Today we’d like to introduce you to Maxine Chikumbo.
Hi Maxine, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My relationship with food has been a long and interesting one, but a significant shift occurred when I was in college. My university dorm did not have the typical cafeteria set up, forcing me to cook more than I ever did as a freshman. Fast forward 2-3 years later, I was living in Brooklyn, New York—the land of glorious food and Instamgrammable restaurants; due to the competition to stand out and the concentration of top-notch restauranteurs and chefs—I had a dear roommate who would make almost everything from scratch. From broth to bread to marshmallows, I watched in awe and was greatly inspired. I had already developed a taste for taking pictures of my meals, which increased over time as my courses at school involved photography. By the time I moved to Washington DC after graduating, I had created an Instagram account explicitly for my food imagery to avoid spamming those who were not interested in seeing what I was cooking at home or eating out at restaurants, and that is when I discovered there was a whole industry of people who wrote about food, documented their experiences, and were paid for it. I soon became part of the community and a known entity in the DMV food scene, Dontmissmyplate. When the pandemic hit, and more people turned to home cooking, I ramped up my creation skills, experimented more, created a website, and joined the slew of online recipe developers—a related but alternative community. Today, I am on the brink of turning the side hustle of working with restaurants, marketing firms, food service companies, food media, and kitchen appliance retailers into a fully-fledged consulting business and, maybe one day, a restaurant owner. I am still on my journey, picking up skills and networking along the way.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
That depends. I am a part of two communities in the food sector, each with its own challenges. One that underscores them both is keeping up with content creation and the ever-changing world of social media while having a full-time job. Platforms are constantly tweaking or wholesale restructuring their algorithms and how people view and interact with what you share online, and if you don’t keep up, it’s easy to get left behind. On the cooking front, recipe development is enormously time-consuming. Not only do you have to constantly come up with creative recipes that people are looking for and will likely enjoy, but you have to get the ingredients, annotate and test the recipes and prepare them for the website, and then record or photograph the process. I also don’t have formal training but have picked up skills from part-time restaurant work, food entrepreneurship courses, cooking certifications, and personal chef gigs, to name a few opportunities. When it comes to food blogging, you need to stay on top of restaurant trends and in the loop of local restaurant openings and other developments. It’s a huge commitment, but you need to manage to keep securing contracts, maintain your brand, engage with your audience, or start a formal business.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My full-time occupation is formally in communications and marketing, but not in the food sector. Over the years, I’ve developed skills that are critical not only for restaurants and valuable across the industry in other areas, such as in food media. That said, I am known for showcasing some of the hottest restaurants in the local DMV area and trending locations in other cities across the United States or abroad, wherever I may find myself. Folks took to me for recommendations on where to eat out and a source for meal planning tips and recipe ideas. I receive a range ofmarketing consulting inquiries, dining invitations, web traffic, and personal notes asking me where to go out to eat or thanking me for a recipe. Those who spend time in the kitchen are quite fond of my creative galettes, desserts, and signature whole fish dishes. I am also one of the few Zimbabwe online food content creators. I was born and raised there, but I have spent over a decade in the United States. As a result, I am inclined to fusion cuisine, underscored by my Southern African sensibilities, which is part of what makes me unique.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Unrelatedly, I happen to know a lot about climate action, sustainability practices, and clean energy! This has turned into opportunities though seemingly random. For example, I have worked with a non-profit that promotes wild-caught fishing products.
Also, I do sometimes work as a personal chef assistant cooking for people in their homes.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dontmissmyplate.com
- Instagram: @dontmissmyplate
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dontmissmyplate/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@dontmissmyplate2651
