5 Houston Food Fans to Follow on Twitter

For this post, I picked five interesting Twitterers who neither blog, write professionally or have food-related careers. There are many more that fit the criteria, so feel free to add your favorites in the comments. These Twitterers chime in on where to find ingredients, share input on their favorite Houston food spots, and talk recipes. Perhaps they'll be able to lend you some of their culinary advice...

5. TxGowan: Self proclaimed "Board game lover, beer drinker, cocktail guzzler, computer geek, sometime baker, tv/movie czar," @txgowan is endlessly willing to dish out advice on everything from beer selections to random locations of Houston restaurant chains. Also helpful are the tech pointers he hands out daily. He's unpretentious, sharp and generally a great guy who loves tomato jam.

4. Bitspitter: So, how can you not want to follow someone who tweets this:
"¿Que? ¯\(°_o)/¯"? Other than the ASCII art, he's got a great Twitter handle, a broad knowledge of food in the Houston area and a willingness to put in his two cents whether or not you ask for it. He follows mostly bartenders, chefs, food writers and foodies on Twitter to learn about new openings at local bars and restaurants, food events and cross-Texas BBQ runs. Luckily for us, he passes along his finds to those who ask. Bonus: His wife, @phaedracook, is also part of the foodie Twitterati.

3. Viva_victoria: Perhaps her Twitter handle should have been "Queen Victoria," because she is definitely royalty when it comes to baking. This kitten foster mama makes a famous (or infamous) bacon fat pie crust, and she's always got something interesting to say. In her own words, "Three rules for success: most desserts need booze+pork products; vegetables have no place in macaroni+cheese; watching The Wire is required."

2. MikeSinclair21: Possibly one of the best reasons to follow Mike is that he doesn't consider himself to be a "foodie"; he "just loves good food." With a humble heart and a desire to drink good beer, Mike has a Twitter avatar of him holding a koala. If that's not enough motivation to click "follow," I don't know what is. He also credits Twitter for breaking the Mai's fire news to him on that sad, sad day.

1. DavidLeftwich68: A true locavore and inspirational home cook, you can find him behind awesome Houston Twitter-sparked events like OIMBY, where he's volunteering his time, talent and even his home. Bonus: He's got an amazingly cute daughter that he'll upload Twitpics of occasionally. The kids get us every time. From David: "I like to shop the farmers' markets, cook local & seasonal. Let the ingredients drive the recipe. Wing it, have fun with it, & share it. Share & find ideas about the dishes you can cook using all the great locally-sourced ingredients available in Houston."