We were lucky to catch up with Coral & Shani Dayan recently and have shared our conversation below.

Coral & Shani, 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?

We’re Coral and Shani Dayan, sisters, best friends, and co-creators of Craving SoCal. We’re four years apart and incredibly close, not just as siblings but as collaborators with a shared vision and passion for telling real stories about Southern California.

We were born and raised in the Valley of Los Angeles, but our upbringing was far from the “typical” LA experience. We grew up in an immigrant household, surrounded by hard work, family values, and culture. Our father runs a thriving agriculture business based in SoCal, so from a young age, we were deeply connected to the land, the seasons, and the people who make this region so rich, not just in produce but in tradition.

Growing up in Calabasas and being so close to the agricultural heart of Southern California gave us a unique perspective. We didn’t just see SoCal as palm trees and city lights. We saw the countryside, the multicultural communities, the mom-and-pop shops, the local festivals, and the quiet, beautiful corners that most people drive right past.

Craving SoCal is our love letter to that side of SoCal, the one you don’t always see online. Our page reflects the way we see Southern California: full of flavor, tradition, stories, and hidden gems. From tucked-away cafes to family run businesses and community driven events, we share the places and experiences that shaped us and continue to inspire us every day.

We’re proud to come from a background that celebrates culture, family, and hard work. We bring that same energy into everything we post. Through Craving SoCal, our hope is to show people that SoCal is so much more than just what’s trending. It’s layered, it’s diverse, and it’s rooted in real people and real stories. We’re honored to share that with our growing community.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For us, the most rewarding part of being creative is getting to showcase what we genuinely love and seeing how much others connect with it. There’s something incredibly fulfilling about highlighting the lesser-known parts of Southern California and watching people light up with excitement or curiosity in response.

We take real pride in uncovering and sharing the hidden sides of SoCal that often go unnoticed. The positive engagement and support we receive from our community make it all even more meaningful.

Both of us work in the marketing industry, so when we started Craving SoCal, we knew we wanted to combine our professional skills with our personal passion. This platform became our creative outlet, a space where we could use our marketing backgrounds to thoughtfully and authentically spotlight the places and people that make SoCal so special.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

We built our audience by focusing on organic, engaging content. From the beginning, our mindset was simple, create content that we’re proud of, not content designed just to chase followers or likes.

Instead of following trends or trying to fit into an algorithm, we stayed true to what inspired us. We believed that if we focused on sharing meaningful stories and authentic experiences, the right audience would find us. And that’s exactly what happened. By putting out content we genuinely stand behind, we’ve been able to grow a community that values what we do and connects with the heart behind it.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cravingsocal/
• Other: Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cravingsocal

Image Credits
All images are taken by Shani and Coral Dayan Co-Founders of CravingSocal