Home / About

About

thegourmeziconMy name is Rebecca Gomez Farrell, and I’m an author and blogger. Just trying to get my contact info? Shoot me an email at becca@thegourmez.com. Yes, I am open to samples!

My food, drink, and travel writing began back in 2006, when I decided I needed to write something, anything, on a regular basis as a stepping stone toward becoming a speculative fiction writer. I’ve always been bad at self-motivation, and young professional Becca was just becoming accustomed to disposable income.  So tying that writing goal to my burgeoning interests in wine, cocktails, dining out, and travel made sense. I started the Gourmez, and I wrote sporadically on restaurants I tried and alcohol I drank. The early blog also contained a bit of philosophical and entertainment discussion you can find in the archives at my author website.

As I critiqued food and drink, I learned more about what makes a good meal. Each new term I encountered was researched, and I pieced together what I most appreciated in a well-constructed dish: texture, balanced flavors with unexpected contrasts, and quality ingredients. Most of the time, however, I’m still not sure how a garnish is different from a gremolata. But that hasn’t stopped my food writing from being successful enough to result in interviews, media mentions, and invitations to contribute to the award-winning Carpe Durham and WRAL Out and About blogs. It has also improved my photography dramatically. That’s worth a drink, don’t you think?

I lived in the Research Triangle region of North Carolina from 2005 until August of 2013, so the majority of my archives are from Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Apex, Cary, and Morrisville. That region, especially Durham, experienced a rebirth of farm-to-fork cuisine as part of the renovation of old tobacco warehouses and other spaces into vibrant, thriving, mixed-use destinations. It was truly the perfect spot to jump into the food scene and learn how much of a contribution great food can make to a community–and also to my belly. I am now, once again, a California resident, though this is my first time living in the Bay Area. The past two years, I’ve been overwhelmed by the bountiful dining scene here, and I’m especially excited by the avid cocktail enthusiasts and the innovative ways people are bringing boutique wines straight into homes.

How did food and drink blogging work as self-motivation? Quite well! I’ve been a professional writer since 2009, and most of my creative works are in the genres of fantasy, romance, horror, and science fiction though I also dabble in personal essay and creative nonfiction. I have multiple short stories published, one epic fantasy novel completed and seeking representation, and a romance novella for sale from Clean Reads (Hint: Buy them all here!) I’m amazed publishers have wanted to share my stories with you, and I certainly hope it continues for the foreseeable future.  You can find out more about that writing focus at my main site.

So who am I? Proof that a woman can be a television glutton, contemplate food and drink construction, and write fantastical stories while possessing a fairly analytical brain. I’m also a wanderluster, an owner of furry creatures, a wife of a fantastic front-end developer, a progressive politicker, a formidable pinochle player, and a good friend more often than not, I hope.

becca-barcelona
Rebecca Gomez Farrell

1 COMMENT

One thought on : About

  • June 23, 2015 at 3:25 pm

    Rebecca,

    Hope you’re doing well! This is Ben Hamlin, the co-founder of Localwise (www.localwisejobs.com). We help local people find jobs at local businesses in Oakland & Berkeley. Our overarching goal is to support community development by supporting local, independent businesses.

    We do lots of free publicity for local businesses, nonprofits, makers, and artists in the East Bay. We do this on social media (@belocalwise on instagram) and through our new blog. Please see here: http://www.localwisejobs.com/blog/

    We are inviting bloggers/writers in the East Bay community to guest blog on Localwise!

    Despite being only a few months old, we have thousands of visitors to our website everyday. Our hope is that a guest blog will increase your visibility while helping Localwise celebrate more local businesses, non-profits, artists, and makers in the East Bay.

    I would love to share more should you have a second to catch up. Please let me know!

    Best,
    Ben

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.