Meet NorthJersey.com and The Record's new food writer: Rebecca King

When someone hands you a plate, they’re handing you a piece of their identity. That's why food means so much to me.

I’m Rebecca King, your new food and dining reporter, covering what fuels the North Jersey dining scene. I've spent my career reporting on food trends in South Jersey, everything from Iron Chefs opening restaurants to locals joints run by families. I come from a small town with Italian roots in South Jersey.

I’m not Italian, but living in a town that bled red, white and green was my first gateway into the world of food as identity. Italians are passionate about many things, and food is pretty high on that list.

Everyone had a Nonna whose meatballs were surely the best this world has ever seen. Everyone had an opinion on sauce versus gravy (you know, that stuff you put on pasta). Everyone had an ancient pizzelle maker in their cabinet that pressed the dough just right.

The link between food and identity became stronger when I went to college.

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I watched as my roommate of Korean descent expertly handled the grill at a Korean BBQ, taking pride in her ability to grill bulgogi to perfection. I hovered over my second roommate, a proud Cuban woman, as she crimped the edges of the empanadas she made for a Super Bowl party we had. My third roommate came back from studying abroad in France whipping up crepes with Nutella, then again from Japan, where she took a liking to onigiri, and soon got me to see the portable wonders of seaweed-wrapped rice.

As for me, my South Jersey roots have me hooked on seafood and fresh produce — and, yes, I do say pork roll. (I imagine this may cause some tension in the future, but never mind.) My hometown of Hammonton is a few miles from the ocean and surrounded by farms. In fact, its nickname is the Blueberry Capital of the World because of the abundant blueberry crop grown there. I’m used to dining on sweet corn picked that day, blueberries as wide as nickels and shrimp so big they look like they can bite you back. In Hammonton, farm-to-table isn’t a trend, it’s a way of life.

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So why do I love food? It brings back memories. It’s a vehicle for people to slow down, take a seat and connect. But most of all, a shared meal is a sharing of culture, family tradition and life experience. It’s saying, “This is who I am, what I love and why I love it.”

I can’t wait to learn who you are, what you love and why you love it.

Follow me on Instagram at RebeccaAnnKing and NorthJerseyEats and on Twitter at @RebeccaKingNJ.