Carolina and Chapel Hill have left lasting memories for both of us. I walked into my room on the sixth floor of Craige in the late summer of 2001, and I was nervously excited to start college. I spent all four years on South Campus, majoring in the communication studies (media production track) and French. I was very active with Student Television, the Carolina Union Activities Board and Carolina Women’s Center, all while holding down a couple of jobs. I spent time as a Desk Assistant in the Union and also at the Center for Public Technology.

Amir was a dramatic arts major and spent the majority of his time at UNC in rehearsal with PlayMakers Repertory Company and the student club, Lab! Theater. He also dabbled in Student Television, which is where we first met. When he wasn’t in class, Amir worked on campus with the New Student Orientation Office as an Orientation Leader and Office Assistant. He also was an RA in Old East during sophomore year. We will never forget the fun we had, as well as everything we learned — academically and otherwise. There’s no place like Carolina!

Amir and I moved to Los Angeles in 2005, independently of each other, and began to connect more through mutual friends. We realized that food was a common bond and enjoyed talking about cooking and preparing dishes for different gatherings amongst our group. We started our food blog, DuoDishes, in late 2008.

It happened on a whim, providing our friends and family across the country the chance to see what we were cooking. Ironically, our friends and family were not reading it, but other people expressed an interest. That opened our eyes to a huge community of likeminded food enthusiasts to connect with over words and photos. Since then, the blog continues to be a perfect outlet to explore our passion for cooking, but it has also provided many opportunities for us to work with brands, PR and marketing agencies, publishers and various media.

Looking back, we did not expect anything to come out of the blog, but we have been lucky and of course grateful for everything that has happened. We’ve been published in three cookbooks, including Chef Jeff Henderson’s America I AM Pass It Down Cookbook and The Foodista Best of the Food Blogs Cookbook. We’ve had a radio segment on Los Angeles’ KCRW in addition to winning 1st prize for a savory pie in the KCRW 1st Annual Pie Contest. Our submission to an avocado cooking showdown led to an appearance on KTLA Morning News. A local restaurant in Los Angeles allowed us to host our own menu during their Friends Cook event. As for brands, we were part of Bertolli’s Chef’s Table launch and, right now, we are finalists in the Alexia Foods Reinvent a Classic Challenge. We invite all of our fellow alumni to vote for our Herbes de Provence and Garlic Sweet Potato Fries on Facebook. If we win, the new flavor will be be produced and sold nationwide in grocery stores!

We continue to blog because it is a fun way to express ourselves creatively through food, but it is also a great way to connect with people in Los Angeles and beyond. We have been able to forge friendships and learn from people we may have otherwise never met if it had not been for DuoDishes.com. We look forward to whatever else is to come and continuously grow through blogging.