We were lucky to catch up with Amber Bogardus recently and have shared our conversation below.

Amber, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

During a particularly challenging time in my young adult life, when funds were tight, stress was high, and I was uncertain about my future, learning to cook became a source of healing and a way to regain control. I started with simple recipes, using affordable ingredients, and found comfort in the routine of preparing meals. Shopping for ingredients and learning about spices and sauces was an escape for me.
Fast forward to 3 or 4 years later, starting my food blog in 2020. I had to relearn a completely new craft, adjacent to my love of cooking – food writing, publishing, and website management. Whew! This was going to be a feat.
I was patient with myself, took it one step at a time, and am still dong that to this day. Every day I learn something new in this industry and there will always be more things to learn.

Amber, 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?

My name is Amber Bogardus, I am the author, creator, and founder behind A Toasted Crumb. A Toasted Crumb is a food blog that I started in the midst of the pandemic in 2020, out of a pure love for food and recipe writing.
I enjoy writing simple recipes that help others feel a little less intimidated by cooking. I love to write realistic recipes that work for families with small kids, interesting recipes that are fun to create for parties, or teach others how to manipulate their favorite flavors to create fun recipes of their own!

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I had taken more time to get involved in the food blogging community when I initially launched my food blog. I’ve joined a few organizations this year (Food Blogger Pro and Tastemaker Collaborative, specifically) that have opened so many doors for me in terms of opportunities, networking, and learning. It’s great to have a community of other people working on the same things you are to talk to about strategy, challenges, and triumphs. It can also be really hard to know where to network in the food blogging space.. These organizations make that easy!

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

This is something I’m still working on! (Follow me at @atoastedcrumb on all socials! :) )
With social, I’ve had to learn that showing up and putting your face on camera is just part of it these days. It’s so easy to fall into hiding behind the camera in food photography and videography. But that doesn’t necessarily resonate with audiences as well as being yourself on camera does.
I find that my videos where I am personally on camera and just working through the motions of a recipe do so much better than a highly edited short form recipe video. This was surprising to me for the longest time.
It’s something I’m trying to get more comfortable with and need to make more time for. I’m looking forward to producing some more personal content as I keep growing my brand!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://atoastedcrumb.com/
• Instagram: @atoastedcrumb
• Facebook: A Toasted Crumb
• Twitter: @atoastedcrumb
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@atoastedcrumb?si=u__cXfeQNMrwUOKF
• Other: TikTok: @atoastedcrumb

Image Credits

Branding Photos: Callen Creative Photography