Meet the Temple student behind the well-known ‘Temple Foodies’ Instagram

Leah Hillegas is a junior advertising major and public relations minor at Temple University. Like most people, one of her favorite things to do is find new and unique places to enjoy a good meal.

But unlike most people, it wasn't always this way – she recently overcame her fear of trying new food by starting the Temple Foodies Instagram account which has an impressive following of 4,000.

Temple Foodies is enjoyed by Temple students, staff, and alumni as the best source for any incoming freshman to find a new place to eat on and off campus. Her Instagram is recognized by many restaurants in the area and she now spends most of her days finding exciting new places to eat in Philadelphia that before she wouldn't dare to try. 

The Tab Temple had the pleasure to interview her on what it is like to run a successful food account.

When did you first start your "Temple Foodies" Instagram account?

I first created the "Temple Foodies" Instagram account the Spring semester of my Freshman year at Temple University. I have had the account for a little over a year now.

What made you decide to make a Temple food Instagram account?

I deiced to make a food account on Instagram because before I started college I had an unhealthy relationship with food. I was scared to try any new foods and always ate the same three meals. My boyfriend encouraged me to try new foods such as sushi when I met him on campus. I discovered that it was actually really fun to go out and experience new foods which lead me to starting the account. Plus, I was already going out to eat a lot and taking pictures of my meals, but was posting them on my personal account. I figured that I could take this hobby and make my own separate food account for the pictures to live on.

How have you created such a strong following?

I have grown my following all organically. I don't buy any of my followers. I'm surprised by the response to my account because I don't have a strategy for achieving followers like many other popular accounts because I simply don't have the time. I mainly just use a good amount of hashtags under a comment in each photo I post which helps get my pictures noticed by other foodies. I tell other people about the account and sometimes post it on my personal account but other than that I just let it grow naturally.

Where do most of your photos come from?

I take most of my photos when I go out to eat during the week, but I also repost photos that people send or tag me in by giving them credit in the caption. The account is a balance of my own pictures and pictures from other foodies and my followers.

Have you made any connections from running this account?

Running the account has had a lot of perks, more than I ever thought it would. Milk House in center city has reached out to me and I have developed a relationship with the owner. We teamed up and came up with the idea for the Temple milkshake that they currently sell. It's a "Cherry and White" shake and it developed the Temple Tuesday idea which gives Temple students a discount when they show their student ID. I have also been sent food by companies before to try for free and invited to tasting events.

Why do you keep your identity private on the account?

When I first started the account I actually didn't want anyone to know that it was me behind it, but now most of my friends know. I never include myself in the food pictures that I post because I think it takes away from the food itself. I deiced to still keep my identity private on the food account, but I don't care anymore if people know that I am behind it. I also think it's cool to have an anonymous person behind the account and keep followers in the dark.

Are people surprised when they find out that you are the person behind the account?

Yes! People are always surprised. People always seem to think the person behind the account is much older than I am.

What is your favorite part about running the account?

My favorite part is definitely being able to explore the city and try new foods! Also, it just creates a lot of memories for me.

Do you have any advice for Temple students?

I don't think a lot of students get off of campus enough and I would encourage them to go see the rest of the city and try a new place to eat while they're exploring.

What are your favorite places to eat on campus?

My favorite place to eat (obviously besides Richie's) is the food truck Burger Tank. They have really good grilled cheeses. Philly Style is probably my favorite pizza on campus, and there is also this place Owl Breakfast which has the best chicken and waffles. It's hard to pick one place on campus because everything is mostly really good.

What food places off campus would you recommend to Temple students?

In Chinatown I would recommend going to Penang which is one of the only places I'm always going back to. There is a place on south street called Magpie that I really like, I would recommend the mac n cheese pie. I also love Mac Mart even though it's really popular now, but I tend not to visit a lot of places multiple times because I am always trying something new.

What are your future plans for the account?

I don't plan on stopping the account anytime soon, or even after I graduate, because I have so much fun doing it and I haven't lost interest in posting. I plan on staying in Philadelphia after graduating if I get a job here. I might just eventually change the bio of the account to a Temple alumnus instead of student or just keep followers guessing if I ever graduated. I will probably never eat at every restaurant in Philadelphia and running the account keeps me wondering what I will try next and always gives me something to post about. 

Follow Leah Hillega's "Temple Foodies" account here and spend hours drooling over her pictures and finding new cool places to eat all over the city.