The 2015 #FoodWhore Awards

Confession: when I first thought of possible cover designs, I was inspired by Instagram. You know, all those flat lays of beautiful fruit, on a pristine white background. I pictured something super tactile, a little messy, vibrant, exotic but relatable. 

Did I think people would take that cover and create their own Instagrams, often with food? Maybe? I didn't really think about it, in the way a restaurant might create a dish that screams Instagram fodder. 

But, now, looking at readers' #FoodWhore Instagrams is one of the best surprises and rewards of publishing a book. There are so many great ones, but here are some that made me heart-eye emoji like mad. 

Best Food Pornographers

Oozey, gooey, sticky bites that hit on all our pleasure points. Food whore indeed! 

A photo posted by #feedyoursoull (@feedyoursoull) on Oct 27, 2015 at 9:37am PDT

A photo posted by Food Porn Share (@foodprnshare) on Nov 19, 2015 at 9:27am PST

A photo posted by @foooodieee (@foooodieee) on Dec 21, 2015 at 10:52am PST

Best Beach-Envy Shots

Author life: sitting in leggings in Brooklyn. Reader life: lounging on a tropical beach. Hm.

A photo posted by Tracy Memoli (@tracymemoli) on Nov 22, 2015 at 9:29am PST

A photo posted by Unbuttoningpants.com (@unbuttoningpants) on Dec 8, 2015 at 1:14pm PST

A photo posted by The Brunch Brat (@brunchbrat) on Dec 27, 2015 at 7:19am PST

Best Flat Lays

'Grammers who make true art. 

A photo posted by Folded Pages Distillery (@foldedpagesdistillery) on Oct 16, 2015 at 6:02am PDT

A photo posted by Ursula (@ursula_uriarte) on Dec 21, 2015 at 5:55am PST

A photo posted by Liz Clayman (@lizclayman) on Dec 15, 2015 at 10:52am PST

Best Way to Start the Day 

Forget checking your email. Start your day with a book. 

A photo posted by Books are for sharing 📚 (@readthisnext) on Dec 22, 2015 at 9:08am PST

A photo posted by A Duncan (@slamduncalot) on Nov 8, 2015 at 8:11am PST

A photo posted by Deb Christensen (@debinhawaii) on Oct 29, 2015 at 8:09pm PDT

Best Putting the OOO in Food Whore

Like peas and carrots (or foie and Sauternes), donuts are the most common food to be posed with Food Whore. 

A photo posted by Natalie_wannes (@natalie_wannes) on Dec 21, 2015 at 7:38am PST

A photo posted by Lenmeistergram (@lenmeistergram) on Dec 9, 2015 at 7:39am PST

A photo posted by #satisfeed (@satisfeed) on Oct 28, 2015 at 7:12am PDT

Best Carby Delights

For the savory tooths among us... 

A photo posted by @clairesees on Oct 27, 2015 at 5:08pm PDT

A photo posted by THE SWEET LIFE OF LINA 🎈 (@thesweetlifeoflina) on Nov 21, 2015 at 12:53pm PST

A photo posted by Tom Nakanishi (@tnaka83) on Dec 16, 2015 at 7:34pm PST

Best All-Natural Sugar High 

... And those who go a little lighter. 

A photo posted by christine yi • NYC food+travel (@cy_eats) on Dec 2, 2015 at 8:58am PST

A photo posted by Pichet Ong (@pichetong) on Oct 23, 2015 at 10:41am PDT

Best Coffee Break 

I liked these a latte.

A photo posted by Krista Soriano (@kristaaa) on Nov 4, 2015 at 6:34am PST

A photo posted by Hungry Hipsters (@hungryhipsters) on Oct 25, 2015 at 10:05am PDT

A photo posted by Kaitlin (Carniv)Orr (@carnivorr) on Nov 19, 2015 at 8:33am PST

Best Sweet Teeth 

Because the book *did* come out right before Halloween... 

A photo posted by #EatingNYC: NYC Food & Travel (@eatingnyc) on Nov 6, 2015 at 10:30pm PST

A photo posted by POPSUGAR Love (@popsugarlove) on Oct 16, 2015 at 2:14pm PDT

A photo posted by @wmmorrowbks on Oct 29, 2015 at 1:16pm PDT

Best Nightcap

What's better than eating and reading? Reading then sleeping.

A photo posted by Taste The Style (@tastethestyle) on Oct 25, 2015 at 4:56pm PDT

A photo posted by abigail (@abigailfortunee) on Nov 18, 2015 at 7:03pm PST

Obsessed with #foodwhore by @jessica_tom! Makes me miss NYC... and makes me hungry every time I read it. 😁 pic.twitter.com/owhlAoBpi7

— Chelsea Foy (@lovelyindeed) November 19, 2015