Welcome to the ninth episode of For Common Good, The Podcast, where I speak to cultural practitioners and creative change-makers from across the globe, getting insight into their journeys, their work and also discussing ways to promote social change through the arts.
It was my absolute pleasure to chat with Renee J Robley aka Renz, the chief cook and bottle washer behind the wildly popular HomeMadeZagat blog. She describes herself as a little girl with a big appetite who is all about food infused with some of her Caribbean ingredients. Renz is also a mother of one and has been a Security Administrator with a leading HR Software company for the past seven years.
Having obtained her primary and secondary education in her hometown Trinidad and Tobago, She then pursued tertiary education in the USA and graduated with a Bachelor’s in Technology in Management Information Systems then pursued teaching for a few years. During that time she got really interested in forensics, so then pursued, a Bachelor’s in Technology in Computer Forensics and last a Masters of Science in Information Technology with a concentration in Information Security.
"Being a woman in the tech space is a bit (laugh) daunting at times. But it's fulfilling. And has been great to also have been highlighted as a part of the women of Silicone Valley this year. As a youth I was very passionate about pursuing a nontraditional profession hence my attraction to IT, specifically security. Having explored the arts through dance and sports as a tennis player, athletics, netball, from an early age I once considered physical therapy but then I got into a programming class and my focus shifted. I also wanted to be a pilot, a mason, woodworker. Haha.
Living on my own in the US, I was forced to eat out or prepare my own meals. This allowed me to experiment with various dishes at home which eventually lead to the creation of my food blog. HomeMadeZagat. HMZ has become my pride and joy after my 3-year-old Zayne," says Renz.
What started off as a blog initially, just trying other people's food and rating it, slowly shifted to it being more Caribbean based. Specifically trying to highlight her Tobago experiences with food and share a little history and memories with it all.
HMZ has grown way past Renz's own expectations and has been highlighted on Essence and other food publications.
"I'm pretty happy to be able to represent in this food space being an immigrant...woman...of color...with no food background". - Renz
To see what Renz has got cooking visit https://www.homemadezagat.com