Today we’d like to introduce you to Aymara Lucero.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Concerned Cook was born in 2012, as I went to Weight Watchers meetings and saw people struggling with nutritional education and cooking habits. I decided it would be a proactive project to share my personal recipes with people who didn’t have the time or motivation to cook, yet wanted to achieve a healthy lifestyle. The goal was to transfer my culinary craftiness to others while holding myself accountable. Back then, Concerned Cook’s home was a traditional blog website until I decided to transfer it to Instagram in 2013 (before “influencing” was at its peak). The project spoke to a tight-knit digital community of individuals searching for savory simple recipes that could be completed quickly, thus fitting into their busy routine. Additionally, the brand started to combine other important aspects of a well-rounded lifestyle, such as portion control tips, nutritional education, meal prepping tricks, and local food sourcing.
Fun fact: Concerned Cook’s identity as “Aymara” (me) was not revealed until January 1st, 2017. Until then, I believed that associating my identity with the project would divert attention from the food. Instead, I later decided to bet on the notion that people are attracted to people; anyone could be making the recipes, but the meaningful connection at its core is with the human behind the food. Once I revealed my “secret identity” and location, it opened up a new world for me and my community. I took my audience through my travels: Russian food markets, Spanish dishes definitions, and events like the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. It helped that in my personal profession (with a Master of Science in Marketing and Bachelor in Psychology) my expertise is as a marketing manager for local restaurant groups, where I have gained much culinary knowledge and exposure. Over the years, my passion for conscious cooking and food waste awareness also became part of Concerned Cook’s personality, offering sustainable tips in and out of the kitchen. The quality of the content is always being elevated, expanding to healthy restaurant partnerships, hosting events, and speaking at local nutritional workshops. I’m happy to say that the brand embodies its own particular and consistent lifestyle to the point where it’s known when something “is Concerned Cook” or “isn’t Concerned Cook.”
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has been a constant learning lesson of how to engage the community and adapt to the dynamic culinary social media scope. The tools I use have evolved, and so has my style. Concerned Cook has been self-funded with little to no monetary return, so my incentives are mostly intrinsic.
Please tell us about Concerned Cook.
I aim to inspire a healthy lifestyle through my simple recipes & cooking tips. Additionally, Concerned Cook features other things you may need to achieve this well-rounded lifestyle, such as food prep habits, food waste consciousness, local food sourcing, etc. I’m most proud of the connection Concerned Cook has established with its community. Once, I heard a stranger say the phrase “Concerned Cook recipe” in a meeting without her knowing we are one and the same. Last year, an empowered local non-profit organization invited me to educate their guests in workshops. These are the glorious moments when I realize that my project’s purpose has been realized.
Is there a quality or characteristic that has played an outsized role in your success?
I think that my creative consistency and hunger to elevate Concerned Cook are what has fueled this passion project for over seven years. My personal skills, which are continuously developed through my career as a marketing specialist and degrees in psychology and marketing, have been beneficial for strengthening the brand.
Contact Info:
- Email: aconcernedcook@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/concernedcook/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/concernedcook
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ConcernedCook?lang=en
Image Credit:
Concerned Cook (main image cooking with a strawberry apron) – Paul Perdomo https://www.paulperdomo.com/
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