We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Miguell Martinez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Miguell thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Food is a vital part of all of our lives and it’s also an incredible connector. During 2020 I believed we all had a taste of getting back in the kitchen as most of our favorite places to eat were closed. I share this because for my family and I, it gave us time to enjoy each-other more and to explore food differently than we had before. As a result of this, I started sharing my dinner plate photos on instagram and surprisingly people really enjoyed them. I was very shocked at how people wanted me to share, what I believed to be basic recipes and then they would share them and pass them on to their friends. I thought to myself… What if I create a simple cookbook of my family favorite recipes we eat monthly and publish it? It was a long shot but eventually came to pass, and my first cookbook, “He’s Got Flavor”, was a best seller on Amazon. From there, people requested videos and more visuals on how to create certain dishes so I supported this with a social media page which showed more cooking so that they can see some of the processes. Eventually this caught on and I gained a substantial food following that I was totally unprepared for to say the least. My primary career as a business consultant now became infused with food and flavor. I was very confused but excited, lol.  After giving this a lot of thought I decided perhaps there was a greater calling, something bigger than what I could see at the moment. That ultimately inspired me to establish The Flavors of Change Foundation, A non-profit that connects cooking and community closer through food, service and education.

Miguell , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have always been a creative and a builder. My educational background is in International Business with some additional education in disruptive strategy and marketing. This has kept food on the table and has allowed me to travel to and visit many places. How this connected to food was never something I imagined. Covid had its perils but for some, was a rebirth as many were forced to survive and or rediscover themselves. Growing up we didn’t have much but my grandmother always kept a hot meal on the table. Food was love because she gave all that she had. Covid had us locked inside for most of the time, and for my family,  food and cooking together kept us strong. Seeing what this did for us, it reminded me how basic culinary schools are becoming far and few. I wanted to do my part and help at least one child and or one adult. I started online and used the money from my cookbook sales to help give more. Eventually a single idea turned into a greater vision and we have done some great things in the community as a result. Im very proud of that, we are all very proud of that!

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

When Flavors of Change was created, it was my first experience in the non profit sector. I didn’t foresee all that would need to be done to gain funding in order to do more for others. This was a time when people had already lost so much, so I didn’t want to feel like I was begging or making things worse. So I started thinking about how I could generate fundraising by giving people something that made their lives easier. I noticed on my cooking videos that the most watched and engaged videos were when I added sauces to my food. People really enjoyed them and many suggested that if I bottle a couple of them,  it would be more convenient. I thought of this for some time and one day realized that this was the answer. I later founded, House of Flava, a sauce and spice company that has delicious marinades, sauces and healthy spices.

Marketing and Branding were definitely in my repertoire so I decided to create a brand of sauces and use those funds to build cooking classes for kids and adults, and also to buy all of the work stations needed to support this cooking and community initiative. It’s amazing how things turn out sometimes because this series of events were not even close to what I originally imagined. Being able to pivot and become more agile in special circumstances can make all the difference if you just follow through. This worked out really well and has done so much good as a result.

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

Currently my personal brand, He’s Got Flavor is sitting around 1+ million followers and over 100 million views between my social platforms. I posted often and took the time to understand my audience as well as I could. Understanding your data and analytics are key. Also responding and engaging back with your audience is very important. Trends change and you have to be willing to adapt all while keeping your brand in tact and true to who you are. This is what makes your viewers return and continue to support you. Cinematography is vital and how you connect with and capture your audiences attention through video. Quality will always win over quantity in my opinion. Good lighting, sound, a great video and a hook is a must. Also, don’t be afraid to learn from someone who has done it and is doing it well. Chances are they have invested a-lot of time figuring this out, so you can cut the line a little if you get the notes. Social Media is changes fast and so is the attention span of the viewer. It’s vital to be aware of this and use this understanding to better capture the attention. The most important thing is to stay active and produce content. While quality is key, sometimes quantity has it perks as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.flavorsofchange.org
• Instagram: hesgotflavor