We were lucky to catch up with Emma Essence recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Emma thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later

I believe Essence Eats came to be at the exact time that it was meant to be.

I started Essence Eats before I was ready… but that’s how the best businesses come to be right? After all, will you ever really be ready to make that jump or to follow your dream?

I started Essence Eats in the midst of the pandemic without having any blogging or photography experience. I cooked for my whole family growing up and always knew cooking was something special to me. Essence Eats started as just a hobby to share what I love to do and what I was passionate about. Although it was messy, many failures occurred, constant pivoting to adjust to trends and the market, and lots of courses and educational workshops taken, I would not have it any other way.

Emma, 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?

Hey there, I’m Emma Essence! I am the founder, blogger, recipe developer, photographer, and writer behind the modern comfort food blog Essence Eats. In other words, I do all the things!

Growing up with a single hard working mom and three siblings, I was primarily the one cooking meals. We had no access to high quality ingredients, just lots of ramen, hot dogs, mac and cheese, white rice, and spam (ironically I love mac and cheese with hot dogs now).
I began really experimenting in the kitchen in my teen years in an effort to spice up dishes for myself and my family. This still wasn’t anything extravagant but getting more comfortable in the kitchen and more inventive in cooking. Like cooking white rice in broth instead of water or making my own cheese sauce for mac instead of the powder packet. I loved being able to create new dishes that my family loved!

So how did I get here?

I think it’s clear my love language has always been cooking. And once I met my now husband and we moved in together, the kitchen quickly became my favorite place to be. I loved having a special someone to cook for!

I fell in love with cooking and nothing could stop me from learning more and to keep creating! Even though we lived in a small apartment I was constantly hosting family and friends. I would invent new recipes constantly and share them with my loved ones.

Once the pandemic hit, everyone was forced to be cooking since most places were closed. People would be reaching out for recipes for dinner or desserts. And that’s when it hit me that I want to turn this passion into something bigger.

Here I am 3 years later, being able to create recipes everyday for people that appreciate delicious food and mean a lot to me… you! On Essence Eats, I share comfort food recipes with modern twist like fried chicken mac and cheese or brown butter chocolate chip banana bread! These recipes are all tried and true, tested in my own kitchen countless times until they are perfect and I deliver them to you! Each of my blog posts contains tips and tricks, simple substitutions and variation, follow along how to videos, and so much more!

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

The biggest advice I can give in order to build your social media presence is just to be your authentic self! I know what you’re thinking, like duh Emma! But I really mean it.

The people that are following you are your people! They are there for a reason. You offer something that no one else does and your perspective means something to them. It can be difficult to be vulnerable or transparent on social media so just put your genuine self forward and your community will connect with you.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Working in an environment where a lot of my business is based on external factors like social media, I am constantly having to pivot. A great example of this is in the ever-changing world of Instagram! Instagram constantly updates and changes their content recommendations of how often you should be posting, what type of content you should be posting, and even when to post!

When just starting as a food blogger, these changes can feel like a huge challenge. Just when you get the hang of something it changes again. But in reality, this is a business and to continue moving forward you have to move and jive with the changes. Being flexible on your approach and consistently evaluating your strategy can allow you to be ahead in the industry and up to date in your business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://essenceeats.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/essenceeats/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Essenceats/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_JND4dpo0JHsIVTitQHD1Q
• Other: Pinterest : https://www.pinterest.com/EssenceEats