Under the Influence: Who's Behind Food Account New Denizen?

Food influencers are all over social media feeds in Denver and beyond, but the way these accounts actually operate has been murky since they hit the scene. In Under the Influence, we're digging into the people behind these accounts and how they create food content, one at a time.

For our first story in the series, we spoke with Kip Wilson of Stoned Appetit. Next up, New Denizen.

One common complaint about food influencers is that it's often unclear when a post is sponsored or when an influencer has received a comped meal. Providing that kind of information is something we noticed the Instagram account @newdenizen doing on a regular basis.

The person behind the account and the website of the same name is Laura Young, who has a journalism degree and values the power of transparency as she shares her passion for the local dining scene.

Here's some insight into how she runs New Denizen, why she's not a fan of the term "influencer," and where she's excited to dine right now:
Handle:
@newdenizen

Name:
Laura Young

Number of Followers:
7.4K on Instagram

What's your background, and how did you get started in the food social media scene?
I have a journalism degree and worked for many years on the digital side of consumer and B2B publishing. I started my website and Instagram account when I moved to Denver, not really knowing exactly what it would be about. One day I realized I was only posting about food, so from that moment onward, that’s what I’ve focused on covering.

How would you describe what you do in the food space?
I independently cover the local Colorado restaurant scene (and sometimes beyond).

Would you call yourself an "influencer"?
No. I truly hate that term, mainly because it now has a negative connotation and a lot of times people use it to describe a certain type of person on the Internet — usually someone they feel is popular but deeply unserious. People will instinctively give you the side eye if you call yourself that. Even if someone doesn't mean it as an insult, I die a little on the inside whenever it’s used to describe my work on social media platforms. I don’t love the term "content creator," because it sounds so mindless — like, "What do you do?" “Oh, I create content.” Yikes. But it’s better than “influencer.”

I also publish longer-form content on my website, and I’ll refer to myself as a founder and editor of New Denizen.

Is this your full-time job, and if not, what else do you do?
Not yet! I currently do freelance work in the nonprofit space.

Do you charge the restaurants you post about? If so, how does that pricing structure work, and do you always note when a post is paid/sponsored?
I’ve never charged a restaurant in exchange for coverage. Most of the places I write about I am going there on my own, paying for my own meals.

There have been a few times when I’ve worked with larger regional or national brands on campaigns for a fee, but those have been pretty far and few between, but when it does happen, I will label those as sponsored. I say no to most things, because I want to focus my coverage on what’s interesting to me.

Do you accept free meals?
I do get invited to events where meals are hosted. I pass on places where I don’t feel like it’s a spot I normally would cover, or if it’s not newsworthy. When I do accept, I always disclose that to my readers in a way that’s transparent.

Specifically when it comes to hosted meals, I do bristle a bit around people framing it as “free” food. Yes, there are some folks that might snap a quick photo of food and just put it up on their Instagram feed without much thought, but for me, there’s a lot of work that goes into everything before, during and after the meal. I will literally spend days doing research, selecting and editing photos and videos, sending follow-up questions, and writing just to publish a 26-second reel or photo carousel. Maybe I’m doing it wrong. [Laughs.]

I also want to push back on the idea that coverage magically becomes disingenuous just by the fact you’ve been invited to visit. I personally do not feel comfortable completely trashing a place, especially if it’s a small business. The restaurant business is hard enough; they don’t need someone like me making it more difficult. However, I do try to be honest and fair without saying everything is “the best,” because that totally degrades trust with readers. People are not dumb. They know when they are being played and can see right through the BS.
What kind of results have you seen for the restaurants you post about?
I don’t really track that; you’d probably have to ask the restaurant owners. Sometimes people will DM me or tell me in person that they visited a place because they saw me post about it. That’s always really nice to hear, since one of my major motivators is to let people know more about the Denver food scene and encourage them to get out there and support local businesses.

What's your best source for finding new places to go?
I don’t rely on just one source. I use a number of approaches. I keep tabs on what the local media is covering (including places like Westword), as well as what people are posting on social media. I’m constantly asking other people where they’ve been eating — I’m not above striking up a conversation with strangers at a restaurant. I also will randomly scan Google Maps ratings for neighborhoods I don’t frequent as much and read the user-submitted reviews. These are just some of the ways.

What places are you most excited about right now?
Now that the weather is getting colder, I slip into hibernation mode a bit and I’m looking for comforting meals. Right now I’m feeling classic neighborhood restaurants like Potager in Cap Hill, where I know the food is consistently good. They have been around for 25 years and they are one of the originals in terms of creating wonderful, farm-to-table food here in Denver. The service is very friendly, and it’s not a scene. It’s just a nice place to have a meal. I am also really excited about the return of Misfit Snack Bar to Middleman. In addition to all of the fun and creative dishes they have previously turned out, the world needs their burger back in rotation!

Where do you dine most frequently?
I end up eating in downtown Denver a lot, and Sakura House is a place I go to regularly. They serve straightforward, homestyle Japanese cuisine. It’s in Sakura Square, hidden away on the ground floor, so you have to know where you’re going to find it. It’s a modest place, but I find it charming. I usually order the potato korokke. Together with the dipping sauce, I think it’s a little slice of fried heaven. I know a lot of people gravitate toward the ramen, but I prefer the tempura udon. The noodles have the perfect silky yet firm texture, and I love all of the assortment of tempura veggies served with two pieces of shrimp. They’re only open for lunch, Monday through Saturday, and they can get really slammed at times — so if it's busy when you go there, please be patient. I think it’s worth the wait!

Do you have a suggestion for which local food influencer we should talk to next? Email [email protected].