. I spent my childhood and part of my teenage years in Guadeloupe before leaving for France.
ALV: How was passion for cooking born?
LB: Little, I loved to watch my mother in the kitchen. My favorite readings were cookbooks, which I found fascinating. Over the years my desire to learn has continued to grow.
ALV: What was the trigger pushing you to leave your business as manager of a massage firm to devote yourself exclusively to your cooking passion?
LB: A few months after launching my blog, I started to be contacted by brands and medias who wanted to work with me. It was getting more and more time-consuming, so I had to make decision to focus on just one activity, and of course cooking was a priority.
ALV: What did motivate you to create “Je cuisine créole blog”?
LB: The desire to pass down, share a piece of my island Guadeloupe culture.
ALV: Do you have any challenges? How do you handle your family life and activities?
LB: At first it was mainly to find products to cook. Here in Brest it is not easy to find Caribbean products, I had to get used to it. But my biggest challenge is still the organization between work and my family. It is not always easy to harmonize everything, so I strive to plan everything with a concrete agenda.
ALV: How do you explain your success?
LB: A current concept, simple and short format culinary videos, a popularized Creole cuisine democratized and requirements these are the reasons why I think have contributed to the success of “Je cuisine créole”. In additional I would add persistence, desire and passion. These are my main driving force for achieving my goals.
ALV: What are your favorite Creole dishes and those you love to cook?
LB: Almost all! My favorite dishes are seafood based ones. And those I love to bake are pastries such as Mont Blanc, pistachio cake, and butter bread. I love to bake! In general, the more complex it is, the more I like it.
ALV : What are your goals for the future?
LB: I’m currently working on writing a book in self-publishing, it’s a project dear to my heart.
ALV: Do you have any message for our readers?
LB: I encourage all those who have passion, know-how, to throw themselves into adventure even tough it is not so obvious. You must be surrounded by the right people. But at the end of the day it’s worth it to give a try. As I often say, “it’s better to have remorse than regrets”. It is a quote from Oscar Wilde I really like. As for me, I started my own business quickly. Each experience brought me value in my life, a know-how, and additional knowledge. Everything is not always easy or initially as we had imagined. It is a lot of work, permanent adjustments, self-questioning … but it’s all worth it to devote yourself. Lastly thank you for following me, sharing and appreciating my work.
ALV: Please dear readers do not hesitate anymore! Take advantage of Leslie’s exquisite recipes to become an expert. A delightful West Indian flavored encounter to surprise those around you with:
Interview par Alizé Utteryn
Photos credit: Leslie Belliot
Blog : http://cuisine-creole.com
https://www.facebook.com/jecuisinecreole/
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