When Bella Bucchiotti started her blog xoxoBella back in 2015, she was just 17 years old and still in high school. But unlike most teens, Bella was into something a bit more old school: recipes.
"I started my blog to share my favorite recipes with friends and family," she says. "I’ve always loved food and photography.”
And it’s often that photography that draws readers in first. Just check out some fan favorites such as her lemon posset brulee, hamburger steak and gravy, or Italian drunken noodles.
As someone with a learning disability, Bella did find academics somewhat of a challenge. But in the kitchen? That was her comfort zone.
There, she could experiment, create, and of course, share. Her mom, a pioneer from the early days of "mom blogging,” had always been an inspiration, especially for the name of the blog itself: xoxoBella, chosen so that the blog could always grow and flex as Bella grows and changes herself.
"We wanted a name that didn’t box me in. I was considering something like Tulle & Cookies," Bella laughs. "But xoxoBella allowed for recipes, crafts, travel, whatever I wanted to explore."
And explore she did.
What began as a food blog quickly expanded to include other subjects: travel, sustainability, pets, crafts — you name it. Bella's curiosity became her compass, and (just like mom anticipated) her blog grew as she did.
