Today we’d like to introduce you to Melisa Limanowski.
Melisa, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I first became interested genealogy when I started looking into my own family history, when I was about 12. Continuously researching family history since then, as well as a deep love for food, led me to become really interested in the connection between food history and family recipes. I found that food, like families, travel and change over time. I am also a lover of women’s stories. More recently, through features on my blog, I have been focusing on women who are involved with food in one way or another. I’ve had a guest who started her own food history magazine, I’ve had a representative of the Slow Food and Midwest Ark of Taste movement, a woman who creates ice cream flavors based on historical events, a woman who completely switched careers and left her office job to become a baker, and a food writer and food critic. I like the idea that something about food drew these women to their careers, where there are no classes and no textbook on how to succeed–the idea that you can carve out your own path in food. And, it turns out, their experiences with food in their family often had a bearing on that.
I also use my blog as kind of a marketing tool, to promote my own research skills and to advance general interest in genealogy. When I tell these women’s family stories, I find that people get excited talking about their own family stories, and they always want to find out more. Genealogy is not something people think about every day, so I think hearing other women’s food and family stories is a reminder that everyone can find out more about their own history and it can be a really exciting and profound experience.
Has it been a smooth road?
It has definitely not always been a smooth road. If I’m being honest, it’s still feels a little bumpy. I often feel like I’m still just starting out. I’ve struggled in the past with getting guests to appear on my blog. There are so many women out there doing amazing things, but the problem with doing amazing things is that they often take a lot of your time. Sometimes it’s a hard sell getting interesting women to take time away from their busy schedules to talk about family recipes and history. Additionally, I think when you are trying to create something without a clear path, there are a lot of internal questions like, “Why would anyone pay attention to this? Who am I?” but, luckily, I often get great feedback from my guests. I think (hopefully) everyone so far has had a lot of fun talking about their family history. And that makes me feel great. And, like most things, reaching out to people, as well as dealing with rejection, gets easier every time. It’s like a gut-punch in the beginning, though!
At its best, my blog has caused me meet some really wonderful women, doing amazing things. And I’ve had some great feedback from the women I’ve worked with, who have said that it gave them the opportunity to think about their families and also their own journeys. At its worst, it’s just a hobby that I really enjoy (even when it seems like no one is interested or paying attention), and it allows me to create small pieces of art every week and meet, or at least work with, some badass women. If that’s my biggest struggle, I don’t think that’s too bad.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
By day, I am an historical researcher for hire. I specialize in genealogy, but I’ve done work on other projects, like house, food, and sports history, too. I started getting very interested in food history several years ago. I think food and family are so intertwined. So often when I’m talking to people about their family history, food comes up: “Oh, my grandma made the best (fill in the blank).” Or, alternatively, something like, “My mom cooked for us, but never really liked doing it, so I started cooking at an early age and fell in love.” Food, I find, is a great centerpiece to build a family history around. So, about two years ago, I started a blog where I write about food and history. Sometimes, it’s the history of an ingredient, or a person or place, with a recipe attached to it. And, my favorite posts are interviews with women who tell me about their own lives, highlight projects they’re working on, and then share a family recipe that’s important to them. I love to talk to these women because I find the fact that they’re forging their own paths so inspiring. And I get to taste a little bit of their past because I make and photograph each recipe myself.
I’ve had people ask if I’m a food blogger, but I really don’t think of myself in that way. I don’t often develop recipes. I guess I’m not an historian either. Just a storyteller, maybe. Who likes to make and photograph food. I often have to remind myself that I’m writing a blog post, not a book (though, maybe someday…). I really see it as my “job” to pique people’s interest in something, so that maybe they’ll go on and look deeper into something they find interesting. And I think of food photography as the sort of spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine, or in my case, history, go down. If people come to my blog to find a recipe, or look at pretty pictures of food, maybe they’ll learn a little bit too.
I started doing this blog because I love reading food blogs myself, but I was always looking for something a little different. Being historically-minded, I guess I want to learn a little more information than just a recipe. And I guess some other people have been looking for the same thing. I get really nice feedback from people telling me how much they appreciate the history that I provide with each post.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Chicago has been a great place for my business! It has some wonderful resources for research, like the Chicago History Museum and the Newberry Library. And the food community is vibrant. I’ve been able to make a lot friends and network with a lot of interesting women. If you’re just starting out, I think Chicago is a great place to plant a seed. I know it can seem overwhelming because it’s so big, but I think if you focus on your own work, and try to find people who share your interests, who you can learn from, Chicago will be your oyster!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thehungrygenealogist.com/
- Email: honeybeegenealogy@gmail.com
- Instagram: @thehungrygenealogist
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/thehungrygenealogist/
Image Credit:
Melisa Limanowski/The Hungry Genealogist
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
