Meet The Foodie: Cherryl Lemi-Gutierrez AKA PhillyFoodGal

We’re back with another edition of Meet The Foodie, which is a lot like Meet The Philly Food Blogger, except this foodie doesn’t blog. She uses social media to meet, connect with, and share with other foodies in the greater Philadelphia region.

Meet Chef Cherryl Lemi-Gutierrez.

Name:
Cherryl Lemi-Gutierrez

Age:
30-something

Location:
South Philly

Online Name:
@ChefCherryl and @Phillyfoodgal

Site URL:
http://www.twitter.com/ChefCherryl

Focus:
I’m active on Instagram, Twitter, FB, Yelp posting restaurant reviews and food photos. I am also one of the Community Leaders of @bestfoodphilly on Instagram. Keep checking my IG posts for the reviews of the restaurants that I have visited or eaten at. I hope you all follow me as I Eat, Drink & #TravelwithChefCherryl all over the city & other parts of the US.

When did you start being an active online foodie?
I start taking food pics 1999 even before I got accepted to enter The Culinary Institute of America Hyde Park NY. After I graduated, I worked at various private catering companies and country clubs including The Kimmel Center, The Mansion on Main St in Voorhees NJ, The Philadelphia Country Club Gladwyne PA and Echo Lake Country Club in Westfield NJ.

What do you like best about being a foodie/chef?
I chose to be a chef because I love to eat food. You really have to love what you do because the kitchen is too hot and you will work long hours, every weekend and I have missed all the holidays with my family. I love my job. When I am at work it doesn’t feel a JOB, it feels I am just cooking for my friends and family. Not many people can say that they truly love what they do for a living. I am one of the few bunch. I love multi-tasking, the pressure lol, cooking behind the line, smelling all the aroma of sauces, meats, braising liquid, stocks, not to mention that 500 individual chocolate lava cakes I had to make one time for work. Being on your feet for 8-16 hour shifts is no joke. You definitely have to have a really comfortable shoes like Dansko. We rarely take any lunch breaks. We eat standing, I know it sounds funny but true.

What platform do you use?
Instagram for photos

How do you promote your work?
Instagram for photos

What are your favorite/most popular Instagram posts?
My most fave to feature on my IG:

• Garlic knots from Piccolo Trattoria – https://www.instagram.com/p/BBWNMc7Qepb/

• Doughnuts – I feel I am a donut aficionados – https://www.instagram.com/p/BBVwguDwepN/

• Poutines – I love the real Canadian poutine- Quebec cheese curds and the gravy – https://www.instagram.com/p/BBQ_1Qcwevr/

What is your favorite “foodie” or food blogging experience so far?
I love meeting and taking pictures with the Iron Chefs and Top Chefs. I try to dine at their restaurant when I can. I have met Dale Talde, Morimoto, Lidia Bastianich, Stephanie Izzard, Nichola Elmi, Travis from season 11. Fabio Viviani. I will be thrilled if I also meet Chef Marc Vetri in person. I have his book that I want him to autograph for me 🙂

What are your favorite cuisines/meals/recipes?

• Carbonara Pasta

• My garlic Parmesan chicken wings

• I love Ramen with an extra poached egg

• Pork Soup Dumplings

• Korean Fried Chicken

• Peking duck

• Cebu Lechon

• Kare Kare

• Filipino Longanissa

• Levain Chocolate Walnut Cookies

• Termini Cannoli

• Scallion pancake

• Brooklyn Pie from Piccolo trattoria

• Fish tacos from San Diego

• Carne Asada from Lolita’s in San Diego

• Brisket, ribs, cornbread, pimiento cheese tater tots from Fox Bros BBQ in Atlanta, Georgia

• Onion rings from Varsity Atlanta

• Pasteles de nata from Toronto Canada

• 5411 Empanadas from Chicago I love their dates and goat cheese empanadas 

What are your favorite Philly area restaurants?

• Morimoto

• Piccolo Trattoria Newtown PA

• Laurel

• Dim sum garden

• Nan Zhou

• Amada

• Gennaro’s pie

• Vetri

• Pizzeria Vetri

• Nomad Pizza

• Jamonera

• Bud & Marilyn’s

• Melt Kraft

• John’s roast pork

• Magpie

• Rex1516

• Cheu Noodle Bar

• Beiler’s doughnuts

• Melrose diner

Who are your favorite Philly area chefs or food business personalities?

• Chefs Morimoto

• Jose Garces

• Nicholas Elmi

• Marc Vetri

How often do you go out to eat at Philly area restaurants?
2-3 times per month.

How often do you cook at home?
Several times per week.

What are your favorite stores/shops/markets to shop for food products?

• Italian Market

• Reading Terminal

• ShopRite

• Collingswood Farmer’s Market for summer peaches and fresh summer seasonal produce like organic tomatoes, shishito peppers and sweet corn.

• Whole Foods for Burrata cheese and goat cheese

• Chestnut Hill Cheese Shop for Cremont cheese

Tell us a few things you think our readers would find interesting about the local food scene.

• Head to Stargazy for their English Pie and Mash. Don’t forget the Banofee tart.

• A Filipino restaurant will be added to the restaurant scene on East Passyunk soon. People need to know how great our food culture is!

• Piccolo Trattoria in Newtown PA and Pennington NJ – must get their Brooklyn Pie, garlic knots, crab cakes and spaghetti carbonara.

• Piccolo Pronto – Ewing NJ

Tell us more about yourself.
I’m a 2002 The Culinary Institute of America (Hyde Park NY) Graduate. In 2003 I took CIA’a Continuing Education Food Styling with Delores Custer. Besides cooking and eating out with my husband who is also a Professional chef – we love Chick-fil-A 😋, catching up on the latest movies, stamp collecting, an extreme couponer and I am avid collector of Hello Kitty.

What other food blogs do you follow?
I follow Philly Grub (of course), philmytummy.com, http://bellasbelly.org and fabfoodchicago.com.

Twitter URL:
Twitter.com/ChefCherryl

Instagram URL:
Instagram.com/Phillyfoodgal

Periscope URL:
https://www.periscope.tv/chefcherryl 

Pinterest URL:
Pinterest.com/ChefCherryl

Yelp URL:
http://chefchelemi.yelp.com/

Did we miss anything?
I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and Osteoarthritis at the age of 32. These illnesses are debilitating. 24-7 pain. Health is Wealth!!! 

Thanks Cherryl! Looking forward to meeting you at the Philly Food Blogger meetup in April.