Nice to meet you! I’m Clarisse, a 22 year-old currently juggling work and my multitude of passions. I live in Manila, the Philippines– this teeny country just below the equator. Despite the perennially warm weather, I like to spend most of my free-time in the kitchen trying not to make a mess (which I have discovered is hard to do when you love to bake), or in front of my computer writing, blogging, and searching for inspiration (not necessarily in that order, but sometimes all at the same time).

I started baking simple cupcakes for fun when I was 16, but it wasn’t until after I graduated from university in early 2011 (with a completely different degree, no less) that I realised how much I actually enjoyed baking, and that was when the idea of making a blog began to play in my mind.

I have such a wide array of interests, but compared to the others, my love for writing, photography and cookery have been growing more steadily over the years. When I saw that they were evolving into something worth labeling as passions, my desire to chronicle my efforts related to them grew as well. Along with my personal blog, I decided it was time to make a proper food blog; especially after being exposed to my fair share of admirable food blogs. Now I aim to inspire others as much as these food blogs have inspired me.

My desire to learn as much as I can about baking and cooking has propelled me to acquire a collection of cookbooks which I often turn to for ideas. Being self-taught, most of what I know is acquired through reading, experimentation, plus a lot of trials and errors. It’s a brand new adventure in every recipe! (The same can be said for my food photography.)

The name The Tummy Train is actually a combination of the two main things this blog centres around: food (tummy) and travel (train). Since my family and I love to travel as well, I can’t wait to share with you the places we visit, and of course the cuisine! I believe that food and travel will never be mutually exclusive. After all, each country’s cuisine tells many stories about a certain place just from how a dish was put together and cooked. Occasionally, I may also write about food apps, cookbooks, local food finds, or any other food-related tidbits I find interesting.

This blog is first and foremost my personal food journal where I jot down my commentaries and feelings relating to a recipe. Secondly and perhaps more importantly, it is a tool that I hope will encourage other home bakers and cooks to try new recipes they normally wouldn’t. Each recipe I post has been modified based on my understanding of the instructions, in a manner that hopefully is straightforward and will produce the same good results for you as it did for me.

 I certainly hope that you find the trip with The Tummy Train worthwhile and fun!

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Do you have anything to share, comments, suggestions, or questions? Want your food or product to be featured on the blog, or want to sponsor a giveaway? E-mail me at thetummytrain [at] gmail [dot] com. I’d love to hear from you!

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FEATURED IN:

• Foodista.com
• Huffington Post Taste

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PS. I put a lot of thought and effort into coming up with my content and photos, so please please please do not take them without proper credit or permission. Thank you!

-April 10th, 2013