Ever wished your Twitter or Instagram account sported one of those fancy little check marks? If it makes you feel any better, these foodie celebs are just like you. Petition to get all eight accounts verified, because these accounts are completely underrated.
1. Katie Higgins (@chocolatecoveredkatie on Instagram)
Alright, so she may not have a Twitter, but if she did I'd vote for her to get verified. Her Instagram is drool-worthy but lacking the prestigious check mark of legitimacy. Not only has Katie Higgins been dominating the Pinterest game, but she's also been featured on The Dr. Oz Show and Bon Appétit.
What makes her recipes stand out in the crowd? They're actually healthy. Avocados become chocolate mousse and coconut yogurt morphs into cheesecake in the hands of Katie. I'm a skeptic when it comes to healthy dessert, but even I fell in love with her apple crumble.
2. The Urban Farming Guys (@UrbanFarmingGuy)
Doesn't being YouTube famous automatically induct you into the verified-Twitter-account hall of fame? Apparently not. The Urban Farming Guys is a non-profit dedicated to creating sustainable environments in hostile environments.
Based in Kansas City, the team's goals are to build and inspire local food and water security, local economic development, sustainable technology and alternative energy, open source documentation, and community engagement. Watch out world.
3. Sarah Kieffer (@sarahkieffer)
Although The Vanilla Bean Blog started as a creative outlet for a new mother, it's turned into an acclaimed source for food creators. In 2014, it won the Reader's Choice Best Food Blog Award (for Baking & Desserts) from Saveur.
If the name sounds familiar, perhaps you've seen it in The New York Times, Food & Wine, and Williams Sonoma Taste. Sarah Kieffer also contributes regularly to Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day, Handmade Charlotte, and several more.
Get ready to hear your tummy grumble at the sight of the pictures in her cookbook that's dropping November 8th. It will feature more than 100 recipes that reinvent the classics. While you're waiting, take a shot at this waffle cake with maple buttercream.
4. Angela Liddon (@ohsheglows)
Angela Liddon's recipes glow with the light of ten thousand suns. If you've been on Pinterest, you've seen her creations. She has over a million followers on Twitter and is the author of a New York Times best seller. If that's not enough to get verified, I don't know what is.
She started the blog eight years ago as a way to share with others her road through an eating disorder to recovery. After completing her Master's in social psychology, she discovered her true passion was in food blogging. For that, I am forever grateful, because her food is inspiring, to say the least (her homemade almond milk is on my list of recipes to try).
All of her creations are plant-based and most are gluten-free, so she clearly passes the trendy test. Her famous energy bar recipe is what put her on the map: sunflower seeds, walnuts, dried cherries, and more mixed with hearty oats.
5. Samin Nosrat (@ciaosamin)
This Persian goddess is the author of the upcoming book "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat." April 2017 can't come soon enough. Included in her years of experience is time spent studying in Italy with Michael Pollan (author & creator of Netflix docuseries, "Cooked") as well as in the kitchen of Chez Panisse. She's honed in on a beautiful way of combining her Persian heritage with the Italian cuisine we all know and love. Unique, thrilling, and tasty.
Since the aforementioned Michael Pollan is verified on Twitter, maybe he can put in a good word for Samin. After all, he did write the foreword for her book.
6. Francis Lam (@Francis_Lam)
Having a good sense of humor is enough for a verification mark in my book, but Twitter disagrees. According to his bio, he's not afraid to admit that he takes Statins to maintain cholesterol. You go, Francis.
Not only has he been a writer and editor for Clarkson Potter, Salon.com, and Gourmet, but he's also made his mark on TV. He's narrated episodes of Food(ography) and has taken a seat at the critics table on Bravo's Top Chef Masters.
Still not impressed? He's a New York Times magazine columnist. From coconut-seafood soup to Haitian Porridge, he's eaten and written about it all.
7. Big Gay Ice Cream (@biggayicecream)
Founders Douglas Quint and Bryan Petroff started their business out of a food truck in June 2009 and quickly became a New York favorite. Their jazzed up soft serve has put them on Dessert Professional's 10 best US ice cream parlors list (June 2012) and #5 on The Daily Beast's best ice cream parlors in the world list (May 2013).
The demand was so high that they've opened year-round shops in the East Village, West Village, and even Philly. A colorful cookbook hit stores in April of last year, and their swag store is creative genius.
These guys have had no trouble getting press coverage. Their Salty Pimp Sundae made an appearance on The Rachael Ray Show and the co-owners have contributed to Unique Sweets. Is it time for ice cream now or is it just me?
8. Lenny & Larry's (@lennylarrys)
I was shocked when I saw these guys weren't verified. Jaw on the floor, eyes wide open shocked. I've been a fan for a few years, and I thought everyone else had experienced the same joy.
With a mission statement like "Make protein fun & delicious," you know you're about to take a bite out of something good. The Complete Cookie boasts an 11-flavor lineup, 16g of protein, and a vegan label. All of their products are kosher, non-GMO, soy-free, and made from clean vegetable protein, but somehow they're still tasty. Seriously though, I'd take one of their lemon poppyseed complete cookies over a "normal" cookie any day.
If you're not feeling the cookie vibe, grab a Muscle Muffin or a Muscle Brownie, each of which comes in a variety of flavors. And you never have to worry about running out because Lenny & Larry's products can be found almost anywhere.