Blogger of the Week: Alejandra Ramos of 'Always Order Dessert'
Photos courtesy of Alejandra Ramos.
Alejandra Ramos, the blogger responsible for the sumptuous recipes and photography of Always Order Dessert, takes inspiration from all corners of the globe.
"My family is Puerto Rican, and that’s always been a huge influence in my life in terms of cooking and food," Ramos told us. Deep-fried plantains, or tostones, were mainstays in her childhood home, as were spicy, Latin-tinged seafood stews. But growing up in a heavily Italian neighborhood in Hasbrouck Heights, N.J., left an indelible mark, fostering a deep fondness for hearty pasta dishes, sugared zeppole, and all manner of Italian cookies.
Years later, that same love of Italian cuisine would lure her to Italy to earn a culinary school degree. It hadn’t been part of her plan: She’d been studying politics at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., but an unshakeable urge to cook tugged at her.
"I spent more time cleaning pots at GWU than I did in classes!" Ramos recalls of her college days. "I hated all my classes. I didn’t want to hear about politics any more. But I did like baking and cooking. I would make these weirdly elaborate dishes, for tapas parties and wine and cheese parties. Finally, my mom was like, ‘Why not go to culinary school?’”
So off she went to Florence, returning to the states to complete her degree at GWU. After a few years working different jobs—as a web editor for nonprofits; at a huge publishing conglomerate—she returned to her culinary love in 2008, launching Always Order Dessert. Not only did it scratch the cooking itch, but it led to a bevy of social media followers and appearances on shows such as Good Morning America and The Dr. Oz Show.
Her success has been such that she’s been able to work full-time on the blog for the last four years. “It’s a mix of talking and writing about food for a living, and it’s completely awesome,” Ramos said, sounding as though she didn’t quite believe it herself.
Here are a few more crucial tidbits about Alejandra Ramos.
Ramos’s homemade labneh.
1. She was a kid with a big appetite.
"When I was seven or eight I would hang out in my mom’s kitchen, going through her cookbooks and experimenting. I’ve always been a very hungry person, [and] always loved dessert and food. I quickly discovered that if I made it myself, I could have as much as I wanted."
2. The first cookbook she fell in love with, as a kid, was a collection of microwave recipes.
"The recipe that I made all the time was called ‘five-minute lemon pudding cake.’ It was just a little bit of flour, a little bit of butter, lemon juice, and then I’d microwave it for a few minutes. It would be this puffy cake on top, and on the bottom it would be like a lemon tart. It seemed so fancy!”
Flourless pistachio oatmeal muffins from Ramos’s kitchen.
3. Puerto Rican dishes are her ultimate comfort food.
"One of my favorite dishes from growing up was ‘camarones enchilados.’ It’s not ‘enchiladas’ like the Mexican dish; it’s basically shrimp cooked with tomatoes and peppers. My mom always made that, and tostones were also super common in my house at least a couple times a week. I actually wrote a Puerto Rican e-cookbook—it was a really fun way to explore a lot of those dishes.”
4. She learned how photograph on the job.
"At first, my blog’s tagline was, and ‘Stories, Recipes and Mediocre Food Photography.’ I look at those photos now and I’m like, ‘Ohhh, you were so cute.’ Getting a better camera was a big part of improving my skills. And as I made a lot of food blogger friends, we grew together. We were constantly sharing tips and ideas: Little basic things, like shooting with natural light instead of flash. Getting a tripod. Getting some props. Learning composition."
A cake inspired by one of Ramos’s favorite desserts, Italian rainbow cookies.
5. She’s always up for an elaborately themed party.
"I throw parties really regularly, and I go all out. I start with a theme and then just run with it. I once did a Mad Men-inspired Christmas party, and I based it on a specific year: 1963. Then I went nuts. I got personalized matchbooks and napkins, and decorated the whole place in 1960s decor. I went on eBay and got all these 1960s magazines, and left them around the house as set dressing. I had signature cocktails, and a super-specific playlist. And then all the food was from cookbooks that would have been around in 1963. I had ambrosia salad, jello mold salad, a molded smoked salmon mouse, and a cheeseball shaped like a porcupine that had olive eyes and a smoked paprika nose. It was so cute. Oh! And I also got candy cigarettes. Everybody loved that.”
A scene from Ramos’s 1960s-themed Christmas party.
6. Despite her blog’s name, Always Order Dessert is about more than sweets.
"It’s probably mostly savory, which people are always surprised by. The idea behind Always Order Dessert is my life philosophy: It’s not always about actually ordering dessert—it’s about allowing sweetness into your life in all respects. If a waiter offers you dessert, that’s an extra 30 minutes you get to spend lingering over food with the people you love. It means enjoying the experience a little bit more.”
7. She credits her dad for her life philosophy.
"My mom taught me how to cook, but my dad taught me how to eat. We’ll go out, just the two of us, and have a huge feast. Sometimes, there’ll be two appetizers we both love the sound of, and he’ll be like, ‘Let’s just get both!’ My dad always orders dessert. He’s definitely the one who instilled that in me."
Other food bloggers who should be your radar:
The 20-year-old pop culture obsessive behind baking blog Glazed & Confused
"Grandbaby Cakes," who could eat gelato every day
Austin-based “Love & Lemons,” whose spirit vegetable is leafy kale
Who’s your favorite food blogger? Tell us below!
