We had the good fortune of connecting with Kimberly Dela Cruz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kimberly, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
My work life balance has changed a lot over time and I feel like I am always working on it. Having a good work life balance to me is important because I’ve learned that I can’t do my best if I’m working all the time. I have to spend time on myself and doing other things that are non-work related (which is hard because we all gotta eat, right?!) I actually do enjoy eating at restaurants and not having to take pictures.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Food blogging has always been something I enjoyed doing. It all started with me posting pictures of my food ten years ago. I started gaining followers over the years and next thing you know, restaurants were inviting me to try their food and brands were sending me product to try. I eventually decided to take it more seriously and it’s been amazing since then.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
There are a lot of things you can do in LA! I would break up each area into a different day.

On the first day, I would spend it in downtown. I would start with Wake & Late for breakfast burritos and coffee at Matte Black. Then head over to Little Tokyo for some shopping and to walk around. Then for lunch, I would have us walk over to the Arts District and eat at The Pie Hole. Next, I would have us grab a beer at Arts District Brewing and play skee ball. For dinner and drinks, we would go to Good Clean Fun.

On the second day, we would start in San Gabriel Valley. We would start out with lunch at Tokyo Fried Chicken Co. After, we would check out The Huntington Library. For dinner and drinks, we’ll go to the Americana.

On the third day, we would be in West LA. We would start with a good Filipino breakfast at Big Boi and grab dessert at B Sweet, all on Sawtelle. Then we would go to Santa Monica Pier and walk around. We would also walk around and shop at Third Street Promenade. For dinner, we would go to Mian in West Adams.

On the fourth day, we would spend it around Fairfax and Melrose. For lunch, we would start with Ruam Mitr then walk down Melrose to shop. We’ll eventually make our way to Fairfax and grab boba from Pearl’s Finest Tea. Then we’ll end the day with dinner at Jon & Vinny’s.

On the fifth day, we would spend it in Koreatown. We’ll start off with lunch at Quarters KBBQ then have dessert at Bumsan Organic Milk Bar. Then we’ll grab drinks at the Line Hotel and hang out by the pool. For dinner (if we’re still hungry), we’ll grab dinner at Koreatown Pizza Company.

On the sixth day, we would spend it near The Grove. We would have lunch at Blue Ribbon Sushi and spend most of the day shopping. Once we’re done, we’ll check out LACMA and have dinner at Ray’s and Stark Bar.

On the last day, we would spend it in Pasadena and Arcadia. We’ll start with lunch at U Street Pizza then head over to the Arboretum. After hanging out with the peacocks, we’ll have dinner and shop at the Santa Anita Mall.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to give a shout out to everyone in the food community. I’ve made a lot of lifelong friends through social media and everyone I’ve met has been very supportive. I’ve learned a lot along the way and I’m still learning.

Website: Dandyeats.com

Instagram: Dandy.eats

Linkedin: Kimberly Dela Cruz

Facebook: Dandyeats

Other: Tiktok.com/@dandyeats

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