About Me | happytummy702

I'm so happy you are here! I'm Suzy. Welcome to my first recipe blog...

You're scrolling online and you start DROOLING over the latest crave-worthy treats, thinking how you'd LOVE to recreate it at home. Well, you are in the right place, my friend.

I didn't bake or cooking anything until the 2020 pandemic. I knew NOTHING. Other than scrambling a few eggs, making rice, or sticking a frozen pizza in the oven, I shamefully admit I knew very little. I'd say one frying pan, the toaster, and my microwave were my only friends in the kitchen. I dined out often and used my oven to store... stuff.

But with the help from some amazing recipe sites, I became more comfortable around the kitchen baking, cooking, and slowly but surely gaining more confidence every day.

This is why you'll see me mentioning the creators who inspired me in almost every post. Sometimes my dishes came out delicious, other times they were a hot mess! But the shocking thing to everyone (myself included) was I truly wanted to learn. Finally.

So if you take away anything from this blog...

...know this - you can do it, too. Take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy the process. We can make the Viral Dubai Pistachio Knafeh Bar, Starbucks Copycat Birthday Cake Pops, or my huge Levain-Style Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies. Want to make Cranberry Tiramisu for the holidays? We got this! So sit back, browse around, and let's see what we can make in YOUR kitchen together. If I can make it, SO CAN YOU.

Meet Derek - my amazing boy! He's officially a teenager, but truly a sweet child at heart. His favorite foods - cheeseburger with fries or any chicken rice bowl. And we can't forget apples - he would eat 5 apples a day if I let him! We deal with the challenges of him being on the spectrum, and like many autism families we have our good and bad days. Overall, he's such a very happy kid - he smiles, laughs, and still gives me so many hugs and kisses daily. Derek is truly my best friend and motivation for all that I do. He is the reason I am here. We both appreciate you spending time with us here. Just browsing these pages helps support us, so thank you so much.

Why happytummy_702?

Sharing food online started on Facebook. Whenever I dined at a restaurant I enjoyed, I took some quicks food photos and posted them to friends, co-workers, and family. I didn't even cook back then! Then one day, a person I worked with commented how the food photos I shared looked amazing, yet half-jokingly said she may have to unfollow me because she's on a diet and seeing my food pictures was an unwanted temptation for her. This made me realize I was sharing my photos to the wrong audience. I wanted to post it to people who seek out food content and enjoyed them as much as I did.

So I created a new public Instagram account dedicating it to solely food. As I signed up, I originally wanted my account to be "happy tummy," but that username was already taken. 702 is Vegas' main area code, so I simply attached that and happytummy_702 was born.

It's truly mind-blowing to see how starting a social media food page as a mere hobby transformed my life into what it is today. Of course if I had the wisdom to know what I know now back then, I would have done things much differently. I would've chosen a name that was more brand focused and I definitely would have started showing my face to build an online community from the get-go. We food creators are all learning as we go and I am truly grateful for what I have created so far. I am so happy to finally launch into this blog world and truly excited to see how I can connect with all of you here!

Please join me on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. I am slowly learning how to navigate using Pin terest, so please feel free to send me any beginner tips! You can also find all my favorite Amazon tool and ingredients here.

Fun Facts About Me

Proud Korean-American. My last meal on earth - a spicy bowl of Rosè Tteokbokki.
My "favorites" changes and varies depending on my mood. I'm not a picky eater and love trying new foods I haven't had before. I love ice cream. Hate olives and tres leche cake. I'd rather eat snacks all day long than 3 solid meals. One of my favorite snacks especially during the holidays is Furikake Chex Mix - have you tried it? OMG. Dangerously addicting!
I spent most of my childhood growing up on Oahu, Hawaii. I love the island, but hate the humidity. The mosquitos LOVE me.
I was the kid who set the table, yet had no desire to learn how to cook or bake. I have one vague memory of 5th grade Suzy wanting to bake shortbread in a pan. Needless to say, I didn't follow the recipe and decided to wing it - adding a little more of this and a little more of that. This pan went in and out of the oven I don't remember how many times. To no one's surprise, the shortbread came out as hard as a rock and I still recollect my dear mom and step-dad politely reassuring me with fake smiles that it was delicious when they could barely bite into it. I never tried to bake anything after that, and I'm pretty sure my parents were okay with that.