The Food Blogger Pro Podcast

Treating your content archive as an asset, diversifying your platforms, and building content around your lived experience with Yvette Marquez. 
-----
Welcome to episode 590 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Yvette Marquez. 
Building a Sustainable Creator Business Around Family Recipes with Yvette Marquez
This week, we are welcoming back Yvette Marquez to the podcast to share how she's built a sustainable creator business around family recipes, storytelling, cookbooks, and brand partnerships. She walks through what her work looks like today, from updating older blog posts and developing her next cookbook to resharing classic recipes in new formats. She and Bjork dig into why your archive can be a long-term business asset, which means you don't have to keep coming up with brand-new ideas all the time — a game-changer!
Yvette will also share how Facebook, Substack, virtual assistants, business managers, and behind-the-scenes recipe development all contribute to her business. Her advice for new creators: choose authenticity over perfection, invest in the skills and people who support your strengths, and build a business on genuine stories and audience trust!
Three episode takeaways:
Treat your archive as a long-term business asset: Updating older posts and resharing classic recipes in new formats can keep your business growing without having to worry about coming up with a constant stream of brand-new ideas.
Diversify your platforms and income: With AI overviews and declining search traffic, relying on a single platform or revenue source is a gamble. Yvette shares how Facebook, Substack, and other channels each play a role in her business.
Build around your lived experience: Prioritize genuine stories and audience trust over perfection, and invest in the skills and people (like virtual assistants and business managers) that support what you do best.
Resources:
Muy Bueno
Muy Bueno — Yvette's cookbook!
Hippocrene Books
The Diary of a CEO — YouTube
MKBHD
GRO
Meta One
Cocina to Career — Yvette's Substack!
Google Isn't Sending You to Recipe Blogs Anymore… Here's What That Means — Substack
Spoiler Alert: My Cookbooks Don't Pay the Bills — Substack
Show Me the Money: How I Actually Make a Living Online — Substack
What My Analytics Told Me About Food Blogging in 2026 — Substack
From My Grandma's Stove to the Age of AI — Substack
Episode 420 of The Food Blogger Pro podcast: ChatGPT, Substack, and the Changing Landscape of Food Writing with Dianne Jacob
Episode 566 of The Food Blogger Pro podcast: What Food Bloggers Need to Know About AI Search and the Fight for Fair Traffic with Adam Gallagher from Inspired Taste
Stacked Red Enchiladas — Muy Bueno
Follow Yvette on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group
Thank you to our sponsors!
This episode is sponsored by Clariti and Raptive. Learn more about our sponsors at foodbloggerpro.com/sponsors.
Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here.
If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.
Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.

Self-publishing a cookbook and driving 13,000 pre-sales, growing to over 3 million followers on social media, and prioritizing learning as a creator with Justin Ellen from Everything Just Baked.
-----
Welcome to episode 589 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Justin Ellen from Everything Just Baked.
How Justin Ellen Went From Camera-Shy to 3 Million Social Media Followers
Justin Ellen started decorating and selling cakes in high school, with the dream of one day opening his own bakery. At the encouragement of his sister, he hesitantly started posting photos of his cakes on Instagram, but didn't like being in front of the camera. He slowly but surely overcame his fear of being on camera, and now has 1.4 million followers on both Facebook and TikTok, and over 800,000 followers on Instagram.
In this interview, Justin shares how he transitioned from selling cakes to building a business as a content creator, what his first few brand deals looked like, why he decided to launch his website last year (and how he has already grown to 400,000 monthly pageviews!), and dives into the process of self-publishing his first cookbook (out this month!). This is a really fun and inspiring interview for food creators at any level — we hope you'll enjoy it as much as we did!
Three episode takeaways:
How to approach every social media post as a data point — Justin explains how he has shifted his mindset around social media so that everything he posts is something he can learn and iterate from. He also shares how he remixes his short-form videos to stretch out his content and see what performs best, and why he views re-posting content like television re-runs.
The process of self-publishing a cookbook — Despite having the option to go the traditional publishing route, Justin chose to self-publish his cookbook to maintain creative control. He walks listeners through the process, including how he hired his team and made decisions about printing and promoting his cookbook, and how Facebook was the main driver for 13,000+ book pre-sales.
Why you need to always be open to learning — Justin is candid about his learning process as a creator — how he observes successful creators, notes what they have in common, adds his creative twist, and iterates until he finds something that works for him.
Resources:
Everything Just Baked
Jessica Secrest
The Diary of a CEO Interview with Seth Godin
Mediavine
Better Than Grandma's Cookbook
Follow Justin on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook
Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group
Thank you to our sponsors!
This episode is sponsored by Clariti and Raptive.
Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here.
If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.
Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.

Making sustainable choices, building genuine trust through branding, and the power of community.
-----
Welcome to episode 588 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Yoli Ouiya from Food + Wellness Equity Collective. 
Creating Connection and Equity in the Creator Space with Yoli Ouiya
In this week's episode, Bjork is sitting down to chat with the "Queen of Green herself, Yoli Ouiya! Yoli breaks down what green living really means (hint: it's about how the products we use affect both our bodies and the planet) and shares practical tips for making smarter choices around food, home, and personal care. From there, the conversation shifts into the natural consumer-products space, where Yoli goes into validating a product idea, building trust through great branding, and the realities of bootstrapping versus chasing funding.
You'll also hear Yoli open up about the Food and Wellness Equity Collective, the community she co-founded to give creators, especially those who often feel overlooked or isolated in this industry, a real sense of connection and support. If you're looking to build a brand and a community with real staying power, this episode will be right up your alley!
Three episode takeaways:
Green living starts with intention: Yoli breaks down what it really means to evaluate the impact of the products we use (both on our bodies and on the planet) and offers practical ways to make more thoughtful choices around food, home, and personal care.
Trust and branding matter as much as the product itself: In the natural consumer-products space, Yoli shares how new founders can validate their ideas, build genuine trust through strong branding, and navigate the trade-offs between bootstrapping and outside funding.
Community can be the missing piece: Through the Food and Wellness Equity Collective, Yoli is creating retreats, workshops, and scholarships that give creators, especially those who often feel isolated, a real connection, support, and opportunity.
Resources:
Food + Wellness Equity Collective
Food + Wellness Equity Collective Retreat
Yoli's Green Living
Airthings
Think Dirty
EWG
Newman's Own
Primal Kitchen
A Couple Cooks — Sonja and Alex Overhiser's blog!
UGMONK
Nom Nom Paleo
Follow Food + Wellness Equity on Instagram
Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group
Thank you to our sponsors!
This episode is sponsored by Clariti and Raptive. Learn more about our sponsors at foodbloggerpro.com/sponsors.
Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here.
If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.
Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.

Rethinking how you work and implementing guardrails for AI with Andrew Wilder and Miranda Wicker of NerdPress.
-----
Welcome to episode 587 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Andrew Wilder and Miranda Wicker of NerdPress. 
Building Smarter Systems as a Creator with Andrew Wilder and Miranda Wicker
This week on the podcast, Bjork sits down with Andrew Wilder of NerdPress and Miranda Wicker for a conversation on AI, content creation, and what it means to stay human in an increasingly automated world. They dig into a question every creator is facing right now: Are you reacting to the AI shift, or are you using it to rethink how you work?
They'll walk through real examples of AI integrations, memory, skills, scheduled tasks, and MCP connections, including NerdPress's very own guided agent connector, built with guardrails and approval steps for safer site management. If you've been wondering how to use AI to work smarter without losing what makes your content yours, this episode is a great place to start!
Three episode takeaways:
Rethink instead of reacting: Rethink instead of reacting: Andrew and Miranda discuss how creator businesses have weathered the changes to search over the last few years. Their key takeaway: it's time to rethink how you work, not just brace for what's next.
Use AI as a tool, not a ghostwriter: AI shines at research and repetitive work, but if you allow it to write for you, be prepared for writing that's just average. Let AI support your process, but allow your own passion and expertise to shine through in your own writing!
Implement guardrails to make AI safer to use: Memory, skills, scheduled tasks, and MCP connections — Andrew and Miranda share how they're putting these to work, including NerdPress's guided agent connector, which includes approval steps for safer site management. AI can help you do more, but with just enough oversight to keep it from going rogue.
Resources:
NerdPress
Imagine I handed you 10,000 brilliant employees tonight. What would you do with them tomorrow morning? — @PeterDiamandis on X
Slack
Claude
ChatGPT
Granola
Littlebird
Episode 584 of The Food Blogger Pro podcast: A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Claude as a Food Blogger with Shruthi Baskaran-Makanju
OpenClaw
Caffeine and Cabernet
Clariti
Raptive
Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group
Thank you to our sponsors!
This episode is sponsored by Yoast and Clariti. Learn more about our sponsors at foodbloggerpro.com/sponsors.
Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here.
If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.
Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.

Standing out with your story, treating your blog like an ecosystem, and reinventing yourself as a creator with Timothy Pakron from Mississippi Vegan.
-----
Welcome to episode 586 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Timothy Pakron from Mississippi Vegan.
Reinventing Yourself as a Creator
Timothy came to food blogging by way of studio art and his passion for fresh produce, not the blog itself. He started sharing his photography and vegan recipes on Instagram first, built an audience there, and landed a cookbook deal before he ever put much focus into a blog. In this conversation, Bjork and Timothy talk through what it looks like to build a body of work around a strong personal point of view, and why story and connection have carried his career from Instagram to a second cookbook (Garden Variety), and a thriving blog.
They also chat about the practical side of running a content business today: how Timothy uses AI tools as a strategy partner for auditing and refining old posts, how he's adjusting to a search and social media landscape that keep shifting under everyone's feet, and how he thinks about his blog less as a static archive and more as an ecosystem that needs constant tending. If you're trying to figure out how to stand out with your story or navigate a creative career that has real ups and downs, this episode is for you.
Three episode takeaways:
Treat your blog like an ecosystem — Timothy doesn't think of his site as a place where posts go once and stay finished. He walks through why constant refinement, from updated photos to reworked copy, keeps older content fresh and performing well, and how he uses AI to help spot which posts need attention and to sharpen his strategy around them.
Your story is your differentiator — With a background in studio art, Timothy has always leaned into what makes his perspective his own. He talks about his passion for the creative process, being intentional with how he shares his story and connects with his audience, and why that connection matters more as content gets easier to produce at scale.
Watch the industry without falling into comparison — Timothy shares how he stays aware of what other creators are doing without letting it eat into his time or his creative confidence. He talks about drawing inspiration from other people's success instead of measuring himself against it, and why he sees his creative expression as something no one else can replicate.
Resources:
Mississippi Vegan
Garden Variety Cookbook
Pinch of Yum
Keysearch
Mississippi Vegan Gumbo
Jeremy Finds AI
Raptive
Mediavine
Pinch of Yum Income Reports
Ugmonk
Follow Timothy on Instagram
Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group
Thank you to our sponsors!
This episode is sponsored by Clariti and Raptive.
Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here.
If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com.
Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.