J.Q. Louise is a food & travel blogger who’s obsessed with the 3 Ps: people, places and parties. In July 2018, she published her first book —Boston Food Crawls: Touring the Neighborhoods One Bite & Libation at a Time — sharing her food wisdom as a lifelong Massachusetts resident and taking readers through a culinary tour of her top spots. She boasts over 56,000 followers on Instagram, although even if you’re not one of them (yet) you can still get some insider info below like which three angles you should stick to for phone photography and her new favorite restaurant (it’s got a champagne bottle vending machine!).

Tell us a little about yourself. How’d you end up in Boston, and what inspired you to create your Instagram account?

I grew up in Massachusetts and after college I knew I wanted to move back to Boston. I studied abroad my junior year of college, spending one semester in Cannes and the other in Rome, so not only did I catch the travel bug, but I also had thousands of photos that I wanted to share. And so I decided to start a blog and Instagram account to create a creative space for all my travel stories.

Name the top five dishes on your Boston food bucket list.

There are so many amazing bites to try all around town, but here are 5 that I feel are uniquely Bostonian:

Mini juicy dumplings at Gourmet Dumpling House
Mike’s Cannolis
The “Grand Fromage” (cheese plate) at L’Espalier
Lobster Roll at Sully’s on Castle Island
Alden & Harlow Secret Burger

What do you think the next big trend is for restaurants?

Asian fusion has been a trend here in Boston for a few years, and I think we are hitting its peak. There are so many creative restaurants in town right now, with chefs who are doing some amazing things.

Which chefs are your favorite to follow on Instagram and why?

@Chef.Tatiana is always sharing her fabulous creations and even shows a lot of the prep work and ingredient sourcing that goes into her dishes. She’s definitely my favorite to follow, go check out her page today!

Beyond chefs, what are your top three favorite food Instagram accounts to follow?

@Doublechinbos is an amazing restaurant account to follow. From their amazing Cube Toast, to their beautiful cakes and cheese-pull worthy noodles, I would say they are the most Instagram-worthy restaurant in town!

Describe Boston’s food scene in three words.

Diverse, growing and exciting

Which restaurants haven’t you been to but you’re eager to try?

I still haven’t been able to make it to Citrus & Salt, but I have heard nothing but good things. Dying to check them out!

What’s your food photography philosophy, and can you share your top tips for taking awesome food photos?

Natural lighting is key, when I shot for my book, Boston Food Crawls, I used natural lighting whenever possible. If you want the best photos, sit out on patios, near windows or anywhere where you can catch soft, natural light. And for phone photography, stick to one of these 3 angles: overhead, 90 degrees or 45 degrees.

A Few Of Your Favorite Things:

Favorite brunch spot: Too many places to choose from, but the South End is my favorite brunch neighborhood
Favorite place for outdoor dining: Met Back Bay and Reelhouse in Eastie have some of my favorite outdoor experiences
Favorite BBQ joint: The Smoke Shop
Favorite late-night: Peach Farm in Chinatown
Favorite neighborhood for food: All the neighborhoods! Depending on what you are looking for, I think each neighborhood has something special to offer. And that is the reason I organized Boston Food Crawls by neighborhood
Favorite new restaurant: The Ghost Walks is my latest new favorite! Such a fun concept!