We recently connected with Pavani Nandula and have shared our conversation below.
Pavani, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?
My food blog is called “Cook’s Hideout’ and I started in 2006. When I was brainstorming about the name for the blog with the family, my husband remembered his favorite restaurant from college days called “Hideout” and then we ended up naming the blog “Cook’s Hideout”. It refers to my favorite place in the home, ‘my kitchen’.
Pavani, 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?
I am a big foodie and my passion for food and cooking began in my childhood. Trying out new dishes for my family and receiving their positive feedback got me cooking even more. In 2003, I started my blog ‘Cook’s Hideout’, to document my everyday kitchen experiments. I share easy and delicious plant based recipes from around the world. I published 2 cookbooks with Indian vegetarian recipes. I am really proud of my accomplishments in sharing traditional Indian recipes with American cooks and readers.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
I decided to focus my attention on Instagram in 2020 (@cooks_hideout). I had a very small following (<2000) at the time. I read a lot about the platform and how to grow organically. Then started posting regularly (posts and stories). Slowly and steadily my followers grew. I also jumped onto Reels pretty early and that helped too. If you are just starting, then my biggest advice is to stay consistent on IG and make more Reels.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Being a food blogger who shares recipes, my most rewarding aspect is getting positive feedback on my recipes. Watching other people share the photos of my recipes makes me very happy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cookshideout.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cooks_hideout/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CooksHideout