With all that happens on Grounds, it can be hard for many students to find the time to explore the broader city of Charlottesville beyond what the University itself offers. In turn, students often experience only a crumb of the food and culture scene that is flourishing past the Corner. Fortunately, fourth-year College student Molly Isabella is dishing out digital slices of what the city has to offer for students available right at their fingertips.
At the University, Isabella studies computer science and handles social media marketing for Kappa Delta sorority. From her phone, she runs the blog-style Instagram account @MealswithMolls, which has garnered over 8,000 followers by posting content that centers on Charlottesville’s multifaceted culinary world.
Students may recognize Isabella from her series of Instagram Reels that detail her pursuit of finding the best coffee shop in Charlottesville, or from her various reviews of restaurants all around the city — Smyrna, Ethos Wine & Tea and The Local and Carmello’s, to name a few.
Though she did not arrive on Grounds until 2022, Isabella has been making a name for herself with her account in the food blogosphere since 2017. She started a food Instagram account — the one she still uses today — to post pictures of her meals from restaurants and tag them.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, her account shifted from primarily restaurant-centered content to more day-to-day, lifestyle-related posts, focusing on family workouts and her favorite recipes to cook or bake. Despite social distancing, Isabella discovered a whole new world of peers and connections with other young women through food blogging.
“I realized really quickly that there were a lot of other girls … my age that were doing the exact same thing,” Isabella said. “So I had these little foodie friends who lived all over the U.S. We would FaceTime [and] do little collabs together on Instagram.”
While she continued posting content throughout the rest of high school — even making monetary gains off of it at some point — Isabella took a step back from her account during her first year at the University to focus on the transition to college. Additionally, she admitted to feeling uninspired by the meals served at the University’s dining halls.
“I took a little bit of a break [from posting] … because [with the] dining hall there wasn't much to show, and I was still trying to transition into being a college student,” Isabella said.
Fortunately, at the start of her second year, she returned to her foodie roots after a moment of crisis over choosing the right major. Struggling with a difficult course load and unsure if she was pursuing the right field of study, Isabella chose to re-start her primarily lifestyle-oriented Instagram account. In doing so, she was able to channel her energy into something that gave her purpose.
“I was sort of going through an identity crisis with my major, and I [didn’t] really know what I [wanted] to do,” Isabella said. “I sort of channeled all of that negativity and uncertainty into something that I knew and loved, which was my account.”
By hopping back online with her food blog, Isabella remembered the joy her Instagram account brought to her. She was even able to reconnect with her old foodie friends from the pandemic and strengthen those connections.
The rehauling brought new opportunities — the biggest one being the Charlottesville culinary scene. Fast-forward, and Isabella has spent the better part of the last three years discovering and displaying all that the city has to offer when it comes to good restaurant meals, wineries with amazing views or grab-and-go coffee stops. As of 2024, she has expanded onto TikTok as a secondary platform.
Her content has not gone unnoticed — the City of Charlottesville's Instagram account collaborated with her last May, sponsoring her and her boyfriend on a sunset cruise of the James River. Isabella said that this became one of her favorite experiences her work has given her.
“The @charlottesvilleva, that account has reached out to me to do collaboration,” Isabella said. “There was a batteau boat sunset cruise. It was in Scottsville, Virginia, which is like 30 minutes away, on the James River. It was the coolest thing ever … we got to listen to the history of the batteau boats in Virginia. It's so fascinating.”
While there are a few University-centered events she has featured, such as her time spending a semester abroad with U.Va. in Siena, Italy, she mostly focuses her content on Charlottesville. Not only do her posts allow her to bring more attention to local establishments, but Isabella also finds that it ensures she maintains a balance between her life as a student and as an individual.
“[The focus on the City] solidifies the balance of being a U.Va. student, but also being an active member in the Charlottesville community,” Isabella said. “To me, it's so important if I'm coming to school here for four years, and I want to say I lived in Charlottesville, I feel like I really have to experience it.”
One way Isabella explores Charlottesville is with the city’s semiannual Restaurant Week— which runs from Jan. 26 to Feb. 1— where fine dining establishments offer three course meal specials at $25, $35 or $45 a person. A food lover’s haven, Isabella is excited for the upcoming deals, planning on attending Charlottesville staples like Orzo Kitchen & Wine Bar, Bang! and The Whiskey Jar. With so many great restaurants in the area participating, she looks forward to sharing her experience of Restaurant Week on her accounts.
Despite the work that being a content creator requires — from managing social media’s less-glamorous analytics side and experiencing judgment from strangers for her content — Isabella still holds that Instagram is her outlet. From giving her avenues to connect to new people and finding new places in the community to explore, her blogging has become a fixed and beloved facet in her day-to-day life as a student at the University and a Charlottesville resident.
“By creating content, I'm showing what I'm doing and what I liked and my U.Va. experience,” Isabella said. “You have to get over the embarrassment of being perceived, but I feel like I've just sort of embraced it. This is what I love to do.”
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