304: FBP Rewind - Making Great Content with Sam Adler

Hey, everybody, it's Bjork from the Food BloggerPro podcast. Today we're doing a little rewind episode. Occasionally, we bring up old episodes that we feel like are really relevant and are especially interesting, given what it is that we're talking about on the episode. Or maybe a better word than interesting is important. And this episode is one of those. It's all about making great content. With Sam Adler from Frosting and Fettuccine, she's going to be talking about a few different things. She's going to be talking about her experience in at Le Cordon Bleu, what that was like, the idea of colors and how being really intentional with the colors that you pick and your styling, how that impacts your blog and your photography and your branding, how she actually found her style, what it's like to win a really significant award. If you've heard the episode before, you know what it is. But for those of you who aren't, I'm gonna leave it as kind of a cliffhanger and just why quality content is so important. We talk about it a lot on the podcast, but we don't talk about it specifically, what does that look like? And Sam is gonna share some of her thoughts around what that looks like. My hope for you is that you take some nuggets from these episodes, that you can apply those to what you're doing, and that you can get a tiny bit better every day. I know that that was true for me as I thought about the things that Sam shared on this episode. So let's go ahead and jump into this rewind episode from March of 2019. Back in the day, when things were normal, Right. We had no idea that we're going to enter into this bizarre thing called Covid that was still a year away. Hard to imagine that. But let's all zoom back to that date and pretend that none of the craziness of the last year has happened and have this conversation with Sam. So, Sam, welcome back to the podcast and to all you listeners, enjoy this rewind episode. Sam, welcome to the podcast.

Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to be here.

Yeah, it's been fun, even just to talk a little bit before we press record, a little bit about your story. But first, for those that aren't familiar, we're gonna be talking about that. We're gonna be covering that. But if you were to meet somebody in an elevator, give them your quick pitch, who you are, what you're about, what would you say, kind of for your elevator pitch of Who Sam is?

Who Sam is? I guess I would say that I am a food blogger, food photographer, but I don't like to take myself too seriously. So I like to have a good time while I'm doing that.

Also, for sure, it's part of your about page. You talk about dancing in the kitchen, which I feel like for anybody that does take seriously, they're probably not dancing in the kitchen. So that makes sense. One of the things that we're going to focus on for this podcast interview is we're going to be talking about Instagram. And you won the 2018 Reader's Choice Award for your Instagram account, which is so awesome. And I think anytime that there's any type of those indicators of somebody doing something really well, we want to tap into that and have some conversations around it. So people that listen to the podcast can learn from those people who, whether it's getting an award or having success in a certain area, maybe it's hitting a certain metric. And for you, that was Instagram and you had the Reader's Choice Award for best Instagram account, which I think is so awesome and so inspiring. But before we do that, I want to talk a little bit about your history and some of the things that you have gone through to get to the point where you are today and starting with your time at Le Cordon Bleu. So tell us about what it was like to go to school to understand and to learn about baking and how to make the most incredible pastries ever.

Oh my God. Hearing you say that is so nice. That's really sweet. Yeah, so I mean, I think a lot of people, you know, they grow up and they're like, oh, I learned in my kitchen with my grandmother or this person, you know, and it's like, it's very like inherent through their family. And for me, that definitely was something that I did with my grandparents. But it wasn't like I would say, like where it started. For me, it really started after I got married. I got married when I was 21, little babe. So I didn't really know how to cook, I didn't really know what I was doing. And my mother in law actually got me a five class package to a recreational culinary school, which at the time we were living in New York. So it was for the ice, I think it's Institute of Culinary Education. And I started off there and I took some knife skills class, I took some, you know, classes, and then I really ended up loving it. And we ended up actually moving from New York to Florida. And I was pregnant. And then we had our first, our first kid. He's seven now. And after I had him, you know, I really, I really felt like I needed to do something that was more for me than just being, you know, mom, which was wonderful and I love it, but I needed something a little bit more. So I set off and I was like, I'm doing this. I'm going to culinary school. I wanted to do it for so long. It was about five years from that first class that I took when we first got married. So I started off going to school. It was every day from 10 to 2, hired a nanny, watch the baby. And it was just like I didn't want to look back and be like, oh, I wish I did that. And so really for me, it was just something that I needed to do for myself. And I'm so, I'm so grateful that I did it. And it was just a really, really, really great learning experience for me. And it was something that I felt really proud of.

Yeah, for sure. When you think back and you say I'm really grateful that I did this, was it for the experience, the fact that you said, hey, I'm going to do this for me and this is important to me and I'm going to go through this process or was it grateful because like the foundational things that you learned. Okay. And you can take that and apply it now to what you're doing. Or maybe a little bit of both.

I think definitely a little bit of both. I think I'm grateful for the hindsight to know that that was the right time for me to go. And even though, you know, things aren't always easy, like I had a baby at home. I think I started when was nine months old. Like it wasn't, you know, it's not easy. But like when you, when I thought I'm like, this is what's right for me and I knew that if I wanted to do it, I have to do it then. So I did that. And then also so grateful for the classes. I mean it was a wonderful schedule. It was 10 to 2, it's awesome. And then just the things that I learned that you would never really learn, I guess outside, you know, you would, you would have to be self taught. Yeah. But I'm saying like just like techniques and how to be fast in the kitchen, things that, not necessarily the recipes because I recipe you could really get from anywhere. But it was really just learning how to work in the kitchen, how to be mindful, how to know how to just Do a few things at once, but really do them really well.

Yeah, it's kind of, I think, of an example in a totally different industry and different genre. But I remember when I was working at a nonprofit, they did these things called Lunch and Learns. And it was. People would talk about one thing that they were kind of an expert in. And I attended one where somebody was talking about email, and I was like, oh, email. Like, everybody knows how to email. And, you know, I won't learn anything new, but I might as well just show up. And the person that was doing it. There's so many things that I took away. And one really, really basic thing that I wasn't doing at the time was archiving my emails. And I was like, oh, this is a really important process. After I'm done responding to somebody, get it out of my inbox. Now, that's kind of a nerdy, geeky example that I apply to what I'm doing. But I'm guessing that some of the same things existed. When you go through the formal process of learning how to prepare a recip, you're not just learning about the recipe, like, you know, put two tablespoons of this in, but you're learning about the things that allow you to be efficient in creating the recipe, so. Or in the production of it. So when you look back at that, if you were to say, hey, these were two, three of the most important things that I learned that I apply today with what I'm doing, even though I'm not in a production kitchen or, you know, I'm not creating recipes that will be served to somebody else. You did that at a point, but. But at least at this point, you're not doing that. What were those things that you still incorporate today that help you be efficient and effective with food production and creating recipes?

I think definitely knife skills is definitely the foundation of working fast in the kitchen. I used to be afraid of those big, scary knives. But once you know how to use it and you know how to use it effectively, you can bang out free recipes and 15 minutes, you know, like, it's not. It's definitely something that I use every single day. And also when it comes to recipes, there's methods, especially in baking, maybe also in cooking, but especially in baking. There's creaming methods, there's two stage methods. There's all these methods, the muffin method, there's all these methods to baking that if you for some reason only have ingredients but you know that this is a creaming method, I already know how to make the Recipe, and I don't need the recipe.

So if you were to say to somebody that wouldn't be able to go through the formal process of, you know, accord on bleu and taking that time out of each day, what would you say? Hey, focus on this thing first. And then maybe advice for where they could learn that. Could you do knife skills online or maybe is it taking a one off class? How would people pick that up as a skill?

Yeah, I definitely think that hands on class would be best. And then just practicing, a lot of practicing at home, you know, like just getting those root vegetables out and practicing your knife cast. It doesn't necessarily, you know, you. The more practice you do, the better you become, I mean, at anything, really. So I think that if you wanted to do the knife skills, you could learn, you could definitely learn online. But I think that the best thing is just to get out there and go take a class and, you know, learn all the different knife cuts and practice it at home.

Yeah, I think that's one of the things that we sometimes forget in what we do is just how much you have to practice to be good at something. And it sounds so basic and it sounds so obvious, but it takes so much work to be good at something. Whether that is knife skills, whether that is, you know, developing your gut as it relates to a specific recipe, something that it needs more of, less of, whether that be something as simple as typing. Right. Or understanding WordPress, understanding Instagram. All of these things take practice and time. And I think sometimes we forget that and we get frustrated when in the first week or two weeks we're not good at something. But those who are, we're looking at those who are, but they've been doing it for three, four, five years practicing and developing that skill. So I think that's a great takeaway. And it sounds, you know, it's not something new, but it's a good reminder. Hey, you need to practice in order to be good at these things, whether that is knife skills or something else. So one of the things that I also found interesting was before your time doing Le Cordon Bleu and going through that process, you actually worked in the fashion industry, specifically working with colors and being a color coordinator for a fabric company, which I think is such a cool thing, and maybe it wasn't as cool when you're in it, but I would be interested to hear what that was like and how you went about getting that job and what you learned from that experience.

Yeah, it's funny, you know, when I tell People, it was a color coordinator. I have to kind of explain what it is, and it definitely was not as glamorous as it sounds.

Sure.

But, you know, I just remember as a kid opening up that crayon box or that, like, new marker box and just, like, looking at the colors and being like, oh, my.

Mm.

So many options that, like, excited me. And I don't. I guess I never really knew that, like, it could turn into something, you know, when I was older, but it never left. So as a color coordinator, I worked for a company that made men's activewear, and they did a lot of their. Most of their production in China. So basically, we would get samples of the fabric and we would have. Basically have to make sure that the red that were supposed to be for the sweatpants were supposed to be the right color red. Like, there wasn't too much blue in the red. There wasn't too much orange in the red. I had to basically take, like, 12 swatches of red and compare it to the right swatch and make sure that those yards of fabric were going to be the right ones that were going to be made for the clothes. Yeah. Not as glamorous as it sounds, but I really, actually really enjoyed it because I wasn't working with my hands, but I was working and really using my brain. And I really, really, really liked it. It wasn't just sitting in front of a computer writing emails, which was part of it, but I really liked the color aspect.

It's interesting because there's probably a little bit of learning that goes into this, but also probably a little bit of just who you are, where you are, somebody who notices colors. And there are millions of different people in the world, and there are some people who just don't really notice colors. Right. So it's like my friend who is a. He's. His name is Nate, and we were just talking the other day about. He lives on his own and has this really bare walls and no decoration, and he just has taped on the wall minimalism, like, kind of as a. But he's somebody who doesn't, like, feel design of a interior space in the same way. And you're somebody who obviously understands color, and you can see that in the work that you create. And, you know, on your Instagram account, which we'll talk about a little bit, is that something that's always been the case for you, or is that something where you've also had to develop that as a skill? And for those that want to develop that, that. Those that want to get Better at understanding color and the importance of that. How do they. How do they go about noticing that and developing that as a skill?

Right. I think. Well, I think for me, I always had. And it's gonna sound really weird, but, like, colors make me feel certain ways, so. And there's a whole color theory behind that. You know, like, red is fire orange, you know, like, burning. Like, you know, all those. Blue is calming, and green means money, and purple's elegance. And, you know, I think that you could say all those things, but I feel like it depends also on how it makes you feel. Like, even comes down weird, but when it comes down to. Even to the clothes that I'm wearing, if I'm wearing a black shirt, I'm like, oh, my God. Like, I don't feel black today, so I can't wear a black shirt today. Like, I can't. Yeah. So I think that it depends really, for me, like, I always noticed how certain colors make me feel, but I think that if you really want. If you want. If you want to learn how to get better understanding colors, then I would definitely see how. I guess do the same thing. See how these things make you feel. Go through a list of. Maybe even Pinterest is a good source of, you know, go through color palettes and see which ones you're attracted to and, you know, what colors do it for you. What color combinations don't you like? For me, I'm not. I don't. Like. I'm not a red person. I don't really. There's nothing in my house that's red. It just. It just. It makes me feel, like, upset. And so, you know, a lot of my house is blue. Light colors, pastels. You know, nothing is too crazy.

Yeah. It's interesting. Lindsay talks about that as a way to develop your photography style. So in the workshops. One of the workshops that Lindsey would do for Tasty Food photography workshops was Style and Brand. And. And in that, they. One of the things that they talk about is on Pinterest, creating private boards where you kind of create your inspiration. And I think you could do the same thing with color, where you could say, hey, what are the colors that are inspiring to me? Or that feel like a good fit for me, and you can kind of develop your style, your look, your feel. And I've been thinking about that even personally, and you talked about this, but what is it like? Because we are all kind of our own brand, and we represent whether we like it or not, something to people, and a lot of that is based on Whether it's the colors that we wear or, you know, the clothes that we wear. And I'm somebody who doesn't put a lot of thought and energy into developing that, but it's important. And even looking through your Instagram account, that's one of the things I can see is like, okay, like, you are intentional in. In picking out these colors, but those also reflect who you are. You know, it's not. You're not wearing neon green and then posting kind of lighter pastel colors, you know, for the food photography that you're taking. So I think that's a great exercise and something that people could do is create a little private Pinterest board, you know, and develop a little bit of. Or chalk out some time to say, hey, I want to develop my style, my look, my feelings as it relates to my blog. It could be you personally, it could be your Instagram. I think that's great. So when you went about starting your blog and social media around that, was that something that you did or did? You know, this is directionally where I want to go, because I know this is who I am because of, you know, previously being somebody who is really intentional with color understands that. Did you know that right off the bat, or did you have to develop that as you got into it?

I think I really had to develop it. I started my blog only in May 2017. I actually. That's a lie. Sorry. I started a really long time ago. I got the domain. I started everything. And our second kid, and then we had a lot of stuff happening, and it all was delayed for two years.

Pressed, pause.

Pause for maybe three years. Yeah. And then so in May, I started. And if you go back in the beginning posts of my blog or even Instagram, you'll see that it doesn't happen, I think, until around November time, where I really started getting intentional with my colors and started getting intentional with what I was posting. But, you know, I love that I chose those colors because it's really what I love. So in my room, my duvet is pink. Like, I have pink and green flowers in front of my house. Like, it's not, I guess, hard for me to stick with that for first photography and styling, because it's really what I really like. I think that if someone were to choose, you know, a styling, it's easier in a way, kind of, because it really. It is what you like. So it's. It's easier to go off of that from, you know, in terms of your photography. But I did the mood board exercise and I. And I actually do it a lot from time to time because, you know, sometimes your style changes a little bit, but. And it's not even just only, like, food. It's only just, like, recipes and food photography. Like, I like to take inspiration from nature or from architecture or, you know, maybe an outfit that you find on Pinterest that you like. It could be really anything. But, yeah, I started really intentionally maybe a few months later after I realized, like, oh, wow, like, I, you know, this is what I should be doing, and I'm going to go from here.

What was it that you. That caused you to change? What was the moment where you're like, I need to change this. I need to update this. I need to evolve this a little bit. And what would your advice be for people who are wanting to do the same thing? How do they do that? Do you just make that decision? What does that look like?

I think that when I started my blog, I knew that I had started it previously, and like I said, it paused and I didn't want that to happen again. And I was like, okay, if I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna go all in and, like, go big or go home. Like, there's no point otherwise, you know, what's the point? So I realized I had to up my photography. So I enrolled in a photography course, and that from there I learned what I liked and my style. So, yeah, I think if you wanted to do that, then I would really think hard about what you love and what you think, what inspires you, what's going to make you get up every day and keep doing the same exact thing over and over and be better at it than you were the day before?

Yeah, that's great. What do you feel like that is for you when you think about ways that you're finding out how to improve, get better. We talk about this idea of 1% infinity on the podcast, which is, hey, every single day, get a little bit better over. Over a long period of time. What are those things for you as you think about your photography, your style, your brand?

I think for me, first of all, I love that. And honestly, I had the flu the last 10 days, and so the only thing that kept me going was that because I'm like, okay, if I could just be 1% better than yesterday, then I'm good. I don't feel like this whole week was gone. But, yeah, so for me, I think that, you know what, there are some things in my photography that I love, but I feel like I could always maybe do A little bit better. I don't think that there's really a time where I'm like, oh, I'm obsessed with this. I'm done. I don't think that there's a time when you're like, I'm done. I've arrived. I'm finished. The end. I think there's always room for growth, and that's why I love being in a creative business, because there's always something more you can learn, something new that you can do. So for me, it's finding those things. And maybe it's the lighting in my photography. Maybe I'm not happy with the way that there's not enough shadows, or I want more texture, I want more lighting. Like, for me, this year, I really want to work more on the texture and the lighting. My photos, like, maybe to some people it looks perfect, but to me, I know that you can always, I guess, get better. So that's what I got for today.

Yeah, absolutely. It's one of the things that I hear Lindsay constantly talk about is the tiny little tweaks and adjustments that she wants to make with her photography. And she's so present to that. And I think it's similar whether it's color or. I think of people that are designers and fonts, like, people that are passionate about a certain topic and passionate about the thing that they do, are always going to be finding ways that it could be a little bit better. And I think photography is an example of that, where for the average person that will come and look through a blog post and be like, gosh, these look great. But for you, you're so close to it. It's such a passionate thing, and you spend so much time with it, where there's always these small tweaks or big changes that you're interested in making and adjusting.

So I think this goes for a lot of photographers. I think we're all even. My friend the other night texted me. She's like, I hate this picture. I'm like, why do you hate about it? And she told me all these things. I'm like, honestly, I didn't even notice any of that.

Yeah. So one of the things that I'm interested to hear about a little bit is. So you won the Savur Reader's Choice Award for Best food Instagram for 2018. So congratulations for that. Yeah. And what was that like? I'm always curious to hear, you know, do they send an email and be like, hey, heads up, you win? Or is that like a phone call? Or what is that? Experience, like, when they reach out and let you know about that.

It was unreal. It was really unreal, honestly. So they sent an email saying, congratulations, you've been. You are now a finalist in the 2018 Civil Blog Awards under this category. Please encourage your followers to vote for you. And basically, you have to be nominated. Every summer, I think in July, they do it. You have to be nominated. You can do it for yourself, and you can ask your friends to do it. And then I think. I'm not really sure how they pick all the nominees, but it's one of. Every category has a reader's choice and an editor's choice. And honestly, I didn't think it was gonna happen. It was really a shot in the dark for me. I'm a new blogger, relatively new, and I had maybe, like, I don't know, 8,000 followers on Instagram. You know, it was crazy. I honestly, I didn't think it was gonna happen. And then I remember getting that email, and they're like, out of 130,000, like. Like people who, you know, try to get in, we picked 66 people on. You're one of them. And I was like, what? Like, I had a friend over. I just, like, broke down. I was crying. Like, the kids were somewhere. I don't know. I was in the middle of doing, like, a client shoot. It was, like, a crazy day. It was crazy. It was cr.

But I think it reminds me of one of the concepts that we talk about in this idea of who, not how many. And the thinking behind that is, as a creator, one of the most important things that you do is create. It's the content that you create. It's the quality of that content. And sometimes it can be discouraging when you create really good content. And the numbers attached to it seem disconnected. So whether that's followers or Google Analytics metrics or number of people that are visiting, a certain post or recipe that you feel like is really good. But the important thing to remember is it's not just about the numbers, because it's who is visiting, it's not just how many. And you could be creating content that maybe an editor from Savur is coming and looking at that and saying, wow, this is really good. Or maybe it's a celebrity that comes and is like, gosh, this is awesome. I'm going to follow this and promote it, whatever it would be. And I think that is a good reminder for people who are kind of in the place where they're maybe just starting out, or it's a little Bit discouraging because they've been working really hard and they don't have the numbers that they feel like should reflect where they're at. But it's important to remember, and you are a great example of that, that it's who is coming, it's not just how many people. And when you do have that person that comes that's influential and they notice that and you have created quality content, then that can have a really big impact. And, you know, for, for you, it's saying, okay, this is really good content. This is somebody who knows what they're doing. This is a really high quality Instagram account, and therefore we're gonna nominate it. And eventually you end up winning, which is so cool. And then that opens other doors. Right. So it's like, you know, is not as big of a deal, but there are thousands of people who listen to this podcast and now they're exposed to you. And all that comes back to quality content and creating that quality content and being dedicated to that. So for those that are listening that are in those early stages or have maybe been working on it for a long time, what would your encouragement or advice be to them as they're looking to continue on? They're helping maybe to get recognition at some point. What would you say to those people who are kind of in the daily grind?

I think just keep going. Do what, you know, like, do what you're doing and keep going. Honestly, it's really about the content. And whenever anyone asks me for Instagram tips or blog tips or how to grow your Instagram, like, you can get as many follows or, I mean, as many shout outs or anything like that. But if you don't have the quality stuff, the quality content that people are gonna like, then they have a choice whether to follow you or not. So it doesn't matter if you get a shout out. It doesn't matter. You know, how many people tell you to tell, say, hey, follow this person. If they don't. If you don't have good quality content on your. On your Instagram or your blog, I don't, you know, that's where it starts.

Yeah.

So I think just really keep going. I mean, and also I did this with less than 10,000 followers on Instagram, which is crazy. And I'm, you know, it just. It blows my mind. It really, really. It still does. It was in November. It still blows my mind. Yeah. To be like, I just checked the email. It said, congratulations on becoming a finalist in the ninth annual Civil War Blog Awards from a pool of over 20,000 submissions. Your blog was selected as one of the most innovative, impressive and well executed we came across.

So that's awesome.

That means you gotta put the good work in.

Yeah, for sure. And what does that look as we kind of wrap up here? I think one of the hard things with quality content and good work is for you kind of know it when you see it, but it's kind of hard to know and there isn't a formula that goes into it. But what would that look like, you know, so if quality content and good work and you know, they say content is king. If that's kind of the front facing thing, if you peel back the curtain on that, what's behind it? Like what are the things that make up or what is the. If quality content is the finished recipe that you eat, what are the ingredients that are put together to make that?

Right. I think I also struggle with this sometimes a little bit because, you know, I think everybody asks themselves that question. I think in a. Well, that when it comes to, you know, like food blog food recipes, I think that it's a good recipe, something that's tested and retested so that you know that it works and also pretty recipe and you gotta, you know, you gotta put that food photography to use. You have to make sure there's good lighting, composition is working well for you. You have to make sure that the food is the star of the show. Like you can't take a picture and focus on a spoon and expect everyone to go crazy over the pie you just made. If you can't see the pie. I think definitely a recipe that works really great lighting, really great composition. And that doesn't mean it has to be, you know, my style or anyone's style. Like you do your own, do your own style, dark, light, whatever it is, but have the elements of making it look pretty and making it taste good. And I think that's the way to go.

Yeah, for sure. That's great, Sam. Super fun to talk to you today. For those that want to follow along, whether that be on Instagram or your blog, can you let them know where they can find you and follow along?

Yes. My blog is Frosting Fettuccine Calm and on Instagram, it's also Frosting Fettuccine. That's two T's, two C's and an.

E. It's almost as if you've said that before.

Almost.

That's great. Sam, thanks so much for coming on the podcast.

Thank you so much for.

That's a wrap for this rewind episode with Sam from Frosting and Fettuccine. Thanks so much Sam for coming on again. Technically, it's been a while since we've actually chatted, but thanks for sharing on this episode some of your thoughts around quality content. For you podcast listeners, it's important to think about what does quality content look like for you? How do you continue to think about quality content and what are the areas that you can improve? Maybe you want to improve some of the branding of your site, the colors that you pick, the styling. You want that to be more cohesive. Maybe it's how you're writing or your recipe development. You don't have to improve everything at the same time, but you can pick one area and as we talk about all the time, try and get a tiny bit better every day. Forever. That's why we're here, that's why we do this podcast. And I hope this episode helped you do that a little bit. Make it a great week. Thanks, Sam.