EP 17: Obsessed With Hosting Online Cooking Classes During The Pandemic

Sip Bite Go with Jenna Passaro

Imagine building a successful foodie career you love, and then having the pandemic come and suddenly wipe out your income. Imagine taking that disaster and turning it into triumph by using your time and skills in a way you’d never had a chance to explore, discovering new abilities and talents in the process. Imagine seeing your life change into something you’d hardly have been able to imagine possible, where you get to spend your working hours doing something you are completely passionate about.

That’s what happened with Caroline Chambers. She pulled herself up by her own bootstraps and, with a lot of hard work and persistence, built herself a solid career in recipe development. Then, overnight, all her contracts dried up. The pandemic hit and no-one had a marketing budget to spend on recipe development anymore. An empty schedule, and no money coming in, meant it was time to think different.

But if the big corporations weren’t willing to spend on recipes, the people were. Everyone quarantined in their homes without ready-made food suddenly wished they knew how to cook—and Caroline decided to help them. Through her website, a weekly newsletter, and eventually teaching online cooking classes with Airsubs, she soon became a go-to for people wanting to learn how to make simple, delicious meals with basic ingredients and a limited amount of time. In return, they payrolled her through subscription services and pay-per-seat online classes.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• What does a freelance recipe developer do?
• How Caroline transitioned from catering to recipe development.
• The business pivots made in light of COVID.
• Juggling cooking classes with being a full-time mom.
• Building real online communities through cooking classes.
• Tips for joining an online cooking class.
• Creating multiple streams of income through new online platforms.

QUOTABLES:

“When you work for yourself especially, but also in a more traditional career, these opportunities just present themselves. And you either grab them or you don't. And that kind of decides where you wind up in life.” - Caroline Chambers

“Some people would find it awkward to talk about finances and talk about income and money. But I think especially women working in a non-traditional space, I think it's really empowering to share wins like this.” - Caroline Chambers

HUNGRY FOR MORE?

MY WEIRD FOOD OBSESSION - SHOW NOTES: https://myweirdfoodobsession.com/

MY WEIRD FOOD OBSESSION - INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/myweirdfoodobsession/

SIP BITE GO: https://sipbitego.com/

SIP BITE GO - INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sipbitego/

Get the guide…

THE BEGINNER FOOD BLOGGER'S CHECKLIST - http://foodblogchecklist.com/

TASTY SAUCES (YOU NEED ASAP) RECIPE EBOOK - https://freesaucebook.com

JENNA’S FAMOUS HOMEMADE PIZZA RECIPE - https://sipbitego.com/making-pizza-home-store-bought-dough/

JENNA’S SOUS VIDE RECIPES - https://sipbitego.com/recipes/sous-vide/

TASTY POTATO SIDE DISHES FOR WEEKNIGHTS - https://sipbitego.com/potato-side-dishes/