Mike Fubini

Have you ever heard of Glucagon-like peptide-1? Know how to make Arepa de Huevo? How about taking an exceptional food photograph using the “rule of thirds?” If your answer to any or all of these questions is no, you’ll want to check out Nikas Culinaria.

The brain behind this remarkable blog is a multi-talented woman named NikaBoyce. Nika is a food photographer haling from central Mass with a Ph.D. in cellular biology who has also received training in the fields of architecture, photography and fine arts. Her blog, like her resume, is extensive and multifaceted, covering a wide variety of topics.

For starters, there is the gut of the blog itself, which includes cookbook reviews, recipes and food-related anecdotes, all supplemented by professional-grade photos. Nika also devotes a section of her blog to Colombian recipes, each incredibly extensive and showing, step by step, how to create labor-heavy, traditional dishes such as Fermented Colombian Salchichas. 

Next, for the photographer in you, there’s the sub-section called “Food Photo 101.” In collaboration with Bucky’s Barbecue and Bread blog, Nika posts a series of online lessons in which she teaches the reader how to take professional food photos. The lessons are thorough and informative, and they cover all aspects of food photography from the technical details of camera management to the intricate complexities of photo composition.

The Metabolism & Nutrition section is where Nika puts her scientific knowledge to work. She explains the complexities of digestion, the small intestine and insulin reception, as well as the ways in which the three interrelate. She is, she says, attempting to “put together [her] growing understanding of insulin resistance, cell biology of the gut, weight regulation, and nutrition.”

Nika is also a member of the Northeast Les Dames d Escoffier and writes about her homesteading (garden, chickens, dairy goats) and local food at this blog http://www.humblegarden.com.

So, scientist, artist or chef, beware! Have a peek at Nikas Culinaria and you may get hooked.