We had the good fortune of connecting with Susan Henkel and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Susan, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I grew up internationally – all over, but mostly in North Africa and Germany/France/Belgium – so I was exposed to different foods from different cultures from an early age. This developed into a love of international foods, which I try to highlight in my cooking and baking.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I think as artists and creatives, it can be easy to feel like an imposter, or to compare ourselves to other, more “successful” creatives. I don’t have any formal training, like culinary school or formal photography courses, so I’ve had to just dive in, try things, make mistakes, follow my instincts and intuition, and enjoy the journey along the way. In my food, I’m drawn to a wide variety of delicious flavors from around the world – both the fancy and the everyday – and I love creating a narrative with my photography, whether crisp and clear, dreamy and moody, or something else entirely. I want my creations to highlight both how deliciously sensory food is, and how food connects us as humans around the world.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in Greensboro and it’s wonderfully located in the center of the state, so it’s an easy trip to both the mountains and the ocean. We’ve got delicious restaurants, coffee shops, museums, parks, and hiking trails!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My mom is an excellent cook and instilled in me a love of cooking and baking from an early age. My twin sister encouraged me to begin displaying my baking on instagram and move into more a more structured, organized format. The Baking Notification Project, based out of Nashville, TN, is a fantastic project that helps bakers get connected to community supporters and subscribers.

Instagram: @sometimes_susan_bakes

Image Credits
All photos taken by me 🙂

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutNorthCarolina is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.