FOR THE LOVE OF HAMILTON
This regular feature highlights people from all walks of life who have embraced Hamilton as their new home.
JENNIFER SHIN has called Hamilton home for over two decades, arriving in 2005 from Mississauga to study at McMaster. Originally from Korea, she moved to Canada with her family at 14. After graduating, she stayed in Westdale, where she still lives, and started a job in healthcare. Today, she works as a freelance marketer and photographer. But her real passion is food, and in 2015, long before food-focused influencer accounts exploded, she launched TasteHamOnt, an Instagram account dedicated to Hamilton's food scene. The account has amassed more than 60,000 followers and 1,600 posts, making it one of the most followed food accounts in the city. For Shin, the account's growth mirrors her own relationship with Hamilton. "I like living here," she says. "It's always nice to see it grow, and I'm kind of growing with the city."
How did your Instagram work start?
It started with my love of food. I had a private food diary account, and my friends convinced me to change my private account to public back in 2015. I shared what I ate. When Instagram first started, everyone was posting their travelling photos or selfies, or what they were doing with their life, and the only updates that I had were about food.
I love going out to eat. I don't typically cook at home, and when I started the account, I lived by myself, so it was nice to go out and eat with friends. I was also working long hours as a research coordinator at a hospital, so it was more convenient.
How has it changed over the last 11 years?
When I first started, I was posting once a day, minimum. And I was way more consistent. Having been on social media for such a long time now, I don't put pressure on myself about how often I need to post. If there's something exciting that's coming up, or a cool event in Hamilton, I try to be led by that instead of feeling forced to post a certain amount every week.
The forms of content have changed so much. In 2015, all you needed was one photo, a dish or a place that you went. There wasn't much to it. The focus was on sharing something.
Then it became more about creating curated and beautiful photos and layouts. That turned into a more TikTok-influenced, raw, talking straight to the camera style, which creates more of a connection with the creator. So it’s changed so much in the last decade.
I wouldn’t say the account is hugely popular, but after more than 10 years, I like to think the page has built a community of food lovers who enjoy supporting local businesses.
Do you get paid for your posts?
I try to keep most of my posts unsponsored. There's a lot of pressure once this becomes a job and someone gives you a contract to sign. When there's money involved and you have to share something within a certain timeframe, and get everything approved, it becomes a process. And I want sponsored content to perform well, because I want the business to feel satisfied and see the return on investment. But with social media, it’s impossible to guarantee a certain level of performance.
The main focus of my account is sharing genuine experiences. Obviously, there will be some partnerships, which also help me pay for a lot of the meals that I go out for. So, if there's a really good opportunity, I won't turn it down, as long as it aligns with the brand that I'm trying to represent. The focus is sharing what I like to eat, showing the story behind the business, the dishes made in-house, the kitchen scene, and all the work that goes into making a meal.
I also want to show my audience that these are the places that I am willing to pay for. It's a hard balance, because there are a lot of businesses that will reach out, but often, I prefer to go in on my own and do the content on my own. They’ll say, “But I can give you a gifted experience,” but for me, that also comes with high expectations.
What do you think makes the Hamilton food scene stand out?
The number of local businesses that support and collaborate with each other. We have a really strong food scene community in Hamilton. Rony's is taking over Lucky Duck for a weekend to showcase some dishes. Salar Madadi from Maipai works with quite a few local businesses for his feature pizzas, similar to Shorty's Oxtail pizza, a collaboration with Jamaican restaurant Ellis Kitchen. Artie’s did a pop-up with Rooney’s for their birthday celebration.
How has the scene evolved?
When I first started eating in Hamilton, I was at McMaster, and the food landscape around the university and the west end was very limited. Just a few student staples and chain restaurants. Now we see a huge influx of chef-driven concepts and destination-worthy restaurants, like Maipai and Cowabunga, where people drive from all over Ontario or even the U.S. to visit. There are also celebrated staples that have been around for decades, like Hutch's, which recently celebrated its 80th birthday, and Shakespeare's Steakhouse, which is over 50 years old.
What is holding it back?
Keeping places accessible and affordable. The City doesn't make it easy for small mom-and-pop shops to experiment or do a trial run. Rental prices on certain streets are getting higher, making it difficult to try out a new concept without a very solid start-up fund.
Hamilton is also massive. It goes way beyond the Linc and QEW, and it needs better transit and walkability between the pockets of restaurants and business hubs.
What is the greatest joy in your work?
I get to eat food! And I get to help promote small businesses. My account focuses heavily on the consumer side, the dishes I ordered, what I ate. But I'm also trying to show what goes on behind the scenes.
Having this account also forces me to go out and experience the city, whether it be festivals, events, or trying new restaurants.
What is the greatest challenge?
Overcoming the negative stigma of the term influencer. It's a love-and-hate relationship with that word. In Hamilton, there's often a perception that social media creators are just out there looking for a free meal, or that they're disingenuous.
And because the name is TasteHamOnt, there's an expectation of having only Hamilton-related content. But I also want to share great experiences outside the city. If you like what I like to eat, maybe when I go to Vancouver or Toronto, I can share some of the spots I like. I'd love more opportunities to share options outside of Hamilton.
Who inspires you?
Original content creators who aren’t just following trends but are thinking outside the box to build a community, inventing unique ways to interact online and extend that into real life. Like Pancake Princess, an NYC-based creator, who does bake-offs and cake picnics. That's something I would love to adopt and bring to the Hamilton scene.
What is your favourite meal in Hamilton?
My favourite meal changes quite often. I tend to get fixated on one dish at a time, and I'll have it on repeat until the next one takes over.
Currently, the nasi goreng special from Gourmet Street Eats is on repeat. It's hearty, something you can eat often, not just for a special occasion. The portion is great, and they always nail the spice level. I usually go for hot, but if I'm getting a spicy sambal sauce, I'll go medium.
Are there Hamilton arts or cultural events you most look forward to attending?
Art Crawl, especially when they close the street in the summer months. I love it because it's not an organized festival. It's organically grown to be more like a block party for arts, crafts and music, with local artisans, artists, musicians, and buskers. Last month, it felt busier than Supercrawl. It feels like the whole city shows up. You walk around, check out local restaurants, sit on a patio, grab a drink, check out galleries and shops staying open later. All the vendors and artists line up on the sidewalks and leave the middle of the street empty. It feels organized in an unorganized way.
What does Hamilton need more of?
More late-night bites, like Korean fried chicken and beer (Chimaek), pocha-style street food, and Spanish tapas. And more traditional, specialized Asian cuisine like rice cake shops, more dim sum options (cart style), Japanese omelettes, hot pots, and dedicated soup dumpling (xiao long bao) spots.
What does Hamilton need less of?
Fewer empty buildings, storefronts, and underutilized spaces. Even on James Street, there's a stretch that stays empty, same thing on Barton Street. I'd love to see entire blocks and neighbourhoods thrive like the main pockets we have in the city.
What's the one thing you brag about to outsiders about Hamilton?
The warmth of hospitality. My friends say the same thing. When we go out of town, we notice how much warmer the hospitality feels here, from how you're greeted to how restaurants treat you as a regular. There's something special about Hamilton, in how they build such strong communities around small businesses.
Instagram: @tastehamont
