The past decade has offered a personal glimpse into the thoughts, talents and passions of potentially otherwise unheard voices through the increasingly significant platform we all know as the blog. Indeed, some bloggers write with more passion and attention to detail than seasoned journalists, and have a growing body of readers who log in daily… or even hourly. Like a new glass of exceptional wine, they offer a sense of discovery, knowledge and perhaps a little guilty pleasure each time you indulge. For everything from food tips to fashion, here are some of our favourite blogs at the moment for young professionals (YPs).
WINE
Andrew Dobson: Dobber Nation Loves
Andrew is a respected lifestyle, travel, food, wine and spirits blogger based in Toronto. A go-to source for wining, dining and entertaining, he regularly covers new products and his personal favourites available at the LCBO, but has a refreshing soft spot for the independent brewers. His love and passion of wine was fuelled (at least in part) by extensive travel, hitting some of the world’s most renowned wine regions along the way. His latest wine reviews include Sancerre Blanc Daniel Chotard Vignerons, Penfolds Koonunga Shiraz Cabernet and Chateau des Charmes Equuleus.
Mike Di Caro/Suresh Dosh
Suresh publishes Spotlight Toronto, an online hub for the latest and greatest in Toronto culture, food, wine and lifestyle events and trends. Always a reliable source for foodies, culturists and elite social scenesters alike, Mike Di Caro brings us everything we need to know wine-wise on the site. Spotlight Toronto’s wine coverage ranges from wine events and tastings to winery profiles and wine reviews. There’s a noticeable focus on local wines, but they also feature wines from outside Canada to a lesser extent. Suresh is also the Founder of the beloved Food Truck Eats, a food event series that promotes Toronto food trucks, local chefs, restaurants and independent food pop-ups, in addition to the Global Editor for StreetEats Books.
Daniel DesForges – Fashionights
Daniel’s passion and love for wine is increasingly revealed by his writing on fashion and culture site Fashionights, in everything from reviews to recaps of events he attends. In the past, he has written about brands from the Diamond Estates portfolio, Churchill Cellars (where he recaps his experience at the portfolio tasting and reviews his favourite wines) and 7 Deadly Sins Old Vine Zinfandel.
FASHION
Aimee Song: Song of Style
Blogger Aimee Song is the founder of Song of Style, now based in sunny and fashion-forward Los Angeles, California. One day, the interior designer decided to share a photo of what she was wearing, and the response was so overwhelming that she started Song of Style. Now, she is regularly featured in some of the most prominent fashion publications. Her site features photos of her in different amazing outfits out and about and leisurely strolling around town. She also incorporates her other passions into the blog, like travel and her favourite interiors. A seasoned multitasker, she runs her own interior design firm by day and hits the town or her laptop as a fashion blogger by night.
Alexandra Grant
This Vancouver-based style and fashion blog by Alexandra Grant is aimed at making fashion accessible, fun and inspiring. The site is filled with stunning shots of Grant in outfits that make her look like she is from the pages of an editorial spread, but include clothing choices that won’t break the bank. She tests out different beauty or skin care tips, shares lifestyle or health tidbits and, most popular, her very own virtual walk-in closet where she shares her unique brand of relatable personal style.
Chiara Ferragni: The Blonde Salad
Started in October 2009, this fashion blog offers its followers from around the world a stunning personal look every day, with great attention to detail complete with text and captions in Italian and English (75% of her followers are outside Italy). At just 25 years old, founder Chiara Ferragni was mentioned by New York Magazine as one of the biggest breakout street-style stars of the year.
FINANCE
Million Dollar Journey
This popular personal finance blog follows the journey of a young Canadian on his goal of attaining $1M in net worth by the age of 35. Ideal for the pavement-pounding young professional, it offers daily educational article topics on investing, frugal tips, tax strategies and real estate with a goal to educate others about personal finance.
ENTERTAINMENT
Mike’s Bloggity Blog
Mike’s Bloggity Blog provides the best in Canadian entertainment news. It covers all aspects of the Canadian entertainment world, like music, theatre, television, travel, movies, and more. Mike also does celebrity interviews and features great contests. A Calgary native, he also writes about the city. He has been blogger for more than six years and writes almost every, compiling more than 4,000 posts.
Lainey Lui
Elaine Lui’s beloved Canadian gossip site, Lainey Gossip, has been a guilty pleasure of ours for the past decade now. It offers raw, juicy, sometimes controversial lowdown on some of Hollywood’s biggest names. She has turned her blog into a full-time media career, and, in addition to her segment on CTV’s eTalk, she recently moved to Toronto to start her new show, The Social.
SOCIAL SCENE
Mr. Fabulous: I’m Mr. Fabulous
Mr. Fabulous is an in-the-know blogger and socialite who covers all of the hottest parties, openings, products and fashion. Basically, this blog is for those with a guilty pleasure for all things fabulous and who want to indulge in the shamelessly glamorous life of a self-manufactured socialite (which he claims isn’t always as easy or as glamorous as it seems.)
EATS
Heidi Swanson: 101 Cookbooks
San Francisco-based Heidi Swanson offers healthy vegetarian recipes made from natural foods and seasonal produce. Any foodie must check this out and the visuals are amazing enough to make you want to stay in your kitchen and cook for days.
FollowMeFoodie.com
YP Mijune Pak started Follow Me Foodie in July 2009 and it has quickly become one of the most respected food resources in Vancouver, BC. The award-winning food blog and restaurant guide is internationally recognized as one of the top ones in Canada and was recently named “Must Follow 2013″ at The Social Media Awards. Currently it is ranked among the top three in the Worldwide Blog Leaderboard on Urbanspoon.com. Pak is a weekly food columnist for the WE Vancouver newspaper with her own column called “Follow Me Foodie,” which takes an opinionated approach on the food scene. She has appeared on a variety of media outlets as a go-to foodie expert.
SPORTS
Bill Simmons: Grantland
Sports writer Bill Simmons’ sports and culture site, Grantland, is one of the most-well written on the internet. Simmons and his team of established and up-and-coming writers on Grantland.com fully explore sports and sport culture. In addition to writing columns, he hosts podcasts for Grantland.com, which is affiliated with ESPN.com. He is a former writer for ESPN The Magazine and Jimmy Kimmel Live!. Nicknamed “The Sports Guy,” Simmons is quick to speak his mind with his sometimes-controversial commentary.
POP CULTURE
Hamilton Nolan: Gawker
Hamilton Nolan is an interesting pop culture writer, mostly for the beloved site Gawker. His articles are some of the most shared and engaging pieces on the site. In short, his posts are definitely not the type that makes you wish you had those five minutes of your life back.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Evan Carmichael
Evan Carmichael is a Toronto-based entrepreneur, international speaker, and founder of EvanCarmichael.com. His blog is dedicated to the young entrepreneur and designed to offer help and insight. He also helps brands connect with the entrepreneur community. The young businessman is a Toronto native who speaks from experience; he began his career as a co-owner of a biotech software company that grew to over 300 customers in 30 countries, which he and his partners sold, and has delivered hundreds of keynote presentations.
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If you haven’t checked them out, what are you waiting for? You could gain valuable insight in everything from what to cook for dinner to what and where to go on that dinner date (and which celebs like to frequent the restaurant).
Cover image courtesy of TryPm