Plates Worth Posting

Photos By Matt Johnson • Sponsored

Louisville’s food scene has no shortage of recommendations. Some come from chefs and critics. Many come from people behind their phones, sharing what they eat and where they go. This feature highlights a group of local foodie influencers who have a lot to say about where the city should dine next. Their posts on social media make it easy to follow along and see Louisville through their lens. 

This photoshoot takes place at Guacamole Modern Mexican Restaurant. The restaurant offers a modern take on Mexican cuisine, with bold flavors and dishes. Each influencer selected favorite menu items to feature, giving readers a real look at what keeps them coming back. 

This spread is made possible through the support of Ole Restaurant Group; their restaurants continue to serve as gathering places for locals and visitors alike.

CHET AND FAMILY  @chetandfamily

Chelsie Dunning is a proud mom of three girls, a social media manager, food critic, and business owner. Born and raised in Eastern Kentucky, the mountains are her roots and the foundation of her grit and heart. She now calls Louisville home, but the mountains will always shape her hustle. Known for her authentic voice and family-first values, Chelsie brings warmth, energy, and real-life relatability to everything she does. 

Her husband, Amone, a Louisville native and owner of Heavy Plates 502, matches her passion bite for bite. Together, they’ve built a vibrant, family-powered platform that celebrates Louisville’s thriving food scene. From hosting high-energy foodie events to spotlighting hidden gems, local favorites, and kid-friendly hotspots, they turn every outing into an experience. With their three girls often along for the ride, this family proves the best memories are made around the table and they’re inviting the whole city to pull up a seat and join them. 

LOUISVILLE BITES @louisvillebites

Emily is the voice behind Louisville Bites. She has always had a passion for food, but she didn’t launch Louisville Bites until the COVID-19 pandemic, when restaurants were limited to carryout. What began as a way to support her favorite local spots during a difficult time quickly grew into something much bigger. 

Today, Louisville Bites has become nearly a full-time commitment, though Emily still balances it alongside her career as an accountant. She loves discovering new restaurants and trying new dishes, but what she enjoys even more is watching others experience them too. It gives her a sense of connection and purpose within Louisville’s vibrant food scene. 

As her following has grown, so has her sense of responsibility. Emily believes in using her platform to help small businesses thrive, especially in a challenging economy. She understands the power that a single photo or video can have, and if her work makes a difference for even one restaurant, she considers it a success. 

LOUISVILLE FOOD LIFE @louisvillefoodlife

Erica is the creator behind the Instagram account Louisville Food Life, where she invites her audience to experience the city’s dining scene right alongside her and is easy to recognize around town, with her signature purple lipstick and fun style. Her content feels immersive, as if you’re at the table together, tasting every bite, laughing through candid moments, and occasionally making a mess along the way. 

Her passion for food began long before social media. Sharing restaurant discoveries through photos and conversation has always come naturally, making Instagram a seamless extension of her love for connecting people through memorable meals. 

Through Louisville Food Life, Erica blends authentic reactions with thoughtful storytelling and playful energy. For her, food is about more than flavor, it’s about atmosphere, connection, and the moments created around the table. She highlights local spots that pour heart into what they do and brings her community together through foodie meetups, turning everyday dining experiences into something truly special. 

LOUISVILLE FOOD TOURS @louisvillefoodtours

Meet Lia & Jeremy Garcia, Co-Founders of @LouisvilleFoodTours and @LetsGoLouisville. In 2016, they quit their jobs to take what they now call a disastrous year-long honeymoon, a leap that led to the creation of one of the world’s largest travel blogs, Practical Wanderlust. Years later, they felt called to make a deeper impact in one place rather than a small impact in many, and founded Let’s Go Louisville and Louisville Food Tours. 

Today, they do more than recommend where to visit and what to eat. Through their award-winning guided tours, they bring nearly 10,000 visitors to local restaurants each year, reach an annual audience of more than one million locals and visitors across social platforms, and have paid over $850,000 directly to Louisville restaurants. 

They believe storytelling and connection over food build stronger communities. Every place holds the stories of the people who shaped it, and through content creation and tour guiding, they share those stories in ways that foster meaningful connection and tangible economic impact, continually reinvesting in the people and places that make Louisville. 

THINGS TO LOU @thingstolou

ThingsToLou is a place where John highlights restaurants and bars, as well as local events, shopping, music, and more around Louisville. He tries to promote things he believes people will get excited about and feature culture that is accessible to everyone. 

What sets him apart is that he prefers to keep the focus on the content he creates rather than on himself. 

When John created ThingsToLou, his goal was for it to be a resource for people to find out about events around town. He started by simply reposting event posters. Over time, ThingsToLou has evolved from a curated list into an original content channel, as well as a community for locals and tourists to discover new parts of Louisville and learn more about local culture. 

He also strives to be a force for positivity in the way he creates content. He honors the zeal and skill that go into creating incredible dining experiences, to the best of his ability. 

When he’s in a Louisville restaurant, he is often awestruck by the passion that emanates from local chefs, cooks, restaurateurs, bartenders, mixologists, and bakers, the lifeblood of the city’s restaurant scene.