JERSEY BITES Celebrates 15 Years of Garden State Food News and More

Editor's note: I have had the pleasure of contributing articles to Jersey Bites and working with the outstanding staff that includes Founder and Executive Editor, Deborah Smith and Editor, Rachel Bozek. We congratulate the publication on its 15th anniversary for keeping the public so well informed about New Jersey food and drink. Cheers to many more!

This September, Jersey Bites proudly celebrates its 15th anniversary. Since 2007, the site has been a top outlet for news about New Jersey restaurants, the beer scene, diners old and new, and so much more.

When Jersey Bites founder and executive editor Deborah Smith decided to blog about her recipes and love of restaurants back in 2007, she really didn't have a plan. Smith was comfortable online, having owned a web-based business since 1999, so "throwing up a blog," as she puts it, was no big deal. "I really didn't think much of it at the time." Smith admits. "In fact, during the first few years of blogging, I was embarrassed and didn't announce it to many people."

Within the next few years, that humble little blog led Smith to write the best-selling "Jersey Shore Cookbook," and to launch Foxtrot Media, her successful restaurant marketing business.

Smith has interviewed top Food Network stars, and Jersey Bites has played a key role in getting the word out about organizations like Table to Table, as well about festivals and events galore, and the restaurant "pivot" of 2020.

The now-56-year-old estimates judging and covering dozens of food competitions over the past decade. She hosted chefs from all over the state at the Jersey Bites cooking stage for several years at the New Jersey Home Show.

"Most blogs that were around in 2007 are long gone," said Rachel Bozek, longtime editor, and writer for the site. "It takes a lot to keep a blog going year after year, but Deb has kept at it, and in the process, she's built not only a great team, but a true community."

"I honestly don't know what my life would be like if I had never started my 'blog with no plan,'" Smith said. With a strategic partnership with the New Jersey Restaurant Association and her growing marketing agency, Smith is ready to take Jersey Bites to new heights in the coming years.

Visit Jersey Bites HERE!

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Jersey Bites