Rachel Lombardo of Valrico is a mom, a food blogger and a true locavore.
“We have been living in Valrico for the last 20 years and we love the community,” Lombardo said. “I was a stay-at-home mom for 11 years so I could raise my kids, and I did it all. I did it all. I was the team mom, I was in the PTA, I was on the Brandon Cowboys’ football board and then my boys grew up and didn’t need Mom anymore. I realized I needed a hobby.”
Her hobby became blogging, but not just any blog; Lombardo created a food blog.
“It started out as me posting pictures of things I made and recipes,” she said. “I posted pictures of my kids at their birthday parties, but then I got on Instagram and started posting pictures of the different restaurants I visited and the food I ordered while I was there. These are the photos that spoke to me.”
Lombardo loves bright colors, and food comes in many bright, vibrant ones, so it was a natural progression for her to start posting her photos to her Instagram account. Doing this took her blog to a whole new level.
“Food is basically a still life, and, in the pictures, you can edit the colors, so I’m now Tampa Food Mom on Instagram,” Lombardo said. “This all kind of evolved during and right after the pandemic.”
Tampa Food Mom has more than 8,000 photos, and they are all beautiful pictures of places, restaurants and events Lombardo has been to since she started her Instagram account.
“In the beginning, it was just posting every so often, but now it’s posting pictures two and three times a day,” Lombardo said. “I do have a full-time job now, so Tampa Food Mom is my way of relaxing.”
Lombardo is always forthcoming with the different restaurants or businesses she goes to and posts pictures of.
“I always make sure I let the business owner know what I’m doing,” Lombardo said. “I don’t expect to have my meal compensated or discounted. I always pay my bill, and I also never leave or make any kind of negative comment on my posts. I want this to be a very positive place for my followers to visit.”
If you would like to see the beautiful and fun photos that Lombardo shares on her Tampa Food Mom Instagram account, you can follow her on Instagram at www.instagram.com/tampafoodmom.
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