We had the good fortune of connecting with Dora Hardy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dora, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Note: I will talk about my thought process starting my instagram Food Blogging page.

Being an Asian American, I did not realize how food was such a strong part of Asian culture. Every time a relative would come over and visit us, my family and I would always try to find the best restaurants to take them to so that we can share a meal together while we talked.

As I grew older, I began to enjoy trying new restaurants, and exploring new places. When my family and I would visit a new country or new city, we would always look for a new restaurant establishment to try.

My friends would also often ask me for recommendations, and I would always find myself taking photos of my food. So I decided to share my photos on instagram, as a way to document the places I have gone and tried, and also as a way to share the joy of trying new things!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
What sets me apart from other food bloggers is my background in graphic design. Though I haven’t made it a habit to incorporate my designs and illustrations into my posts, I have begun to create stickers and images you can use on Instagram Stories! If you search “Dorable Eats” you will find my character and drawings available to use.

Eventually I hope to start designing some shirts showcasing my love of food! Hopefully some of the restaurants will want to work with me in the future?

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my friend was visiting the area, I would definitely recommend a day trip riding the metro all around Downtown LA. We would hit up all the museums on Grand, explore Grand Central Market, ride Angels Flight up and down the hill, and check out a night market to grab some street food. We would also need to check out Chinatown, Little Tokyo and the Last Bookstore.

We probably won’t have enough stomach space to try everything along the way, but those are definitely some spots I would check out.

I would also love to take them to some of the theme parks in the area as well! My favorites being Disneyland or Knott’s Berry Farm. I also enjoy escape rooms, so I would love to take them to one if they haven’t already gone. I would also take them to a few of my favorite Arcade bars!

Of course we would have to check out the beach to check out Santa Monica Pier, Venice Beach, and ride bikes along the path!

May also take them to where I grew up to get some delicious Chinese food in the 626 area.

Theres so much fun things to do, I could probably go on and on!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to give a shoutout to all my family and spouse and friends for always sharing my posts and going along with all my random suggestions.

My brother has been very helpful and patient when we go out to make sure I get the right shots and is willing to reshoot as many times as I need, even if the food does get a bit cold! I love going to different spots with him because he always has fun reactions for my reels, and always has a good time!

My family has also been helpful to find different spots for me to go and I love that they share all my posts with their friends.

And thankful for my spouse who brings me to all the other restaurants when no one else would! For taking me to get sushi even though he hates it, and for getting me a camera so that I can always take the nicest photos when I attend these events!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milkita.jpg/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorahardy

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dora.hardy

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=HXrbjKuqQS2I1RVGf5XTIg

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCmyWRPV5uWSVUk7kKlksKg

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.