Michelle how would you describe your personal brand?
MB: It’s still odd to consider myself a brand. I’m just a girl in this world who wants to be seen for what’s she’s passionate about. That involves tasting everything in this world at least twice, just in case it wasn’t made correct the first time.
How did you become interested in cooking and what inspired you to start documenting your food journey on Instagram?
MB: I come from a working-class household of two cooking parents, who could never agree to eat the same thing at the same time. We didn’t always have the latest of material things, but our bellies were always full. My mom would wake up at the crack of dawn and stew her traditional Filipino breakfast which is usually a lot heartier than your typical American breakie. Then like clockwork my dad would wake an hour later and cook up his American style breakfast. It’s still like that in my house to this day.
When I finally moved out at 18 to Las Vegas from Daly City, the home cooked meals and the feuds about who cooked them best is what I missed the most. Homesick, I’d call my folks and ask for recipes and tips. As time went on, I started to be proud of my newly developed skills in the kitchen. Texting and posting pictures for my parents to see was the only way they could know for sure that I was totally killing it in the kitchen. My inbox started to fill up with questions about cooking. I was answering so many individual direct messages that creating an online blog and YouTube was the only thing that made sense.
Soon after, I was blessed with the opportunity to work and collaborate with some amazingly accomplished like minded individuals. Things kind of just took off from there.
When partnering with a brand how do you best integrate a product into your content?
MB: I like to think of myself as the average new age woman. We want something that taste good and keeps us healthy. Most important we want free information about how to make life easier in all aspects. When I’m working with a brand, I imagine all the possible ways the product is useful to me. That connection between the brand, and audience is the most important part. So it’s my duty to share my experience with my following.
What has been the most exciting event/moment you’ve experience since becoming a food blogger?
MB: This past year I have gotten to meet some of the world’s most famous celebrity chefs. It wasn’t until I was locked arms with Robert Irvine. I asked him for a picture at one of his charity dinners. For 3 minutes we talked about chewing gum and raising kids. That’s when I had my official AH HAH moment. I remember being excited and equally terrified. He was saying something really inspirational, but I couldn’t remember to save my life. All I kept thinking was “wow, my dad is going to freak when he hears this.”
How do you think food and travel go hand in hand? What about the two that so relevant and similar?
MB: Food and travel are two sides of the same coin, and it’s very hard to do one without the other. Like an origin story, food tells us about the land, the people, and the language. You will learn a lot about food through travel. Also, you will learn just as much about travel through food.
What is your stance on influencers being paid to post about brands? Should influencers be transparent regarding payment for posts?
MB: A lot of work and time goes into creating content for paid ads, so I’m not oppose to it. However, I feel when a person sees the actual word “ad” it turns them off. That’s why it’s so important to me to have that honest relationship with my community. That’s what separates us from the next. The viewer has a right to know when they’re being suede in a certain direction. As an influencer, I’m merely the vehicle for free but entertaining information. I could only hope that my opinion is taken seriously. If there is a product that I think is amazing I will let my peers know. I usually say, “This is amazing and I would pay my own money for this”. That’s my stamp of approval.
How do you think the rise of influencer accounts on Instagram has impacted on the way that people discover restaurants/chefs/bar/and food?
MB: I think it’s great! Our population is growing, and the world has never seemed smaller and more connected. I can discover restaurants, and bars across the country with the swipe of a finger. Before I walk into a restaurant 100%, I’ve already studied the menu, read reviews, and looked up photos. There are real stories out there by real people who have gotten the amazing chance to get the inside scoop or be a part of something special. We all owe it to ourselves to share with each other. That’s the beautiful thing about how Instagram has impacted the food scene.
Do you think the food influencer scene could reach a point of saturation where users “switch off”? And if so, how far off do you think we are?
MB: I don’t feel that way at all. If anything, we’ll find another platform to merge to that’s probably owned by the previous platform. We’ll think we’re doing something different in a sense. But ultimately, we’ll still be sharing our passions, and creative content publicly through art, music, food, and fashion.
Do you think every restaurant should have a presence on Social Media?
MB: I think that there are places that don’t need social media because they’ve worked hard to build their reputation on their own and that’s boss. But having a social presence is a vital chess piece these days especially for new businesses. People want instant gratification. If we can’t get look it up, were likely to move on to somewhere else. True story, sometimes I get really bummed when a place isn’t on social. I feel robbed of sharing my photos, and thoughts about the place that I think others deserve to know. There’s that saying, “if you can’t post it, did it even happen?”
General words of wisdom you live by….
MB: “First they’ll ask you why you do it. Then they’ll ask you how you did it.”
This quote has gotten me through some pretty daunting times. Being an influencer, there is no clear-cut path to success. It reminds me to keep pushing through. Take every opportunity that I can and knock it out of the ballpark.
Lightning Round:
Sushi or Italian? Sushi all the way
Breakfast, Brunch or Dinner? Brunch because it’s the best of both worlds, and I could never turn down a day cocktail.
Favorite Spice or Herb? Garlic Lover
Best part of living in California besides the weather: California has such a strong sense of community and history; you can feel it when you walk the streets. It’s a great place to feel inspired. I appreciate that most of all.
