TOURISM RICHMOND REVEALS IDENTITY OF “RICHMOND FOODIE BLOGGER”
Lindsay Anderson outshines 1,506 international candidates to snag paid, year-long job
Richmond, B.C., CANADA (June 5, 2012) – She’s worked as a film set caterer, served as the head cook for 120 rural tree planters and now she’s set to start her biggest culinary adventure yet: eating at 365 restaurants in 365 days. Tourism Richmond announced today that popular Vancouver-based blogger Lindsay Anderson has accepted the highly coveted “Richmond Foodie Blogger” job as part of the award-winning organization’s 365 Days of Dining campaign.
“We are thrilled to welcome Lindsay to our team,” says Tracy Lakeman, CEO of Tourism Richmond. “Lindsay has an engaging personality and a special way of capturing her online audience and holding them with her every word. Her passion for all things food is palpable, and her broad culinary experience will bring a unique perspective to the blog. After an extensive, global search to find a blogger who will immerse themselves within our culturally-diverse community and share Richmond’s story through the amazing culture and cuisine – we are whole-heartedly convinced that Lindsay is the one. Now we invite the world to follow her unique adventure.”
A talented writer and photographer, Anderson is an adventurer at heart with a wide-ranging culinary background that includes everything from cheesemongering to artisanal bread making to herding goats on an organic farm. In 2011, she completed her Masters in Food Culture and Communications from the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy. Most recently, Anderson held the position of Communications and Assistant Manager at The Dirty Apron Cooking School and Delicatessen in Vancouver where she showcased her talents as the principal writer and photographer for The Dirty Apron Blog, praised by local media as “not to be missed.”
On her personal blog, www.linds-eats.blogspot.com, Anderson’s signature writing and photography style has won her an impressive following of online fans who have actively and enthusiastically rallied behind her throughout the 365 Days of Dining initiative – in March, Anderson launched an online photo campaign where supporters from across the world championed her food blogging skills through 277 photos from six continents, 29 countries and 131 cities. She also produced a clever and enormously creative time-lapsed video as part of her campaign to earn the attention of Tourism Richmond. The video received 1,192 views on YouTube in just 72 hours. Both the video and the 277 photos can be viewed at http://lindsshouldeatrichmond.squarespace.com, a blog Anderson created specifically for her application. Anderson also received an impressive 3,366 public votes on the Tourism Richmond Facebook page, nearly 1,000 votes ahead of her closest competitor.
“This is my dream job,” gushes Anderson. “To combine my love of food, writing, photography and my eclectic culinary experience – and get paid for it? It’s incredible. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to become part of the community and to eat my way through Richmond over the next 365 days.”
Anderson’s first day on the job is Wednesday, June 6, 2012. In order maintain the blog’s authenticity, Anderson will determine the content with minimal input from Tourism Richmond. Follow her foodie adventures in Richmond at www.365daysofdining.com.
ABOUT THE JOB
As the ambassador for Richmond’s diverse culinary scene, Anderson receives a one-year contract role with a salary of $50,000, living compensation and a daily stipend for all restaurant meals. The job also includes a one-year membership to the Richmond Olympic Oval – home to a 23,000 square foot fitness centre – to assist in burning off all those daily restaurant samplings. In exchange, Anderson will dine at 365 Richmond restaurants in 365 days, taking photos, shooting videos and blogging about the experience. She will also be actively engaging with the community – both in person and online through social media – and meeting the people who live, work and play in Richmond. The dynamic, multicultural city of Richmond boasts more than 800 restaurants, over 400 of which are Asian eateries, and is renowned for having some of the best Chinese cuisine in the world. Add to that all the fresh seafood offerings in the scenic fishing village of Steveston as well as fine-dining hotel restaurants, two authentic Asian night markets, funky diners and the homemade offerings at the Steveston Farmers & Artisans Market, and there’s plenty of variety to keep Anderson busy for a full year.
ABOUT THE SELECTION PROCESS
On March 1, Tourism Richmond launched the 365 Days of Dining campaign – its largest initiative since the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. The one-year contract role was open to anyone around the world eligible to work in Canada for 12 months. The response was incredibly positive and enthusiastic, instantly garnering international attention for Richmond. In total 1,507 applications were received including entries from Australia, Finland, Malaysia, the UK, the U.S., the Czech Republic, Thailand, the Philippines and South Korea, Belgium, Indonesia and Japan. The majority of the applicants were from Canada with an overwhelming number from the local B.C. area.
Given the breadth of talented applicants, the hiring process took nine weeks and was a daunting task undertaken by a Tourism Richmond panel. Candidates were whittled down based upon how well they met the overall job description criteria – from quality of writing and photography to online community engagement and creativity, every aspect of the candidates’ blogs were carefully considered. After painstakingly narrowing the field to 12 candidates, Tourism Richmond invited the online community to support their favourite blogger in a public vote. Anderson received the most public votes and automatically earned a free pass into the top three. Tourism Richmond selected the other two finalists – Kelly Brisson of Ottawa, Ontario and Melanie Hillier of Toronto, Ontario. In the final round of the selection process, the top three candidates were brought to Richmond for a second interview and an opportunity to explore the city. Before the final announcement was made, candidate Kelly Brisson pulled herself out of the competition citing personal reasons.
Tourism Richmond extends sincere thanks to everyone who applied to be the Foodie Blogger. If your favourite blogger wasn’t selected, don’t despair – you just might see them again throughout the course of the 365 Days of Dining campaign. Stay tuned!
Lindsay Anderson’s bio is available at www.365daysofdining.com, as is a summary of the top three and the top 12 finalists. Follow Lindsay’s adventures on Twitter: @365Richmond.
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High resolution photos and video available. Interviews with Lindsay Anderson can be arranged upon request.
About Tourism Richmond
Tourism Richmond is a non-profit, membership driven destination marketing organization (DMO). The primary mandate of Tourism Richmond is to enhance awareness about the destination through sales and marketing initiatives and by providing excellent visitor and member services. Ultimately, Tourism Richmond’s goal is to increase economic activity related to tourism for the City of Richmond and all stakeholders. Tourism Richmond is British Columbia’s 4th largest DMO.
Media contact:
Michelle Dunn
Director of Communications
Tourism Richmond
Direct: 604-821-5481
Cell: 778-822-5481
Email: mdunn@tourismrichmond.com
www.tourismrichmond.com
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