Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Joseph Leta. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Joseph, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard

If there’s anything we want to highlight about our business is that we refuse to fall under the heading of Social Media Influencer. Our goal as food bloggers has been to highlight the artists creating meals or drinks (usually chef owned businesses) with their passion. These businesses tend to fare poorly in the modern environment due to lack of resources and sufficient funding. We are trying to help break industrial and cultural stereotypes.

Joseph, 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 founded the Buffalo Food Otaku because we felt that other food blogs focused on average foods that pictured well on social media. Usually these were dishes of high caloric impact, made without any refinement or passion…merely to shock the senses. Even worse, many bloggers were using their positions for self-gratification and side businesses, other than focusing on the betterment of the hospitality industry. We highlight foods that are traditional, passionate, and/or artistic, and tell stories of the people who create these masterpieces. These could range from the highest-end restaurants to a mom and pop diner. We also highlight cultures and foods from those cultures which are not in the lime light, but should be.

How’d you meet your business partner?

My co-founder, Sadako Lilley is now my fiancée. She hails from Osaka, Japan and moved to Buffalo, New York in the mid 2000s. We had a mutual friend, and actually cooked a meal for an ex-girlfriend and myself before a trip we were taking to Tokyo. When that relationship later crumbled, we reconnected, and were instantly attracted to each other’s passion for the culinary arts. Throughout the course of the past four years, she has been the heart and soul of the Buffalo Food Otaku, and am quite proud that I will be marrying her in Osaka, as soon as the travel restrictions are modified.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

One of the biggest hurdles to overcome has been sources of new clients. The Buffalo Food Otaku is not a profit making entity. We do this for the passion, and with the underlying purpose of shifting the focus to where it belongs for the betterment of the hospitality industry. We believe in a completely organic approach to growth underscored by our lack of a budget. Luckily, with the rise of social media we are able to spread our message at little to no cost. Yet, the only way to keep people coming back and engaging is to only publish articles created with integrity. We have drafted an ethical code that we follow so that when we send people to a restaurant, then can trust it is our true beliefs. In an age of puffery, and self-promotion at the expense of others, honesty is the rock we have anchored ourselves to.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://foodotaku.com/
• Instagram: buffalofoodotaku
• Facebook: Buffalo Food Otaku

Image Credits
All photos are taken by and owned by the Buffalo Food Otaku