We know there are plenty of professional food experts out there, but what about right here on our own campus? the weekly sat down with resident foodie and food blogger Ellie Barczak of “I’d Rather Be Eating” (www.elliebarczak.com) to discuss her love of all things culinary. Why food?I love to eat. I went to Switzerland as a sophomore in high school and lived in a dorm where they fed us crap. When I went home I had a month off for winter break and I started to cook all the foods I had missed while in Switzerland. It became something more academic; I began to study food, and that’s when my love for it started to grow. I’m from Minneapolis, and I started to get interested in the organic food movement and started learning about what foods were in season in my area. What’s your favorite part about writing a food blog?Well, I really like that my food blog is comprised of three parts. There’s the restaurant reviews, which is basically an account of my experience at a restaurant. I go into the health aspect of food, talking about produce and farmers markets. I also write about the cultural dynamics of food, such as the importance of jamón serrano in Spain. Speaking of jamón serrano, your blog also talks about your semester in Spain. Has your time there influenced your culinary tastes?Definitely. In high school I took a cooking course in San Sebastian, a city in Spain. This changed the way I related to food. The people there are very passionate about it, there’s a joke that all the children there dream about being Michelin chefs (a culinary rating system). It was a very intense course – five hours a day. I got to use new ingredients and cook with an older crowd who saw food as falling in love. Recently when I went to Spain, I sought out food events and got to explore every region. Each region in Spain has its own take on cuisine. I even got to try some stranger stuff like cow stomach. Now that you’re back in Chicago, what do you think is the best part about Chicagoan food?Chicago is great because it is a big city that is constantly growing and changing. There are also some incredible chefs here like Rick Bayless who has the restaurants Frontera Grill and Topolobampo and is a big proponent of food sustainability. There are also some of the best restaurants in the country like Alinea. Chicago is also great because of all the neighborhoods that breed small, dedicated restaurants. I think Chicago is definitely one of the top food cities along with New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Has being a college student influenced the direction of your food blog at all?My blog is written for students. When I’m writing my blog I definitely think about what I need as a student, and try to think about how to carve out a niche for us. There definitely are problems with cooking and being a student, such as having a restricted time and budget; it’s easier when you’re at home. My blog is a reflection of where I am in life, so right now I am writing for us, for students. This is something that will change after I graduate and move on to the next phase. Do you have any advice for college students on how to cook great food on virtually no budget?Have a big spice cabinet. Spices are great because small quantities can really make a great dish. Focus on Indian and Moroccan foods that are relatively inexpensive because they have a lot of vegetarian options and are full of spices. Instead of buying everything organic, know what you should spend your money on and what you can skip. Have things on hand in your kitchen like canned diced tomatoes. Make a big batch of something and freeze the rest of it for later. Also: canned tuna. It’s good for more than just tuna sandwiches.