We recently connected with Brad Prose and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Brad thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. The first dollar you earn in a new endeavor is always special. We’d love to hear about how you got your first client that wasn’t a friend or family.

One of my friends had given me a pack of grilling cedar planks. He found them in his garage and realized he wasn’t going to use them. I had started posting on Instagram just a few months before, so I figured I’d get creative and make a few recipes with them. I posted a few photos with some recipes and one of them in particular was noticed, cedar-planked mashed potatoes. A company named Wildwood Grilling reached out, specializing in grilling planks and wood chips. They asked if I’d partner with them to publish recipes for their website and social media. This is when I also realized for the first time the impact that social media can have when sharing creativity. I ended up working with them for years!

Brad, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Chiles and Smoke is a business that was created to inspire others by using creative techniques and bold flavors with grilling and barbecue, unbound by culinary rules and authenticity. I wanted to be able to share ideas that improve the quality of food and flavor coming off the grill in everyone’s backyard. Most of my work is published on the website, chilesandsmoke.com, and through social media. Recently a self-titled cookbook was just released, Chiles and Smoke, which is available in stores and online. On the business side, I partner with many brands in the barbecue and food spaces to write unique recipes, create compelling media to share stories about products, and then distribute that media across various channels which creates more visibility. Brands are attracted to Chiles and Smoke for the high-quality photography and videography, plus the educational focus when telling a story.
There are two things that tend to set my food apart: Flavors and Techniques. I’m inspired by flavors from all over the world and focused my years on learning many of those cuisines. My experience has helped me to grasp an understanding of those spices and chiles, tying them into new and exciting ways for recipes with grilling and barbecue. My focus on technique stems from my love for fine dining. There are processes, equipment, and simple tricks which high-end chefs use that I’ve studied, and try to apply when cooking in the backyard. Studying techniques has reinforced my educational approach, while also coming up with a few new and unique recipes.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I’ve wanted to write a cookbook for years, focusing on global flavors that draw in chiles to enhance barbecue and grilling. A few years ago I met with a publisher that reached out, interested in hearing about my book concepts. Initially, I shared “Chiles and Smoke”, which they told me was “too basic” and would not resonate with audiences. I was crushed because it made me question what I was doing. We spent the next 6 months going back and forth with ideas, everything was rejected by them, and eventually they dropped me. I started to question everything, wondering if my brand was too complicated for people to understand and digest. It was a difficult time, having all of my ideas rejected back to back for half a year.
One of my friends was in the process of writing his second cookbook and decided to proactively refer me to his publisher. We met, and they absolutely loved the idea of “Chiles and Smoke”. The publisher was an amazing partner, and we had just a great time creating the cookbook. I’m so glad that I stayed true to myself, and my friends saw that as well, which gave me a better chance and creating the story I was hoping for.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Early on with Chiles and Smoke I was creating wild, unbound recipes and publishing them online. They were attractive and controversial, but it wasn’t helping my website grow. One of my goals as a business owner was to make revenue from the site, so I needed to evaluate what was happening. SEO was not something I knew enough about, so I had to take many steps back and learn the processes. It’s no surprise that my unique recipes simply weren’t been seen because no one was searching for my uncommon keywords.
This is when I had to evaluate my business and decide on the balance of creativity versus availability. It was tough to reign myself in, but it also taught me how to communicate more effectively to a wider audience.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.chilesandsmoke.com/
• Instagram: @chilesandsmoke
• Facebook: @chilesandsmoke
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradprose/
• Youtube: @chilesandsmoke