Aspiring dancer hit by car turns tragedy into new passion through food blogging

NEW YORK CITY -- Dara Pollak, born and raised in Queens, aspired to be a professional dancer. She studied tap, ballet, jazz - all the classics.

On September 30, 2001, on a quick work break to grab lunch with a friend, she heard screeching tires. Dara's friend yelled, "Oh my god, that car isn't stopping." Dara turned around to see the back of an old Cadillac flying towards her.

Dara was pinned between the car and the wall, in front of Barnes & Noble in the Bay Terrace Shopping Center. Her leg was shattered... and so were her dreams of becoming a professional dancer.

Dara spent months in the hospital. Laid up in a bed watching hours of endless television, depressed and heartbroken. Dara soon discovered a new passion - Food Network.

She loved watching the cooking shows and learning recipes. It relaxed her and gave her a sense of peace, during this very traumatic time.

In 2008, Dara started her own food blog called The Skinny Pig. Her blog shares recipes, cooking tips and restaurant reviews.

Soon after her blog was created, she launched an Instagram account to promote her blog @SkinnyPigNYC. Now, Dara has over 92,500 followers and is one of New York City's top food bloggers.

Dara works as a food blogger full time and helps restaurants by consulting and collaborating with other social media influencers to share knowledge to restaurants about what makes a good "Instagram-able" food item.

For mouth-watering, crave-inducing food photos follow Dara on Instagram or see her photos below.

New York City foodies should check out The Skinny Pig blog for all of your foodie cravings!