Today we’d like to introduce you to Julia Mullaney.

Julia, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?

I first started brainstorming the idea behind Five Ingredient Feast back in early 2020. Covid proved to be a time for me to reflect on what I had done up until that point and figure out where I wanted to go. I loved to cook, but it seemed like more and more people were looking toward easy recipes that didn’t take a ton of effort. That’s how I came up with Five Ingredient Feast — a recipe concept featuring original dishes made with just five ingredient or fewer. It started out as a weekly newsletter, but eventually, I moved into the social media space. Thanks to one viral French onion dip recipe that earned millions of views, I was able to take FIF from a passion project to a true business, and I’ve been working to grow it ever since while maintaining the integrity of easy recipes that are accessible to everyone.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

The road is never perfectly smooth, but I do believe that it’s what you make of it. I spent three years trying to turn FIF into a business, and it was incredibly hard. There were times when I questioned whether it would ever go anywhere. I believed in the idea, but I had no clue how to get more eyes in front of it and spread the word. In June 2023, after feeling deflated that my lengthy, intricate recipes videos weren’t getting views, I published a three-second clip of my hand dipping a piece of toast into a cheesy dip — and the cheese pull went viral. I gained more than 10,000 social media followers in just a few weeks, and suddenly, everything felt worth it, despite all of the struggles that led to it. Now, speed bumps are different than they once were, but they still exist. Running a business is truly a balancing act, but the setbacks can also be viewed as lessons. It sounds cliché, but if something doesn’t work, it’s only just a learning experience — and eventually, you’ll get it right. I’m still learning from this brand every single day!

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?

Five ingredient Feast was designed to making cooking easy for everyone. There are plenty of reasons why people might think they can’t cook—groceries are expensive, some kitchens don’t have much counter space, and many people work long hours and don’t feel like cooking when they get home. FIF wanted to solve that by offering recipes that limit the ingredients and don’t require much kitchen space or prep time.
Five Ingredient Feast is proud to offer nutritious recipes (of course, there are indulgent ones, too!), but the brand wants to create a food world where it’s possible to make exciting dinner recipes, sweet deserts, and upscale appetizers without breaking the bank or putting in too much effort.

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?

For my 10th birthday, I wanted a blender that I saw on an infomercial. It could blend, whip, whisk, juice — you name it. It definitely wasn’t a conventional gift for a 10-year-old, but my parents bought it for me. I was so excited to make all kinds of recipes with it! To this day, I still laugh when I think about asking for something like that as a birthday gift. Who would’ve thought it would lead to a lifetime of cooking?

Contact Info:

• Website: https://fiveingredientfeast.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/fiveingredientfeast

Image Credits

Five Ingredient Feast