You don’t have to be a professional chef to create great food. Just ask food blogger Julia Parsons. Without any formal culinary training, Julia took her passion for food and creativity and turned it into one of the Web’s most successful food blogs: A Slice of Cherry Pie.

The at-home chef stumbled across the world of food blogs. In September of 2006 Julia decided to try her own hand at food blogging. Her blog has garnered much response from food aficionados and was recently named among the 50 of the World’s Best Food Blogs by Times Online.

“Inspiration comes from everywhere; it may be a beautiful photograph in a magazine, a meal in a restaurant, a food trend, a fresh ingredient I’ve picked up at a market,” Julia says. “I love thinking up different food combinations; ingredients I think will complement each other and work well together, and coming up with new ways of putting them together in a dish.”

One of her favorite creations is for Courgette, Mint and Buffalo Mozzarella Salad.

Julia is currently working on a cookbook based on her blog. Head over to A Slice of Cherry Pie for the latest recipe updates and cookbook news.

And for the aspiring chef, Julia has a few words of wisdom: “Don’t be afraid of failure; you’ll learn what works from what doesn’t. The more you try new things the more you’ll build your skill and confidence as a cook. Take a leap of faith, roll your sleeves up, and get in there and get your hands dirty!”

Have an interesting food blog you’d like to submit for a Food Channel profile? Let us know at editor@foodchannel.com.