About Indulgent Eats

You could say I tend to indulge a little…

My name is Jen Balisi, a 5 foot tall gal with a big appetite and a serious travel bug. I grew up in a Filipino household where food was the center of everything and family vacations were tradition. When I moved to New York City to go to college at NYU, my passion for food grew as I explored the restaurant capital that was now my home. A semester abroad in Prague enhanced my inherent strength in planning weekend trips and weeklong getaways. Graduation led to a career in marketing at American Express and a growing bank account, which opened my palate to Michelin 3-star restaurants and tasting menus, and opened my mind to new cultures and destinations as I traveled more and more.

I started this blog in 2011, which eventually became Indulgent Eats in 2015 as a way to share all of these experiences. As my Instagram audience grew to my surprise, I kept working on my photography and witty captions to the point where I’ve now made this my full-time job. It’s been unbelievably gratifying to be able to devote all of my waking hours toward living my life as I please and sharing what I love with all of you. I plan to share any experience that is worth indulging in: home-cooked recipes, cheap eats and street carts, 10 course Michelin-starred meals, music festivals, beaches, vacation homes, hotels, and more. I hope that I can provide inspiration to live a fuller life, both literally in terms of eating all the wonderful things this world has to offer, and figuratively in terms of discovering and enjoying those places and moments that make life beautiful.

I don’t expect every piece of content to be relevant to you and that’s where things get a bit selfish on my part, but I do hope that you, the reader, still find enough tidbits of usefulness, happiness, and curiosities that you stay along for the ride. And if you don’t, I’d love any feedback that will help me expand my own breadth of experiences to write about. I look forward to sharing this journey with you.

xo
Jen