We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kelsey Price. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kelsey below.

Kelsey , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

As someone born and raised in New Orleans, a city so deeply rooted in food culture, a natural appreciation for good food runs rampant in my blood. I never knew what my passion for food would turn into, but I’ve enjoyed seeing how my love for photography and food has intertwined in a way that connects with the New Orleans community. What started as just a fun, creative outlet has turned into a mission of connecting the citizens of New Orleans with great local restaurants.

This journey and community have also allowed me to be my true, authentic self, which can sometimes be hard to do in ordinary circumstances. I started my social media food blog not because I wanted to show off or grow a large audience but because it was a way to have fun and show a side of me that most people don’t witness.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Starting at a young age, I’ve always had a natural inclination toward creating. I started playing the piano at the age of five, and it was one of those things that came effortlessly to me. For the longest time, there wasn’t anything I loved more than sitting down and creating the beautiful sound of music with my own ten fingers. In school, I danced, sang, and dabbled in musical theater. There’s something so invigorating about playing an integral role in creating something enjoyable for yourself and others to witness. Creating something can also feel very personal because you reveal yourself more intimately through your creation.

When I was nine, my mom gave me my first camera. It was one of those basic Kodak cameras that could practically fit in the palm of your hand. Looking back, I see this was the exact moment I became hooked on capturing life’s moments. I would use it almost every day, taking pictures and videos of all the people and things around me, no matter how big or small. I was fascinated with how it allowed me to capture moments in time—ones that might otherwise become lost as time went by. As I got older, I became more serious regarding how I took pictures. I would play with angles, lighting, color, size, depth, and the impact it would leave on the viewer. My dad gifted me my first DSLR camera when I graduated high school, knowing how much it would mean to me and my hobby.

I don’t remember when or what motivated me to take my first picture of food at a restaurant, but I remember the exact moment I started posting my food pictures on Yelp. I was sitting in my ninth-grade history class with my best friend, and she was showing me her sister’s Yelp Elite page. Until then, I knew what Yelp was, but I had never thought of posting anything myself. I remember feeling immediate inspiration and deciding in that moment to work toward becoming a Yelp Elite myself. The idea excited me, and I instantly got to work on sifting through my camera roll to find some of the very first pictures I ever posted to my Yelp account. I posted these pictures right from my ninth-grade desk that day, and I haven’t stopped since. Now, I’m going on six years of being a Yelp Elite, and I have become even more enamored with taking pictures of food and sharing my experiences with others.

On February 18, 2020, I decided to make a food blog on Instagram in addition to posting on Yelp, hoping to reach a wider audience. This is when “Dining With Kels” was born. Being so eager to start bringing my food adventures to Instagram, I did not at all think about the impending global pandemic that was about to ensue and how this would affect my ability to go out to restaurants. Nevertheless, I got creative during the lockdown by taking pictures of some homemade meals, using old photos from my camera roll, and getting takeout from restaurants as they started to reopen. Despite being limited, I was surprised at how quickly my Instagram grew in such a short amount of time. Since then, I’ve been hooked and motivated to continue on this creative journey.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect for me is inspiring others while having fun, being myself, and using my talents. It’s been one of the best experiences growing and learning about myself while seeing such a positive response to something I had initially started just for fun. I love that I get to harness my creative side and witness such a positive reception to my content creations while freely promoting great restaurants in an impactful light. It’s been amazing getting to connect with people and businesses, and I hope to expand and reach a wider audience. I’ve learned more about myself these past two years than I ever thought was imaginable, and I’m excited to see how I can further grow personally and creatively in the future.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

This is the perfect question for me to answer right now because I’m going through a significant life change. In my junior year of high school, I decided I wanted to go to law school and become a federal prosecutor. I’ve always been very self-motivated, and I was determined to do whatever it took to achieve this goal. As soon as I graduated high school, I embarked on my college career, where I graduated in 2.5 years with my bachelor’s in psychology. Right after college, I started law school. I had been confident in my law school decision up until this very month, November 2022.

I decided to withdraw from law school after my first semester because it became clear to me that it was not the right path I was meant to go down in life. This decision was one of the hardest I’ve ever had to make, and it was definitely the scariest. I was scared of making the wrong decision, not knowing what might come next and what other people might think. But, I have since realized that I couldn’t have made a better decision for myself. Although at this moment, I still don’t know exactly what’s to come, I couldn’t be more excited for the future and to find what truly feeds my spirit.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diningwithkels/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082763116314&mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/kelsey-price-a156591a1
• Yelp: http://diningwithkels.yelp.com
• Other: TikTok: http://www.tiktok.com/@diningwithkels