A big reason I started The Saboscrivner is because of local celebrity Ricky Ly, founder of http://www.tastychomps.com, published author, and one of the biggest food writers in Orlando. Ricky and I both used to be regular, prolific posters on the Florida forum on Chowhound.com, but when he founded the Orlando Foodie Forum on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/orlandofoodieforum/), I followed him there and became a part of that incredible community. I have not yet had the opportunity to meet Ricky in real life, but he has definitely been an influence on me. I feel more connected to Orlando because of him, and I’ve learned a lot about our rich restaurant scene and food in general thanks to him. Through his Facebook group, I’ve received a lot of encouragement about my writing, inspiring me to finally create this blog, which I should have done a long time ago.
However, maybe the biggest reason I got into this food blogging game was Anthony Bourdain. His death last month hit me much harder than any other celebrity deaths I can think of, because I was such a huge fan of his. Through his TV shows, his food writing, and even his novels and graphic novels, I felt like I knew the guy, and I thought the world of him. He really inspired me to think more about the food I ate, where it came from, who made it, and the stories and culture behind it all. He was a saboscrivner too — when you listened to his voice or read his words, you were along for the ride with this very cool, but very tortured, tour guide. The sights, the smells, the tastes — he made them real. You were there. That’s what I hope to do, on a much smaller scale.
When I learned of Bourdain’s suicide almost one month ago, I wrote what I hoped was a worthy tribute on Facebook, and Ricky included my piece among other local culinary luminaries on his food blog, Tasty Chomps. I was honored to be included among well-known chefs and much better-known food writers. So here’s his compilation of eulogies from several different writers, including mine:
http://tastychomps.com/2018/07/in-memoriam-orlando-remembers-anthony-bourdain.html
The Saboscrivner 