We were lucky to catch up with Terri Fè recently and have shared our conversation below.

Terri , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One of our favorite things to brainstorm about with friends who’ve built something entrepreneurial is what they would do differently if they were to start over today. Surely, there are things you’ve learned that would allow you to do it over faster, more efficiently. We’d love to hear how you would go about setting things up if you were starting over today, knowing everything that you already know.

I started a a food and fashion lifestyle blog in 2015 and have since worked towards added other extensions of this business such as a magazine and a fragrance line. Since starting my business I was always very hard on myself, I wanted everything to be perfect before I started or put out content but I’ve come to realize that there is no such thing as perfection, no matter your approach there is always going to be something that you could’ve done differently. If I had to start over from scratch I would keep this in mind and just go for it, I’d be more open to sharing my thoughts and experiences with others, I’d be more open to trying new things without the fear of failing because the only time you will truly fail is if you give up. I’d also be more consistent, consistency has always been something I’ve struggled with and I feel it’s set me back in more ways than one in the long run.

Terri , 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 attended art school in college and studied fashion design because fashion was always something I was passionate about but because it’s a cut throat industry it also brought out a lot of insecurities like am I good enough, will I succeed etc. to cope with these insecurities I would just walk around campus looking for signs, for something that would lead me in the direction I should be going in and this is how I ended up befriending culinary students who would let me try out whatever they made in class that day.

There is nothing I love more than Food and Fashion, I had the idea at 18 to start a food and fashion magazine that shed the light on up and coming creatives but I didn’t know how or where to start, I was also to insecure to seek answers.

Throughout the years I would tell friends I wanted to start a food blog but once again I didn’t know where to start, finally in 2015 my boyfriend bought me my first Nikon camera and told me to go for it, it was at that time I took pictures of any thing I ate lol from quesadillas to salmon dishes, I had no clear vision of how I wanted to execute this blog so I would post photos of jeans and quesadillas lol it was horrible. With more practice I realized I wanted to focus more on fine dining, but wanted to find ways to stand out from other food bloggers. It was at that time I realized I could bring my love for food and fashion together, not only was I always dressed to impress during each excursion, I also realized my culinary palette was out of the ordinary as well thanks to my chef friends and my mom who lived to experiment with different dishes at home.

Once I realized what I wanted my blog to actually be about it was time to do research, I wanted to be taken seriously, I wanted to walk and talk like a food critic. So I read up on it, learned their lingo, I also love to write so I found it easy to write about food, I still had my insecurities but the positive responses from my friends and family reassured me that I was on the right path.

Over the years I became discouraged but never gave up, my approach has changed millions of times but I’m proud that in 2023 I’m still going. There has been so much growth. Throughout it all I just want my followers to know that “Foodmeatsfashion” is something I’m truly passionate about. My reviews will always be honest, the looks will always be on point and I’ll never give up on keeping them in the loop.

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

When TikTok blew up viewers became more interested in video content. No longer did they care to read or care about a beautiful photo of a still plate. They started to want the full experience. From the moment you walk into the establishment, to the moment you leave. I had to step out of my comfort zone and deliver this type of content for my viewers while maintaining the story telling aspect of it all. This is where the voiceovers come into play, I’ve always hated my voice but it works.

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

I’m big on everything isn’t for everybody. There are plenty of food bloggers out there who adopt the same video ideas, and do things pretty much identical to one another, but for me it’s important for me to find ways to stand out and remain separate from the competition. Not everyone is going to be into my style of doing things but those who are will follow and support everything that I do, and that’s what I wanted, I wanted GENIUNE supporters. So my advice to those looking to start a business is to literally be yourself. Don’t pay attention to the outside noise, what’s for you will always be for you.

Contact Info:

• Website: Foodmeatsfashion.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foodmeatsfashion/
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/foodmeatsfashion
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terri-fè-083ba7229
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/F_Meats_F
• Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCiFOkuxOQ3y8xFsEELixxCA

Image Credits
Head shot by Carlyle Chalmers Food Images by Terri Fè restaurant is “Cranes” in Washington DC