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

Shani, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I actually came up with the idea for Coined Cuisine – without knowing it – all the way back in 2016. I had just moved to Atlanta to attend grad school at CAU. I was staying in my first apartment over on the West End, and I was a typical grad student without a lot of money.

I made a promise to myself that although I didn’t have a big budget for groceries, I wouldn’t fill up on cheap, non-nutritious stuff like noodles or bread. After all, I didn’t even have time to work out since I was getting my CPA!

I came up with a system for my meals. I did a TON of meal prep and barely ate out. I would plan what I wanted to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and compare that with the ingredients that were on the weekly ads. I used tons of digital coupons from the store’s mobile app. Essentially, I was eating on about $40-$50 a week, if that.

And the meals were GOOD. I’m talking Greek yogurt parfaits, southwest salads, Cajun chicken jumbalaya… you name it.

A few years later, I was having a conversation with my friend and he told me his grocery budget was 2x what I was spending, and I couldn’t believe it. I’ve ALWAYS had a huge passion for food and cooking, so I thought to myself: How many other people are struggling to slash their food budget without cutting corners on taste or nutrition?

With that, Coined Cuisine was born! It’s the intersection where food and finances meet. My blog has tons of free recipes that are easy to make but taste absolutely amazing. At the bottom of each recipe, I provide a cost breakdown so you can see just how much you’re spending to make my recipe vs. if you were to buy it from a restaurant.

With my natural culinary ability and the financial knowledge from my 9-5, I knew that this would be a FANTASTIC idea that could really help people around the world. I mean who doesn’t want to save a few bucks while eating good food? Once I came up with the name and general concept, it was love at first “bite” from there.

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

My name is Shani and I’m the owner of Coined Cuisine. My brand is the intersection where food and finances meet. I provide recipes that are budget-friendly and simple to make with accessible ingredients/equipment. And of course, the meals are absolutely delicious!

On coinedcuisine.com, you’ll find TONS of free recipes with a cost breakdown at the bottom that shows you the comparison of how much it costs to make it at home vs. buying it at a restaurant.

In addition, I have two published cookbooks. Plate Night In is a date-night inspired cookbook filled with meals for 2 that are fancy, tasty, and inexpensive. Air Fried Boss is all about how to maximize your air fryer, making anything from breakfast to pizza to Asian-inspired dishes in a fraction of the time!

If you’re looking to grow your kitchen confidence, cut down your grocery budget, or simply spice up your meals in the kitchen… Coined Cuisine is here for you. And for my visual learners, I also post tons of videos on Instagram and TikTok (@coinedcuisine) so you can follow along while making your culinary masterpieces!

I’m most proud of the impact I’m making. I’ve had so many people reach out to tell me how great their food tastes, how easy it is to follow along, and how cost effective the recipes are! I love to hear that people who normally are intimidated in the kitchen, have now branched out into making new meals because of Coined Cuisine. It truly inspires me to keep going to spread my purpose worldwide.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

When I first started Coined Cuisine, my #1 goal was to be authentic and kind. I strive to continuously have a reputation of being friendly, open to questions, and most importantly – myself. I think that part of my success can be attributed to the fact that I never try to “be” like someone else, even if that person has tons of followers, sales, etc.

One thing I’ve noticed is that markets aren’t as big as they seem, no matter what industry you’re in. So it goes a long way to be kind and supportive to your peers. Be a cheerleader when someone gets an opportunity that you want one day! Congratulate others, and be open to having conversations and sharing knowledge. In life and in business, that will take you extremely far.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

So I feel that a lot of people on social media try to convince you to quit your job when you start to build a brand.

I’m not that person! I have a full 9-5 that funds my creative business and will do so until my brand is sustaining my lifestyle.

Honestly, having a full-time job helps with stability. It’s hard to be creative & work on your venture when you’re stressed out about paying rent. You could start making emotional business decisions because you NEED that money to put food on the table.

If you have a consistent check coming in every two weeks, it takes a lot of stress off of you. And believe me, you’ll have enough stress just starting a business. I fully believe in the power of creating a 9-5 that works for you (as far as hours, if it’s remote or not, etc.) and maximizing your time and dollars to create the brand of your dreams.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.coinedcuisine.com
• Instagram: @coinedcuisine
• Other: My TikTok page is @coinedcuisine as well!