A Valpo Life in the Spotlight: Carrie Clark Steinweg

For many people, life in 2011 looked different.

Cellphones could be left on the charger, out of sight and out of mind. Social media trends were shifting, and Myspace was phased out by the gravitational pull of Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and the early days of Instagram. Online activity, which was previously confined to the den-style computer rooms of the late 2000s, became mobile. Moments spent with friends and family were experienced in real time and reflected on later in grainy photo dumps from pocket-sized digital cameras.

Carrie Clark Steinweg, a Valpo local and a frontrunner to the blogging craze of the early 2010s, along with her sister, Becky Clark, decided to seize the opportunity, bringing food, information, and positivity to the masses through blogging.

Steinweg is a self-proclaimed foodie and a seasoned freelance feature writer and travel columnist for the Northwest Indiana Times. Steinweg volunteers as a radio host for the Good Bytes segment on WVLP 103.1 FM, authors children’s books, food, and travel guides, and seasonally manages the Valpo farmer’s market and social media platforms. All of Steinweg’s efforts align with one goal: celebrating the capacity of food to bring communities together.

Steinweg has amassed a growing repertoire of foodie expertise, sharing positive food reviews, recipes, and hidden gems of the local food scene on her shared blog, ChicagoFoodieSisters.com. Steinweg’s love for local food markets is recognized throughout her work as a writer and podcaster.

“My sister and I were always trying new restaurants or going out. We always enjoyed experiencing what the area had to offer,” Steinweg said. “Whether that meant taking a cooking class or hosting a dinner party for friends, our lives were immersed in the experience of enjoying a meal with company. It was during a dinner party in 2011 that we were all sitting around the table enjoying the meal we had prepared, chatting, when my sister said. ‘Oh, we should start a blog.’ So on a whim, we started posting, and ChicagoFoodieSisters came to be.”

The digital haze of the internet was not nearly as consuming as today, though it was informative. This era was a time before influencers gained notoriety overnight, and brand endorsements dictated online conversations, and indeed, well before social media became synonymous with e-commerce. The landscape has changed, but Steinweg stays the course.

“The food scene has changed so much since COVID and the height of blogging, but it hasn’t detracted from our mission,”  Steinweg said. “We’re still doing what we know best, and it’s a lot of fun. Through the food community in Chicago and Northwest Indiana, I have had the opportunity to meet so many cool people and spend time in the city with people from all different walks of life that you would not otherwise encounter. That’s one of my favorite things to do.”

The blogging community still houses an aspirational group of keyboard warriors. Digital footprints are smaller but mighty. Posts are personal and authentically laced with food history, cookbook reviews, cooking tips, and pictures to inspire the taste buds. ChicagoFoodieSisters.com gained notoriety alongside Eater, both of which are still active today.

“One thing I’m always mindful of with the blog is that I don’t post negative stuff,” Steinweg said. “There’s enough negativity in the world, and I want to focus on the good. I highlight the good, and I focus on the overall experience because social media can be brutal and bad reviews can just kill a business, and that is not my goal.”

Steinweg’s ambitions are homegrown and served family-style. She spent her childhood in the south suburbs of Chicago and later lived in Lansing, Illinois, for 30 years. The driving force behind her relocation to Valpo was the growing food scene and the thriving local markets, which she now credits as foundational to her expanding social circle.  

“My mother was a great cook,” Steinweg said. “She grew up in central Illinois, but somehow always seemed to cook southern-style comfort food. She had her rotation: seven to 10 meals, on repeat, the same stuff over and over. With a big family, we really never went out to eat as kids, so once we got older, my siblings and I – two brothers and three sisters –  enjoyed going out and trying new foods and new food experiences.”

For Steinweg, breaking bread was and still is a way of life. Food, which has always been a means of bringing family together, plays a massive role in Steinweg’s livelihood and growing social life. In her free time, you can find Steinweg exploring new restaurants throughout Indiana, wine-tasting with her foodie friends, sourcing material for her latest book, cooking with her children, and savoring each bite along the way.  

“I think it is important to be in touch with the local food scene, “ Steinweg said. “I encourage people to get out there and explore new restaurants, places, and meet the people behind them  because it’s a very tough industry. Anything I can do to help promote their livelihood and business, I am all for.”  

Steinweg is a previously active member of the Valparaiso Creative Council in support of the arts and the Valpo Farmer’s Market and is on a personal mission to bridge the conversation about mental health in the first responder community and make it synonymous with the dining experience. Steinweg’s husband, Paul, is a retired Firefighter and EMT, and she hopes to explore the intersectionality of her foodie community and the first-responder community soon.

For more information on the children’s book about a dog who suffers from being a picky eater, “Waffle Likes Falafel,” and on the travel and food guides Steinweg has authored, check out ReedyPress.com or tune into her column on NWITime.com.

As Steinweg searches for the winning lottery ticket, she continues to dream about authoring more children’s books and sharing her gift with children and classrooms locally.