A Skype Ambassador with a ‘passion for food’!
Check it out – it’s me!
Hi everyone! I’ll warn you from the outset, today’s post is mostly about me – I don’t normally go in for the whole ‘Dear Diary’ posts, but some big changes are afoot and I thought I should give you guys a quick update.
News Item number one: yesterday morning the nice people at Skype announced that they have made me their newest Skype Ambassador – tweeting the news to over 3 million followers!
Give a Carnival-style welcome to Skype Food Brand Ambassador, @eatrio_net! http://t.co/D3zcKv073R
— Skype (@Skype) March 24, 2014
How cool is that? Currently there are 8 of us Ambassadors and each of us has a particular speciality. No prizes for guessing my specialisation – food! In fact the Skype Moment Makers page where they made the announcement describes me as having a ‘passion for food’ and while that is 100% true, I also rather like the way it sounds like a very diplomatic way of saying ‘greedy’!
Anyway, leaving my gluttony aside for a moment, what will my collaboration with everyone’s favourite on-line communication tool actually mean?
Well, I’m not at liberty to divulge any secrets just yet, but Skype and I have been mixing up some very tasty ideas and in the coming weeks and months we’ll be putting them in the oven, baking them on ‘high’ and then serving them up for your pleasure (hmm, have I taken this cooking metaphor too far?).
Going 100% Food
There’s more! Regular readers will know that for the last few years I’ve been juggling a full time job in Barra (requiring a 4 hour daily commute) with blogging here at Eat Rio and a few other food based projects thrown in for good measure. Then last September we started running Eat Rio Food Tours.
Well, there are only so many hours in the day and with the food tours starting to take off I’ve decided it’s time to take a leap into the unknown. From early April I will be leaving my day job and working full time on Eat Rio and related projects!
Is this the safest, most risk-averse route to a secure, comfortable future? Perhaps not, but it is going to feel great to throw myself into something I am 100% passionate about. I love cooking, I love eating, I love writing about food, I love meeting people who are into food and I love introducing people to good food. So let’s see how it goes shall we?
I got my picture in the paper!
As a food blogger, I am often asked for recommendations for places to eat. A couple of weeks ago, The Sunday Times asked a selection of Chief Chowzters from cities around the world to name an exciting newcomer on the street-food scene and an old favourite. I chose Ferro & Farinha and Cervantes.
I look a bit serious in this one don’t I? Still, I was happy to help spread the word about a couple of my favourite food places/people in Rio.
Although there will be lots of changes over the next weeks and months, I think this can only be good for Eat Rio – I’ll have more time for photography, more time for exploring Rio and then writing about it, and more time to work on new features that have been on my ‘to do list’ for the past few years. There may even be some Eat Rio Events later in the year (don’t worry – you’ll get an invite!).
Congratulations!! You and Eat Rio were so ready for this huge and exciting step!
Aww, thanks Rachel! Until now I have resisted the (very strong) temptation to break out an inspirational cliché, but I’m just not that strong! ;) My mantra right now is that “it’s better to regret something you have done than regret something you haven’t done”.
So I’m going to give this all I’ve got and see if I can make a living doing something I love – it’s a nice dream isn’t it? :)
More than deserved Tom… Parabens. Not many of us mortals can say they make a living doing what they love to do…
Raf
Thanks Raf! :) Success is by no means guaranteed, but it’s good to take a risk and attempt something difficult once in a while, right? :)
Congratulations, this is great news Tom!
Thanks Andrew!
hurray!!! congrats, tom!!!!!
Thanks Karin – you may be called on to be a recipe tester / guinea pig in the coming months. I hope I can count on you! ;)
Congrats!! Parabéns!! Estou feliz por você Tom! Que esse novo projeto traga muitas realizações e sucesso!
Abraço!
Obrigado Lidi!!
Well done Tom, more than deserved I’m sure. Big step and probably a bit scary but if anyone can do it you can. I can only wish you the best of British and Brazilian. Boa Sorte!
Ha ha! I can’t go wrong with best of British and Brazilian – that pretty much covers everything! Thanks Chris!
Tom, Congrats!
I wish you all the best for this “new” big step in your (professional) life!
Can’t wait for more Food photos, reviews, tips..
Good luck!! Wish you all the best*
Helena
Thanks Helena! Now I just have to decide exactly how to spend the extra 4 hours each day that I’m not sitting on a bus! I’m sure I’ll think of something :)
Congratulations Tom! You deserve it! And Skype is lucky to have added you to their team! :)
Muito obrigado Ray! Hopefully Skype will agree!
Great news Tom. Really hope it works out for you!
Thanks Andy – what could possibly go wrong? Don’t answer that… ;)
I’m actually very jealous. Wish I could do the same and go full time with pursuing the blog and related interests. Good luck to you!
Congratulations Tom! And to think this all started with my comments. :-)
Btw I also have news: Oxfam contacted the Gritty Poet Blog and asked to stop tweeting.
Ha ha, thanks Gritty! So you’re telling me you got a Cease and Desist order from Oxfam? I shudder to think on what way you were bothering them… ;)
Congratulations Tom! I wish you all the luck and happiness in the world.
Thanks Marcos – I really appreciate that!
Yay! This is great news, Tom. Cheers to you for following your passions and giving it your all. Rio’s culinary scene and those searching for it will surely benefit from your efforts!
Ah, thanks Amy! I heard you are back in the US now – hope all is well and you’re enjoying being back :)
Congrats and well done Tom! It takes balls and a big appetite to make that jump ;) Parabens!
The Times article said you were a Londoner and i had you down as a Winchester boy.
Awesome stuff!
Thanks Chris :) I’m certainly more Winchester-er than Londoner, but here in Brazil I usually say “near London” and then people turn that into Londoner. Saying Winchester just confuses people, though Mrs Eat Rio always says I should show off about how Winchester was once the capital of England* – I guess she thinks us ex-capital cities should stick together!
*Don’t think Winchester and Rio have anything else in common! ;)
Tom, uau!!! Sucesso mais do que merecido. Ao longo desse tempo, você demonstrou que é possível realmente criar algo novo, criativo, desde que impere o amor e o esforço pessoal. Parabéns! A cidade também agradece. Um beijo, Sogra
Obrigado Nidia! Eu tinha um pouco de ajuda ao longo do caminho :)
Congratulations Tom!!!! I imagine how difficult might have been to take this decision but we only live once so we have to take some risks to be happy!!! Success in your new journey!!!
Thanks Cristina! It was a difficult decision, but then I thought “when will there be a better time than this?” :)
Wow, this is awesome! Congratulations!
I definitely think it’s worth taking a risk with something like this. Being passionate about something always increases your chance of success. And giving up the 9-5 (plus 4-hour commute) will improve your life beyond measure, believe me.
Thanks GFE! Tomorrow is my last day* in the office and I still can’t quite believe it. The coming months are going to involve a huge amount of hard work, but I sense a massive improvement in job satisfaction will come with it!
*yes, April Fool’s day! :D