Today we’d like to introduce you to Yashira Franco.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Yashira. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Before I created the blog, I started sharing my dishes and recipes with family and friends on my personal Facebook page. The feedback during those months was amazing, and even some people encouraged me to create a blog. I thought about it for a while. There are so many food blogs out there, I thought. But what made me jump on the blog wagon was this idea of having an online recipe index for my daughters where I can share my Puerto Rican dishes and other things they love.
That’s how Whole Together Now was born about seven months ago, from a space where I can share my love of cooking and recipes with my daughters to a place where lots of people who love food find somewhere to belong.
The name of the blog was inspired by our little family tradition of cooking together. We share a special time in the kitchen, either whisking eggs, cooking rice, baking cookies or making smoothies, being in the kitchen together is one of the ways that we connect and share that special bond with one another.
What I love about this “whole” experience is how cooking has awakened a creative side of me. For many, cooking can be a chore, a burden, a repetitive cycle but if you look at it from the right side, it can be a place to create and discover, and where creativity can flourish.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I can’t say this whole process has been easy. Raising a family, meeting my freelance job responsibilities (I’m a Spanish copywriter), the household, everything in between plus having a blog, it can get chaotic sometimes. But hey, I love it! Going through the process of having an idea, and seeing it executed, it gives me great satisfaction… and if people like it, it’s even better. It’s like the cherry on top!
Please tell us about Whole Together Now.
Whole Together Now is my digital recipe index, where people with zero or tons of cooking experience can visit and have a taste of the things I like to cook for my family and friends. Outside this blog, I worked as a Freelance Spanish Copywriter for the US Hispanic market. Advertising and cooking may not be related, but ironically I follow the same creative process to come up with ideas and yummy recipes. Who knew?
Having a blog with tips, tricks and recipes in English AND Spanish without redirecting you to a website, or eternally scrolling down to find a recipe, makes it easy. People can just save the post and go back to it whenever they want to or need it. There’s no greater joy to see people liking, sharing or saving your recipes, especially the ones close to my Puerto Rican roots. That’s what keeps me going.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
This experience is a constant learning process, and everything that I’m learning–the good and difficult– is helping me evolve and adjust as I move forward. Social Media is a whole different world, and learning how to take advantage of its opportunities is something that I’m looking forward to learn more about. I can’t predict where this will take me, but I’m more than excited to discover all the things this experience can bring. If there’s one thing I would have done differently, it would probably be that I should’ve started this blog years ago. Connecting with people through food and sharing with others about my culture while playing in the kitchen, it’s something that brings me joy!
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @wholetogethernow
- Facebook: @wholetogethernow
Image Credit:
All images are property of Whole Together Now.
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