Welcome to Feast + West! I’m Susannah Brinkley, a graphic designer and a food & travel blogger based in Charlotte, N.C.
For me, food, design and travel all intersect in a really fascinating way. I find that traveling gives me inspiration in my design work, as well as new dishes and drinks to try making at home. Whenever I am feeling stuck or uninspired at my desk or in the kitchen, a good dose of travel — even a quick road trip across town — is an indulgence that fixes me right up. Feast + West is my blog where I write about these adventures. Here you’ll find recipes, travel guides and tips for cooking and entertaining to help you indulge in your life, too.
About me
I’m a half-South African, half-Southern gal and a native of Charlotte. (We’re rare unicorns, I hear.) As a child, my family was fortunate to travel often, instilling in me an adoration for new places and cultures. I’m a self-taught baker and cook, though I did go to bartending school after college. My South African mother, who has cordon bleu chef training, taught me to love cooking. (And she blogs here occasionally!) I also take inspiration from my American family’s treasured recipes. (Hello, great-grandmother’s Russian Tea!) Whenever possible, I use fresh produce from the local farmers market as well as local, artisan ingredients in my recipes. Good food is meant to be shared, and I don’t think cooking should be difficult or break the bank.
I started Feast + West in January 2014. My recipes have been featured on Buzzfeed, The Huffington Post and Mashable. Southern Living named me as one of its Bloggers You Should Be Following in 2016. I’m also one of the coordinators for Charlotte Food Bloggers, a local blogging group in the Queen City, and for The Whiskey Women of Charlotte, a meet-up group for whiskey-loving and whiskey-curious females.
In addition to my freelance graphic design work, I run Garnishing Co. a blog about branding and design for creative entrepreneurs and bloggers. In 2012, I co-founded RDU Baton, a collaborative Instagram project for the Raleigh-Durham region (my former city). In the spring of 2014 and again in summer 2015, Instagram listed my personal Instagram account as one of its Suggested Users. (Here’s that story.)
New here?
Here are some of my favorite and most popular Feast + West recipes!
- First row: Champagne Jell-O Shots // Bourbon Caramel Popcorn // Baked Birthday Cake Donuts // Tuscan White Bean Dip
- Second row: Dirty Chai Cinnamon Rolls // Rosemary Champagne Sparkler // Peaches + Cream Popsicles // Mojito Jell-O Shots
- Third row: Pantone Cookies // Chocolate-Dipped Frozen Bananas // Grilled Mexican Corn // German Pretzels + Beer Cheese Dip
- Fourth row: Chocolate Peanut Butter Power Smoothies // Melon, Mint + Mozzarella Salad // Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Seed Toffee Bark // Watermelon Orange Margarita Punch
Also! Meet these women who have my dream jobs. Take my Instagram 101 ‘class.’ Invest in these cooking essentials. Discover a hidden gems in these travel guides. Download these free desktop wallpapers.
And — follow along with Feast + West on Bloglovin’, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook.
Want to work together?
I’d love to hear from you! Send a note to hello [at] feastandwest [dot] com and let’s talk!
Disclaimer
All graphics and photography were created by Susannah Brinkley for Feast + West, unless stated otherwise. My work should never be repurposed without expressed permission, but should you share my work, please link back to this site and credit my work appropriately. If you notice something that is not properly credited, please contact me so that I can fix it immediately.
Feast + West is a for profit blog, which means I may use affiliate links or post sponsored content. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, your cost will be the same but Feast + West will automatically receive a small commission. All sponsored content is posted with thought, care and consideration (for myself, my readers and the brands I work with). I will always disclose this, and I would never advertise anything I wouldn’t honestly use myself or recommend to my friends and family. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and I greatly appreciate your support!
Also, Feast + West is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
