Meet Vanessa Blaho

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

Hi Vanessa, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
I think if you don’t take risks, you often end up living the same life over and over. Looking back, I feel like I’ve lived so many different versions of my life, and every decade I’ve become a different person.
The biggest risk I ever took was leaving everything I knew behind and moving to another continent when I was 29. At a time when many people around me were getting married or starting families, I felt this strong need to see more of the world and to question whether the life I was living was really the one I wanted. I had a job, a boyfriend, and a routine, but deep down I remember wondering, is this it?
I had never even been to the Czech Republic before I moved here in 2015. All I knew was that it was a good base in Europe and would give me the chance to travel. I packed for six months and got on a plane thinking I was just taking a break from work and finally taking the post-college trip to Europe I had never had. I had no idea I would end up building an entirely new life here.
That was probably the biggest risk I’ve ever taken, and without question the best one. Since then, taking risks has shaped so much of my life: opening a clothing store in a foreign country, marrying a local, starting an Instagram account to share my experiences, and having children in a country that wasn’t the one I grew up in.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
When I moved from the US to Prague, I quickly realized I couldn’t continue the same career I had back home. I had worked in retail for years as a store manager and freelance stylist, but in the Czech Republic, those roles usually went to people who spoke Czech, which I definitely did not at the time. So I had to find another way to make a living, and that’s how I started teaching English.
Even while teaching, I still needed a creative outlet. I’ve always been a creative person, and over time that led me to start an Instagram account centered around food in Prague. In the beginning, it was really simple: when I first moved here, I visited a lot of tourist traps and it took me a long time to figure out where to actually eat well. Back then, Prague’s food scene was not as easy to navigate as it is now, and I felt like visitors and newcomers really needed someone to point them in the right direction.
What started as a small page sharing restaurant tips gradually grew into something much bigger. Today, my account has grown into a community of 24,000 followers, and my content now goes beyond food. I also share what it’s like to live abroad, to build a life in another country, and to be part of a culturally mixed relationship. Over time, my brand became less about just where to eat and more about how to feel at home in Prague.
One of the things I’m most proud of is starting community events in Prague. I created them partly as a way to meet my followers, but also because I know firsthand how hard it can be to start over in a new country and build a life from scratch. At the heart of it, I wanted to bring people together through food, local chefs, and shared experiences and maybe make that process a little less lonely.
I think what sets me apart is that I’m not just creating food content. I’m creating connection. Yes, I share places to eat, but I’m also sharing what it looks like to build a life abroad, to take risks, and to create community where you are. If I can help even one person feel more connected to Prague, or inspire them to stay long enough to see the beauty it really has to offer, then it feels worth it.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
A week in Prague with one of my best friends visiting from abroad? I love that. I’ve done this many times, and I honestly think Prague is one of the best cities to show someone because there’s so much beauty, culture, and amazing food packed into one place.

I’d start with my own neighborhood, Vinohrady, which Time Out once named one of the coolest neighborhoods in the world. It has that perfect mix of beautiful architecture, local cafés, parks, and a real neighborhood feel. We’d grab coffee at one of my favorite spots like Coffee Room or Kin & K, then head to Riegrovy Sady for sunset with a beer. It’s one of my favorite views in the city, with the castle in the distance and people spread out on the hill having picnics and enjoying the evening.

Of course, I’d take them to Prague’s classic landmarks too, like Prague Castle, Old Town Square, and the Astronomical Clock, but I’d do it early in the morning before the crowds. That’s the best way to experience those places. Instead of walking across Charles Bridge in the middle of the day with all the tourists, I’d probably grab takeaway coffee or pastries and sit at Střelecký ostrov, where you get a beautiful view of the bridge from a quieter spot.

Food would be a huge part of the week. I’d want them to try traditional Czech food, but done really well, so I’d take them to U Telleru or another favorite local spot for Czech classics and fresh tank Pilsner. But I’d also make sure they saw how international Prague’s food scene has become. One of the things I love most about living here is how much the culinary scene has grown. Prague has incredible Vietnamese, Georgian, Italian, and Ukrainian food, just to name a few, and the quality of the concepts here now is honestly so impressive.

I’d also build the trip around whatever is happening that week, because Prague always has something going on. It could be a food festival, beer festival, farmers market, or some other cultural event. That’s one of my favorite things about this city: it feels alive, and there’s such a strong sense of community. For example, I’m going to a Barista League event next weekend where baristas from across Central Europe compete in coffee challenges. Those kinds of events make the city feel dynamic and creative.

What I’d want my friend to leave with is the feeling that Prague is not just beautiful, but deeply livable. It has unbelievable architecture and history, but it’s also full of energy, great food, and local life. That combination is what makes it so special to me.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My husband, Lubo.

It’s true that I packed my bags and left the US to move to a country where I didn’t know a single person. But in my very first week in Prague, I met Lubo. We didn’t start dating until about four months later, but he has shaped so much of my life abroad ever since.

He’s been my travel buddy, my biggest supporter, the person who keeps me grounded, and my constant sounding board. He’s the one I bring all my “great ideas” to, and while I’m usually dreaming big, he’s often the calm voice reminding me to also remember practical things, like the state of our bank account.

When I started my food Instagram account in 2018, he was the one going to all the restaurants with me, and very often paying for our meals, because as an English teacher in Prague, I definitely was not making enough to support my very expensive habit of eating out all the time. He also financially supported me when I opened a clothing store here in Prague, which unfortunately did not last long because of COVID.

Since then, he has been behind every big idea and every new chapter I’ve taken on. He has supported me through all of it, from helping make space for me to host community events in Prague to working from home in Slovakia so his parents could watch our son, Ivo, while I went on content trips and attended travel conferences.

He is also the father of my children and the person who has helped make this life I built abroad possible in so many ways. A lot of what I’ve been able to do has only happened because he has believed in me, supported me, and grown alongside me through it all.

Website: https://www.vanessaeatsprague.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vanessa.eats.prague/

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

Image Credits
Alexandra Siebenthal