Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Diaz.
Lauren, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started my blog Fluent in Food & Travel back in 2016 when I had the opportunity to study abroad during my time at the University of Miami. I decided to choose Rome, Italy, which is one of my favorite cities in Europe, to live and study for four months. I have always been interested in food and travel ever since I was a little girl, so I leaped at the opportunity to go live in the country with the best food and in a city that was close to so many beautiful destinations. After settling in, I decided to create two separate Instagram accounts (@fluent_in_food) and @fluent_in_travel) and although I still used my travel account, I definitely began to focus more on the food. At first, I started them to share my experiences abroad with my family and close friends but then they started to grow, and I ran with it. I love sharing my thoughts about certain places/restaurants with people because there’s nothing I hate more than being in a country with limited time and sitting to eat somewhere or waiting in line for a museum that is just bad. I wanted to be able to be that “go-to” person that people would ask for recommendations when they traveled to a certain place, so they could have amazing experiences everywhere they went. I realized I could do this with my accounts and bring it to the next level, so I officially started my business.
I enlisted my sister to help me, and I launched my website and blog www.fluentinfood.net. Here I was able to write a bit more about my experiences rather than just share a picture and let people use their imagination. I started writing lists like “Best Restaurants in Rome,” “Best Italian Restaurants in Miami, According to Someone Who Lived in Rome,” etc. I love lists so I would always have a note on my phone with a list of restaurants I needed to visit when I took a trip to a specific place. With my blog, I hoped people would just open up the article, and that could be their list! When I returned to Miami, the blog and Instagram took a little bit of a back seat since I was so busy with school, but once I got to my senior year at UM, I picked it back up again. I started posting every day, getting invited to restaurants and events, and I really never thought I would be able to capture an audience of over 5,000 people, but here I am.
Although Fluent in Food & Travel is an actual business, I still view it as a creative outlet, and I will always stay genuine and true to myself and the original reason why I started it in the first place. I am not one to post a picture of something just because it looks amazing even though it tasted bad. Everything I post is because I tried it myself and I would genuinely recommend it because I enjoyed it. All of my content is original, tasted and taken by me.
The same goes for Fluent in Travel. I have been lucky to travel to over 20 countries, and I post my personal photos that I’ve collected over the years. This way my followers can check out the same cool spots when they get to visit that country.
I hope to continue to grow and reach thousands more people in the coming years. My goal is to be a well-known and respected food and travel influencer. I want people to trust and enjoy the recommendations I make on my pages.
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?
Definitely, there are always challenges in any endeavor! For me, the hardest struggle is comparing myself with similar businesses. Since we’re in the realm of social media, it’s really easy to find yourself comparing your page to someone else’s. Why is this person getting more followers than me, why do they have less followers but more likes, why didn’t I get invited to this event. And you simply can’t do that to yourself! Social media is not always what it seems so it’s important to just stay true to yourself and your brand and don’t get discouraged by someone who” appears” to be doing “better” than you. As far as advice goes: just never give up! Post often, follow people, engage with your followers, and like and comment on peoples stuff. At least in the food-world and especially in Miami, we’ve built a community amongst ourselves. We know there’s room for all of us, so we help each other and learn from each other which has helped all of us grow.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Fluent in Food & Travel – what should we know?
I’ve come to really enjoy food photography and have learned a lot by running my blog. I really love to challenge myself and am always trying to improve my pictures. If you look at the pictures I was posting when I first started vs. what they look like now, I’ve improved immensely. So I guess you can say I specialize in taking the best photos I possibly can of truly delicious food. As I mentioned previously, I am most proud of the fact that I never post something I didn’t personally eat and like myself. I want my recommendations to be authentic. I never want someone to go to a restaurant and be disappointed by a dish that was on my page. I think these two factors really set me apart from others. I’m starting to get to the point where people will see a photo and know that I’m the one that took it and that’s the goal!
Which women have inspired you in your life?
Without a doubt, my mom. My mom left Cuba at the age of 14 to come to the United States with barely anything to her name. When she got here, she didn’t know a word of English, but she and my grandparents fought hard and worked their butts off to try to make a life here. She graduated from high school, put herself through college, and now owns her own business. To be able to see how she overcame so many obstacles to become a successful and educated businesswoman inspires me to work hard and never give up. She is living proof that you can make something out of nothing and that inspires me every day. I’m lucky to have such an amazing role model that has provided me with the means to shoot for the stars, and I hope to be as successful as she is one day!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.fluentinfood.net
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fluent_in_food/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fluentinfood/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/fluentinfood
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/fluent_in_travel/
Image Credit:
Fluent in Food & Travel
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