Monique Polanco is a food blogger, food photographer and author. She was born and raised in New York City, but her roots are from the south. Her family is from St. Augustine Florida, where her great-grandmother was a pastry chef in the early 1900’s. Most of her baking inspiration comes from this region. She has a master’s degree in Social Work, and was a school social worker for several years until she transitioned into blogging and food photography. Her first cookbook, Sweet Soulful Baking, was published in September of this year, and she also owns a business doing recipe development and food photography for brands.