Tastemaker Talk

You might have heard of this week's guest when you saw her create Bad Bunny's birthday cake ? Or maybe you saw her on Netflix's " Is it Cake? " Or maybe you just know and love her from Sugar Geek Show , where you follow along for her amazing cakes AND amazing energy. That's right: today we're chatting with renowned pastry chef, Liz Marek! Liz was generous enough to take time out of a dreamy Morocc...

Today we're joined by Chef Evelyn Williams of ​Gourmet Grad School​ ! Evelyn was kind enough to discuss her journey in the food industry with us, starting from the top. Nothing is off-limits today: from the economy and the importance of diversifying income to Evelyn's transition into culinary entrepreneurship, we cover it all. In this episode, Evelyn shares her strategies for avoiding burnout and...

We promised a follow-up convo, and this week we're delivering! Today Chandice sits down with Danielle from Liss Legal to provide an overview of recipe copyright laws and their application to food content creation. If your copyright curiosity has recently been piqued, hit play to learn about legal protections for recipes and fair use guidelines in the USA. Danielle also touches on common copyright...

This week we're sitting down with our longtime friend, the brilliant Haley Janicek from Kit! We love to dive into the big picture of the creator economy with Haley, whose chief role on the Kit team involves orchestrating events and experiences aimed at fostering creator growth. Get your notepad ready to capture Haley's strategies for creators to diversify their income streams, including her hottes...

Press play to hear Yumna’s candid thoughts on the importance of crediting others in your niche, her tips for successfully engaging your audience, and how to keep your content relevant and helpful. DISCLAIMER: This episode was recorded May 6, and new information about the controversy has since come to light. We know this is an extremely nuanced topic, and we plan to discuss the details of copyright...

We are honored to be joined this week by Marta Rivera Diaz of Sense and Edibility , to discuss the ethics of content creation. As food bloggers and content creators, we know that the involvement of loved ones is something all of us have had to reckon with as legislature and culture has shifted over the years. In this convo, we cover it all: the importance of consent and autonomy when involving fam...

This week on the Tastemaker Talk podcast, we're picking up where we left off. Abbey is opening up about her personal experiences following the pandemic, including a divorce that shaped how she showed up in all aspects of her life–including her business. In this episode, she and Chandice explore the ways in which they have continued to #holdspace for one another throughout these highs and lows, and...

In this week’s episode, we’re diving deep into the personal and professional learning experiences that have shaped Tastemaker Conference over the past 8 years, and we’re not holding back.  If you’ve ever wondered who we are, how we make it all happen, or why we continue to show up even in times of uncertainty, loss, and grief–this one’s for you. AND to celebrate Tastemaker turning 8 this month, we...

Unless you've been living somewhere besides Planet Earth, you've probably been following the tariffs being imposed by President Donald Trump, and the resulting stock market dip. Even though he recently put a 90 day pause on his original tariffs, you've likely still felt the weight of economic uncertainty and the fear that usually accompanies it for those of us who are self-employed. That's why tod...

Welcome back to Season 2 of Tastemaker Talk! We were honored to be joined by Kate Ahl of Simple Pin Media to discuss the rise of AI-generated content on Pinterest, which is competing directly with content creators driving traffic to their websites on the platform. The group discusses the context for how this AI slop came to dominate Pinterest pages, what Pinterest plans to do about it, and how cre...

In this episode, Daphne is out from behind the screen to discuss the benefits of membership programs for content creators with Jen from Memberful! This conversation emphasizes the importance of diversifying revenue streams and building independence and control.  Jen shared her experience in building membership programs and highlighted the potential of membership to create long-term relationships w...

In this episode, Abbey was joined by Mike Muney, a veteran content executive with 12 years of experience across tech, entertainment, and media. Currently, he oversees the creator partnership and business development efforts for the Yahoo Creators program, a new platform for writers and creators to share their stories with millions of Yahoo readers. Mike shared with the Tastemaker community Yahoo C...

Tune in with Joey Petrarca from Chicory, a platform that enhances the reader experience for food bloggers. Joey explained Chicory's role in making recipe content shoppable and providing advertising opportunities, while also discussing the challenges faced by food bloggers and the importance of diversifying revenue streams. The conversation emphasized the need for creators to find their niche, buil...

James Baldwin from  Raptive , a strategic partner and sponsor of Tastemaker Conference, joined the Tastemaker team to discuss their industry-leading ad management platform and business solutions. James is the SVP of the Creator Performance and Technical Support Teams at Raptive, and the conversation covered the evolving nature of content creation, the importance of optimizing ad layouts, and the i...

This episode covers: 🎁  Technical SEO Tips to untangle the Grinchy glitches holding back your site. 🎁  Schema Magic to make your recipes sparkle in search results. 🎁  Content Optimization Secrets to whip up irresistible posts for search engines and readers alike. 🎁  Insights into the latest trends and issues impacting content creators, so you stay ahead of the game. Each "day" brings a new lay...

This BONUS episode of Tastemaker Talk focused on financial planning for food bloggers and influencers, featuring financial advisor Shannon Avery. Shannon discussed the challenges of transitioning from hobby to business, emphasizing the importance of setting realistic financial goals, managing cash flow, and aligning business strategies with financial objectives. The conversation also covered Shann...

We hosted Amanda Martin, Mediavine’s Chief Revenue Officer, who gave us a sneak peek of industry trends in 2025 and how they could impact food bloggers. Mediavine is our Title Sponsor for Tastemaker Conference next month, and as an ad management company and monetization partner to thousands of publishers, we turn to them for insider info from a publisher perspective.  Tune in to this episode for f...

In Episode 15 of Tastemaker Talk, Abbey and Chandice were joined by Jen from Memberful, a sponsor at the Tastemaker Conference 2025. The team discussed the potential of food bloggers to adopt membership models, striking the balance between paid & free content, and the key features and benefits of Memberful. They also emphasized the importance of community engagement in the food industry and ho...

In Episode 14 of Tastemaker Talk, Chandice (COO of Tastemaker Conference), Erin (author of  Let's Bake Gluten-Free ), and Morgan (owner of Firewire Publishing) discussed various topics related to food blogging and cookbook creation, covering all of the benefits of independently publishing your own cookbook.  They explored the finer details of publishing, including the ideal quantity of cookbook or...

In Episode 13 of Tastemaker Talk, Abbey and Chandice discuss the importance of brand storytelling for food creators. Tune in to hear the Tastemaker duo emphasize the need to establish a strong brand identity, including defining your brand values.  This topic became CRUCIAL after the recent Google update, which negatively impacted creators without a clear brand story. As AI continues to advance, au...

In Episode 12 of Tastemaker Talk, Abbey and Chandice were joined by Tastemaker 2025 sponsor, Deep Roots Hosting!  Peter Green and Morgan Foster have been in the web hosting business since 1999, and the conversation focused on their prioritization of building relationships to personally meet their clients' unique needs. Listen today for insights on how to create sustainable business partnerships, w...

In Episode 11, Abbey and Chandice talked all things Q4 and holiday content creation! The Tastemaker duo discussed strategies to maximize audience engagement and revenue during the holiday season, such as auditing past content, identifying what worked well, and repurposing it for the current season. The discussion also highlighted the importance of metrics and indicators in data analysis for food b...

For Episode 10 of Tastemaker Talk, Abbey and Chandice were joined by the lovely and intelligent Alexandria Drzazgowski, known by many as the founder of The Foreign Fork blog!  The conversation explored the importance of effective communication, building rapport, and persistence in sales meetings and pitches for food bloggers specifically. Alexandria also shared strategies for engaging with brands...

During Episode 9 of Tastemaker Talk, Abbey & Chandice were joined by the incredibly knowledgable Sandie Markle, founder of Blueberri Consulting!  Sandie discussed the importance of diversification for content creators, and particularly for food bloggers. She highlighted the creation of digital products like ebooks and cooking courses as a viable income stream, while also proposing more innovat...

Chandice solo-hosted Episode 8 of Tastemaker Talk, joined by the lovely Michelle Sendowski of Souper Cubes (and the live viewers from the Tastemaker Collaborative!). The group discussed strategies for reducing food waste and preserving food through freezing. They also explored the benefits and versatility of using tools like Souper Cubes to make reducing food waste way more fun, and cleared up the...