Ep 100: Celebrating "Everything's Good", With The Moody Foody

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Hey sweet friends, my name is Jeff Schomberg.
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I started my baking business with a bottle of Di Solano and one buttercake fan.
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Fast forward to today from news to magazines, speaking on national stages and more, I can truly say that baking has changed my life.
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So now, as a bakery business coach, I get to help others have the same success.
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I've helped hundreds of my students across the world in my global membership program create six-figure businesses, mainly from home.
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The Baking for Business podcast is an extension of that, from actionable tips to valuable tools and resources that can impact you as a business owner.
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I truly believe, y'all, we would never have been given a gift if we couldn't profit and prosper from it.
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So come on, darling.
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What are you waiting for?
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Hey, what's going on, you guys, and welcome back to the Baking for Business Podcast.
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I'm so excited to be here with you guys today.
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Today we have a special guest in the house who has a book which is on the way, Tony Chapman, who's also known as the Moody Foodie.
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She is a Miami-based culinary creator, a social media influencer, an author, as well as an entrepreneur.
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And she's known for her bold yet comforting recipes inspired by her Afro-Latina heritage and home style cooking.
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And so today she's here to talk all about her journey, her beautiful content that she creates, and what you can expect from her new books.
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So without further ado, welcome to the podcast, Tony.
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Hi, Amanda.
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Thank you so much for having me.
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I'm so excited to be chatting today.
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Absolutely.
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I'm so happy to have you here.
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And so, real quick for those who may never have heard of you, how did you get started with your road to just content creation and putting yourself and your food out there?
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Yeah, great question.
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Um, so I started content creation about seven years ago formally.
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I had always loved cooking.
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I started a business when I was 19, and we were selling like these really colorful lunches in my neighborhood.
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So I come from a food business background.
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But in terms of like actually creating, it kind of started a little bit before COVID as a hobby.
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Like I had a lot of free time and I would just be cooking, and I was taking photos of the things that I was making and I was taking videos, and people really liked what they were seeing, and it kind of inspired me to continue to do it.
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And then over the years, it's became a career, but it's been a fun and unexpected ride.
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I love that.
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And I noticed that you don't just share cooking.
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There are times where also you'll share uh baking recipes.
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So, in regards to just loving to cook, how did you decide on a niche when it came to just branding yourself and putting yourself out there?
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Oh, wow, that's a wonderful question.
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I think for me, that's something that I actually struggle with, right?
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Because I don't ever want to be boxed in.
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My cookbook is called Everything's Good, because I would like to imagine that like I kind of cover everything.
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Like I have this cultural emphasis, but I like you said, I bake.
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I make southern recipes, I do meal prep, I do takeout, I do like appetizers that are impressive.
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You know, there's lots of technique.
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Um, love to bake, definitely became a better baker with practice and over time.
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So, in terms of like a niche, I try to always like represent my culture where I can, but I do like to cast a wide net because I love to cook everything and I just love all sorts of food.
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So I want to represent as many cultures and cuisines as possible in an approachable way, of course.
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I love that.
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So take us back to the early days.
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What did it look like when you first started putting your content out there?
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Did you have like a content schedule?
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Did you know, okay, I'm gonna do one recipe a week?
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Did you go by the seasons or what did that look like in terms of just creating the content?
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Yeah, in the beginning, I was actually creating for about a year and a half before I actually entered the creator economy.
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So I didn't know that you could make money being a creator.
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I had no idea.
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I just knew that I really loved to make videos, I love to cook, and there were people that were watching me and they were commenting.
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And I was really inspired and empowered by that, even though I wasn't earning.
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So I just stayed consistent, even though I had a business at the time and I was like the CEO of that business.
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I was still committed to scheduling time to make these videos for people that wanted to see them.
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And I was just really consistent.
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So, no, I didn't have like a calendar and I wasn't super intentional about the things that I was making, but I made sure to always like just be consistent.
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I was like, I have to do two to three videos a week.
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I have to, I have to, and I would do it, I would sacrifice plans, not knowing that it would turn into a career.
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So it was just consistency in the beginning.
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I love that.
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And I read that you're also a video creator for BuzzFeed Tasty.
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Yes.
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That's really wonderful.
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So tell us about uh that journey.
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Like, what does the job typically entail when it comes to your content?
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Yeah, so I work freelance for BuzzFeed Tasty.
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I started working with them about four, almost five years ago.
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Um, BuzzFeed has like this super massive audience of like a whole bunch of people who really love food.
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And when I started working with Tasty, their brand was really about teaching people how to make uh the classics, right?
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So Tasty had a huge YouTube platform where they would show people how to make chocolate chip cookies and that had over a hundred million views, and so they were kind of known as like for their resources.
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Um, and so obviously they rebranded throughout the years, but I was brought on to kind of add some like fun and vibrancy to what they were already doing on my short form platforms.
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So it was we would have meetings on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, we would come up with ideas and con uh concepts, and then I would like create uh videos for them.
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And we we started off by doing this uh series around affordability because that was something that was really important to me.
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So we would create these videos where I would take$20 and go into the grocery store and try to make something special and impressive with it.
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And these videos went so viral.
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I mean, at the time I had only had maybe a hundred thousand followers, and now I have like five million.
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And so Tasty really, really catapulted me into success because people really love to see what you could do on a budget and how you can make these elevated dishes on a budget and these impressive desserts on a budget.
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So it was a really great time working with them, and I'm still a part of the family, and you know, it's just been a great experience.
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I love that.
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As you're saying that, I noticed that's actually how I like content.
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I like content that kind of has different themes, you know, like uh I made this for$10 or this for less than five ingredients.
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So, you know, there's always like that one thing.
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So, like you said, on a budget.
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I love those videos.
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I'm always scrolling and looking through them.
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And you mentioned all the millions of views with BuzzFeed, but looking on your content, your stuff always looks delicious and it's the same, it has tons of millions of views, and I love that.
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So, from creating your content and building, and now you have the book coming out.
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What inspired you to write the book?
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Wow.
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I mean, I think it was just the the next natural step, right?
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Like I had garnered the audience, people really were asking me for, you know, something physical that they could have.
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And especially since most of my recipes are centered around holiday and entertaining, I think it meant something for people to see it physically.
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Christmas morning, people wake up, you know, Thanksgiving morning, people want the book.
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They want something that they can feel, that they can pass, that they can see.
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And so, you know, my supporters started asking me.
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They started saying, Hey, you know, Tony, when is a book coming?
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I would love a cookbook.
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And so I said, okay, I I'm gonna write this book of kind of like my my most viral bangers, right?
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And so these are the dishes that I'm really known for.
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They're the dishes that I want people to like come back to and cook all the time.
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And so uh I was inspired to make this book that was kind of like an introduction to comfort food for people.
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So you have like hallmark favorites in there that you'll cook for the rest of your life and you'll nail them.
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And so I spent two years like working on it and perfecting the recipes, and obviously now it's finished, but I was really inspired by my supporters.
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That's awesome.
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And you're right as you're saying that, because I always ask for cookbooks, like for Christmas.
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So I love just always getting a brand new book.
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So, what were some of the memories that you had in creating this new book?
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Anyone in particular?
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So I think one of the things that stood out to me is, you know, uh, I've been very fortunate, right, to work with an amazing publisher.
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I think the cookbook space is largely underrepresented.
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And so I felt that when I was writing the book, so many of my experiences were new, not just to me, but to the people that I was working with.
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So I remember when we went to go film and do the photo shoot for the book, and I was making all these cultural dishes or all these southern dishes, that it was hard for people to like sometimes capture the beauty and the essence of a stew or like red beans and rice or black eyed peas.
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And that was really interesting to me.
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And that really inspired me and pushed me to want to find a way to capture cultural food in a way that's really beautiful, and it was definitely difficult, but that's what kind of stands out to me in the process.
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I saw an opportunity to do that, and so like one of the recipes that I have is like a creme brulee sweet potato pie.
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It's pretty impressive for like Thanksgiving.
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It's like just another layer to like make it like, you know, ooh.
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And they were having a hard time capturing this because like sweet potato pie, once it's broken into, like it may not always look like the most gorgeous.
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And we worked on it for a whole day.
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Like I would not stop.
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I was like, let's make it again and again and again.
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I wanted to get it right.
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And I think I challenged everyone on set who was new to this cuisine and who may have not ever made this type of food to get creative and we got the shots that we wanted.
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But it was, I that was a very unexpected experience.
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You know, I didn't know what to expect, but I didn't expect that.
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And it kind of like shaped me as a chef, as a creator.
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And so I'm really proud of the photography.
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We worked with Brittany Cornelly, she's a black photographer in the space.
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She's done some incredible work, and the photos are absolutely stunning.
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And it took us a long time, but we got to where we wanted to be.
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Oh my gosh.
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And that sounds so delicious.
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The minute you said that, I was like, what?
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Like, that's such an amazing mashup.
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That sounds so good.
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How did you decide what recipes from your blog would go in the cookbook?
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I know you said you filled it with viral bangers.
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Did you add any new ones or is there a certain percentage?
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I would say that the cookbook is mostly new recipes.
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Like they wanted it to be like new things that people had never seen from me.
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I think my blog is really important to me.
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So I wanted to kind of keep them separate because it is a stream of income, if I'm being honest.
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So what I did was I created there were recipes that I wanted to be free, that I wanted people that supported me, that even if they couldn't afford to buy the book or they weren't ready, that they could go online to my blog and they could search and find those recipes.
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So those recipes either overlapped in the book or I just left on the blog.
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And I think that the cookbook was more like um kind of like little spins and twists on things, right?
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And so I would take something that was like maybe super popular, but like add my own little twists.
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Like, for example, I have a short ribs recipe on my blog.
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It's your typical red wine braise short ribs, like everyone loves it.
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But I added a new recipe in my cookbook for short ribs, which is a Coca-Cola braise short ribs, and it's sweet and it's sticky, and it has like this delicious sauce that like is very different from the red wine reduction.
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So I found that like the cookbook was a little bit more creative.
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And although these are like cozy classics, they're they still have like my own little personal touch.
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I love that.
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Do you have any particular dessert that's your favorite that went in the book that you could tell us about besides the creme brulee sweet potato pie?
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Yes, my favorite dessert in the cookbook is a it's my brioche bread pudding.
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And I love bread pudding.
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And there was a restaurant that is, it was Frank Sinatra's favorite restaurant, and it's one of the only restaurants in the country that still has a coal brick oven.
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It's in Hoboken, New Jersey.
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It's called Antique Bakery, and they make their breads from scratch.
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Phenomenal.
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If anyone ever gets in that area in New York City, New Jersey, it's wonderful.
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And so I loved their bread pudding because it was like these big chunks of like homemade bread, and it had this like delicious rum sauce, and it's like served so beautifully.
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And I'm like, oh my goodness, like there's no place that serves anything like this.
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Everyone needs to try something like this.
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People don't have access to this.
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So I made like my own version.
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Their version is like out of this world because it's made in a cold brick oven, but I try to replicate that as much as possible.
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And that's like my favorite dessert.
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It's like easy.
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It's, you know, you get the bread, you know, chop it up, you this delicious, like delicious base.
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Um, and it's it's just perfect.
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It's it's impressive.
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Like I've made it for so many people and they're always surprised by it.
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And it's, I actually eat it for breakfast sometimes too.
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Don't tell me.
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That sounds awesome.
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That sounds delicious.
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And so with the book coming up, do you have any plans with the book?
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Are you gonna do anything virtual or go on a book tour?
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Yeah, so we are doing a nine-city book tour.
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We're going to all these different places.
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We're super excited.
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We're gonna be talking about it and launching it soon.
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Um, so I'm really excited because we get to meet in person and sign books and just have a good time.
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Um, we are planning to do like a virtual cooking uh demonstration sometime in December to kind of cover some holiday recipes, which I'm known for.
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So people can be on the lookout for that.
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My newsletter, I always send updates.
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But yeah, I'm just really excited to meet my supporters and have a good time and like celebrate the book.
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Absolutely.
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I cannot wait.
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From the bottom of my heart, it was so nice for you to come on the show today and share the book with us.
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And I just want to say thanks so much, and I wish you all the success with the release of the new book.
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But before I let you go, we're gonna play a game of lightning round.
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Are you ready?
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I'm ready.
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What is your favorite color?
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Blue.
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What is your favorite kitchen utensil?
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Oh, uh, spider.
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I like that answer.
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I don't think anyone's ever said that one.
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That's my favorite because I do a lot of frying.
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Who is your celebrity crush?
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Uh, Trevor Noah.
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Oh, that's a good one.
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I love that.
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All right, and who's your favorite author?
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Uh, Tony Morrison.
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That's a good one.
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And then last but not least, we're gonna have you skip this question because we always ask, what is a cookbook that you cannot live without?
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And we're gonna recommend that people go out and get your new book.
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And the link to your website and your blog and your book is all in the show notes for those listening.
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So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much, Tony, for coming on and just sharing your journey and your story and your brand with us.
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I truly do appreciate it.
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Thank you so much for having me, Amanda.
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I really appreciated chatting with you and thank you so much for your platform and all the resources you provide.
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Oh, thank you, darling.
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Hey, sweet friends.
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I just want to take a moment to give a heartfelt thank you.
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Today marks our 100th episode, and I am beyond excited and grateful.
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A huge thank you to our guest, the incredible Tony Chapman, for joining me on this milestone episode, as well as for sharing her new book and her journey to success with us.
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If you haven't yet, definitely check out her book.
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It's truly a gem, and I have all the information in the show notes.
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And to you, all of the amazing listeners, this milestone is as much yours as it is mine.
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Baking for Business has always been about building a community and helping each of you find multiple streams of success as you navigate entrepreneurship as a baker.
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So, from hearing from other successful bakers to hearing from authors to event coordinators to all the different people that touch and impact our industry and all the different people that we use.
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We've had some amazing companies on here, such as CapeSafe and Hot Plate software companies, and just anyone that can help us in our business.
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We appreciate all of those people.
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I never could have imagined the hundreds of thousands of downloads and listeners who have come along on this journey.
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I'm truly grateful for every single one of you.
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Our mission is to empower bakers like you to thrive both in the kitchen and beyond.
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And having you here for 100 episodes truly means the world to me.
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So thank you for being a part of this journey.
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And here's too many more episodes and successes together.
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I pray that you guys have a blessed day.
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Take care and bye for now.