Beck Bicks runs the Instagram account @eatingbeacon.
Why did you start the account?
It was a happy accident. I moved here in 2017 after a rat fell through my ceiling in Brooklyn. We didn’t have much going on. We went out to dinner at the Roundhouse to celebrate our move. I realized that on Instagram no one was doing anything about Beacon food, so I took a photo of the radishes and butter and posted it. I love food and I love finding hidden gems. In two days, I had several hundred followers.
How did you feel when your account passed 10,000 followers?
It always surprises me that so many people write me. I noticed that people like when I include my face in the photos. People started to notice me! I grew up in Memphis, and Beacon felt so new. I knew nobody and it felt hard to break into a community where you get the sense people have lived here for generations. The account was a way that I’ve made friends. People recognize me and start conversations. It’s exciting and fun because it feels hard as an adult to make friends and find your niche. When Hudson Taco opened in Newburgh, I couldn’t go on the first day and I got 20 messages saying, “I was looking for you.”
Have you heard from any restaurants?
They thank me for coming or ask me to visit. I had an early post about the Roundhouse that caused them to tell me they’re doing their best and unfriend me. I went, “Oh, I don’t like that,” because I’m not a critic. That was when I decided to only post things that help businesses. I hear from restaurants that say, “We love your pictures. Want to come visit us?” I ask them what they think I should try. We get to eat delicious food for free and give publicity to local restaurants.
Has any restaurant become a favorite?
Red Pepper Diner is a Sri Lankan mom-and-pop place. It looked like a hole in the wall. I had the buffet brunch, and it was so warm and nice to be there. A lot of locals say it’s their favorite.
What is your favorite dish?
Any kind of spaghetti or noodle. When the pandemic happened and we were stuck at home, I ate pasta for 600 days in a row. There’s something so comforting about it.
