Today we’d like to introduce you to Carly.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
From a very early age, I had a strong interest in food. Beginning with baking banana bread and eventually evolving into a curiosity to try new cuisines and restaurants, my passion for the food and beverage industry has always been obvious.
Upon graduating from the Richard Ivey School of Business, I began my journey in the Food & Beverage agency world while completing the Culinary Arts Certificate Program at George Brown College. At this time, I began to document my dining experiences via Instagram for friends and family to follow along.
With over eight years of Food & Beverage agency and restaurant marketing experience, my combination of culinary and marketing expertise is fairly unique in the creator world. My curiosity for developing food trends and travel coupled with a dedicated audience of true food enthusiasts is what continues to inspire my content creation every day.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It’s been a slow climb! When I created @TheChewReview, it was with the intention of being a face-less account with 100% original content. A new age ‘restaurant critic’ per se. Early on, it was recommended by a colleague that I include my physical self in the account if I wanted to it to grow. Sure enough, I have patiently watched as multiple colleagues’ audiences skyrocketed far beyond mine along the way. However, I have maintained my original plan: because it was meant to be about my culinary voice and opinion, not my appearance. So, yes – that’s been challenging to stick to at times! But my dedicated audience, who are undyingly loyal to nothing other than my voice, really makes it all worth it!
We’ve been impressed with The Chew Review Inc., but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The Chew Review Inc. has two facets:
1) Social media presence (mainly on Instagram & TikTok with a website as secondary platform)
The Chew Review is quite unique because it provides actual restaurant reviews from a certified culinary professional who also works directly with chefs and restaurateurs. Many restaurant ‘bloggers’ simply post images without a review attached to it, so diners don’t have much to base their visit on other than visuals. My audience tends to be comprised of more dedicated, educated food enthusiasts.
2) Restaurant marketing consultant: I work directly with small-medium sized restaurants to create content, manage digital platforms and conduct influencer outreach in order to elevate their brands.
A combination of agency and restaurant marketing experience coupled with culinary training and exposure to the creator world allows me to have an extremely unique perspective and network of connections when it comes to the restaurant marketing world.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Apps: Planoly to plan, Slack to communicate with clients, Canva to create quick graphics and Gmail/Google calendar to keep me organized.
Podcasts: I generally listen to easy, humorous and sometimes educational podcasts in the background while I work! These consist of: I Don’t Know About That, The Dave Chang Show, Masters in Business, Call Her Daddy, Sex with Emily and Diet Starts Tomorrow.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.thechewreview.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/thechewreview
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/thechewreview
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/thechewreview
Image Credits
2nd – 5th photos taken by: Michael Gozum
