Patch Awards Willauer 2011 Blogger of the Year

Not many people know this, but Patch was not formed to be an "online newspaper." And although it can sometimes seem as though it is, the company as a whole envisions Patch in an entirely different way.

It's hard for me to remember the many things I learned in my high school years (and I'm only 25!), but I was a big history buff, especially world history. As a matter of fact, one of my favorite teachers of all time was a world history teacher at my alma mater: Delran High School in New Jersey. We learned many things, including Greek and Roman culture.

I think Patch was envisioned to be the modern day Roman Forum. The Roman Forum was "local central" back in the day - a place where people gathered to socialize and discuss politics, life and leisure; a place to meet, to learn what's going on in town, and to know your community.

So, while news is important in the ultimate goals of Patch, there are many other aspects and assets to our sites that are extremely vital, such as contribution, by sending stuff in to us, commenting on stories, and, at the very top of the list: Our Local Bloggers!

We have so many awesome bloggers across Patch, but especially here on LRSC Patch. We have bloggers who discuss fishing, history, family, local deals, local business, pets, food, politics, and the list goes on and on.

And with our one-year anniversary upon us, we decided to YOU, our readers, and most importantly, our contributors, who your favorite blogger was this past year. You showed up in numbers to vote, and one man separated himself from the rest. With 156 of 208 votes cast, Dave Willauer, There's a Dad in the Kitchen!, took the proverbial cake (he most likely baked that cake, too). Needless to say, he was honored to simply receive a nomination, let alone win. But, after finding out, Willauer really only posted a link on his Facebook page, and humbly voted for someone else.

"I really didn't do anything," Willauer said. "I put on my Facebook that you were doing this and I encouraged people to vote for their favorite blogger. But, I didn't try to elicit any responses. Let the record show, I voted for Andrea Weber!"

Weber's blog, Real Life in Rofo!, which also has a standalone site, came in second place.

In 2011, Willauer posted 29 blogs to Patch, and said he was so happy with how it has gone so far.

"I really am," he said. "As you know, being a journalist yourself, you always want to know that people are reading your writing as you're putting it out there. In a very real sense, you're sharing a part of yourself, so you're kind of taking a risk in that way. To get positive comments is really reassuring."

Willauer elaborated that it's neat to be out in the community or even at the grocery store and have people come up to him to say they enjoyed his recipe, or want him to try one of theirs. The same goes for the little anecdotes he shares, too.

"People connect with me that way and ask me questions about the family bakery and things like that," said Willauer. "It's a neat connection."

The blog that got the biggest response, Willauer said, was the , which honed three Thanksgiving recipes and a fun anecdote that is a classic family story for Willauer.

"That was a story that was written before I even started the blog, thinking I would share it somehow," he said. "The humor of the story is something a lot of people can identify with. Everybody wants it to be all perfect and it turns out to be a Griswold kind of adventure if you know what I mean."

In 2012, Willauer reported he is taking cooking classes, which was a holiday gift from his family. He said he wants to develop his skills further by expanding his own level of expertise and understanding. He's also looking to connect with other community organizations and businesses to assist behind the scenes in food preparation.

He also has a story he's working on right now.

"It's a former Spring-Ford teacher, whose son won a baking competition at the Farm Show," Willauer explained. "This kid is 13 years old and won the first place prize at one of these events. There's some humor in it, too and I'm working on that right now. Some more human interest things."

Overall, Willauer concluded by saying he wanted to show gratitude to the community that inspires him to do his best.

"I have always been grateful for the support and encouragement I receive from the Spring-Ford community," he said. "It's very gratifying and it means so much to me. It really does."