The Sweet Balance

An interview with Kimberly Magri

We catch up with Kimberly Magri, the brains behind ‘The Sweet Balance’, who shares the story behind her food blog, her process for developing recipes, her passion for cooking and photography. For those who aren’t familiar with her work, let’s hand over to Kimberly to tell us more.

Tell us a bit about how your venture started out.

I created ‘The Sweet Balance’ as a way to share my recipes with others and connect with the foodie community. I’ve always enjoyed cooking and baking and trying out different recipes. The idea to create my own blog originated as I would adapt recipes I found online to fit my tastes and eventually, decided to develop my own.

What is the story behind your blog’s name?

My tongue-in-cheek answer to this is usually that balance is having a doughnut in one hand and a cupcake in the other, but in reality there is a bit more meaning behind it.

I believe it’s important to have a positive relationship with food by finding the right balance between the occasional treat and a healthy lifestyle, and this is how the name came about.

How did you discover your passion?

My mum is the original baker in the family and you could say that I followed in her footsteps. Combining this with my passion for photography seemed like the perfect fit. I love the entire process from developing recipes to taking and editing the photos and posting them on social media but the ultimate perk is taste-testing! When people started to interact and engage with my posts, it was the encouragement I needed to keep going.

Are you self-taught?

When it comes to cooking and baking, most of it is self-taught, with a lot of trial and error!

As for the content creation part, I actually studied photography at Mcast and after starting the blog, took an online course specifically on food photography. My marketing background also helps when it comes to social media and blogging.

How long have you been involved in food blogging?

It started around 2019 when I created a Facebook page and Instagram account for ‘The Sweet Balance’. During this time, I also launched the website (www. thesweetbalance.net) where I could post the full recipes for people to follow.

How would you describe your cooking style?

Messy haha. I’m definitely not the cleanas-you-go type of person. However, I do like to plan ahead and prepare all my ingredients and utensils before starting. I tend to opt for quick and easy recipes, although I like a challenge every now and again.

How do you stay up to date with the latest trends and developments in the industry?

I follow loads of content creators for inspiration, there are so many talented individuals in this field, including Maltese creators. I also work in marketing so you could say that I spend a lot of time on social media - staying up to date on trends is (conveniently) part of my job. Trends come and go, so you usually have to be very reactive to join in before the fad passes.

What are some trends that you love and hate?

A trend I have been loving lately is ASMR cooking videos, where you can hear the sizzling and crunching sounds. On the other hand, and this is probably controversial, I quickly scroll past ASMR eating videos where you can hear people chewing. It’s just not for me. To each their own!

You have some serious experience as a food photographer. With the recent shift to the short video content and reels trend on social media, you’ve started introducing this type of content as well. Which brings you more joy?

Photography has a special place in my heart so it will always be my favourite. But I understand why short video content is becoming increasingly popular. I myself also enjoy watching recipe videos so it makes sense to create more of this type of content. In fact, I have recently created a TikTok account and am excited to upload more videos.

We love your work. How do you plan for food shoots?

Thank you! Instagram and Pinterest are always great places to start for inspiration. Once I have a direction in mind, I select which props and backdrops I will be using, set up near natural light, and get shooting. Occasionally, I’m more spontaneous and I just see where the shoot takes me.

What is your signature dish and why do you love making it?

Hmm, this is difficult to answer but if I had to choose, it would be my ‘Perfectly Fudgy Brownies’. I’ve adapted the recipe a few times as I try to improve it every time I make them. As a brownie-lover, it has everything I look for; dense and indulgent with a crackly surface. My ‘Kinder Bueno Cream Filling’ and ‘Kinder Bueno Truffles’ also make it to my top three.

What can we expect from The Sweet Balance in the future?

After taking a short break from blogging that lasted a little longer than planned, I’m excited to get back into it.

I would like to start sharing more nutritious recipes in addition to desserts, since that is what my day-to-day cooking usually looks like. Additionally, I would like to incorporate less curated content. Finally, I would love to launch my own recipe book next year. Stay tuned for more updates on this.