Photo: Courtesy of Eating From the Ground Up

Alana Chernila has quite the resume: since graduating from college, she’s found herself in areas like publishing, architecture, teaching, design and film. Though unsure of which career path to follow, there was always a constant in the picture: working Saturdays at her local farmer’s market, Indian Line Farm. In those few hours each week, Alana found solace helping customers with all their food queries. She realized that not only did she know her stuff, but that she also felt a great sense of satisfaction sharing her knowledge and advice with others. As a way to get her “recipe giving fix” and continue to reach out to wondering foodies, Alana created Eating From the Ground Up, a food blog that celebrates simple.

Take Alana’s most recent post. Though this is one of her few non-cooking write-ups, it is nevertheless brilliant. As a part of “Fall Fest” (a recipe swap between ten or fifteen bloggers that uses a different seasonal ingredient each week), Alana highlights the pear. After dabbling with ideas like Damp Gingerbread with Pears, Alana decided to keep it simple with a classic flavor combination: fruit and cheese. A lone pear is certainly nice, but throw a slice of Gouda in the mix and you’re in snack Heaven. Alana’s blogger compatriots shared some great ideas as well, like Pear, Pecan, and Parmesan Scones and Vanilla Poached Pears. But the creativity never stops there: Alana’s loyal readers always give their two cents and share their Fall Fest recipes as well. Past Fall Fest features include fall salads, apples and spinach.

Photo: Courtesy of Eating From the Ground Up

No matter what Alana serves up, it’s a given you’ll spend just as much time staring at her photos as you will her recipes. With her camera, Alana captures the simplistic beauty of food, honoring its form as her cooking does its flavors. But those aren’t the only senses stimulated on Eating From the Ground Up: Alana even keeps your ears satisfied in the kitchen with her music mixes.

Alana tends Eating From the Ground Up with great care, and her passion for all things food is certainly apparent in her recipes, pictures, and writing. Stop by and get inspired!

Here’s a slideshow on Indian Line Farm published by the Berkshire Food Journal. Great story, beautiful photos!