A’Nita E, Blavity Creative Society member and founder of the cooking blog Cuff in Seasons, spoke to us about her passion for creating accessible, healthy and easy-to-make food for millennials. Read our interview with her below.
Blavity: What motivated you to start Cuff in Seasons?
A’Nita E: I was motivated to start when I was in undergrad. My friends and I were eating like garbage. I was like why don’t we have a space that can teach us how to cook within a budget with simple but great meals? Why don’t more people in our age bracket have more information about shopping in season, because fresh ingredients are cheaper when you do and have all of that information in one place?
B: My favorite part about your blog is that so many of the recipes are affordable. Talk to us more about why this is a vital part of your mission.
AE: This is a vital part of my mission because eating healthy can be difficult, money-consuming and time-consuming if you’re not paying close enough attention. While it’s great to look at recipes that call for ingredients not found in a local grocery store, when you’re in college or recently graduated, you’re counting your money. With tuition, bills and sometimes taking care of a family, money can be limited. You want to be able to eat well, have something left over and still have your bank account acting like it knows you.
B: What words of advice/motivation do you have for young black professionals to prioritize cooking and healthy eating in their everyday lives?
AE: I would say to take it one day at at time. Our lives get busy, so don’t beat yourself up if you fall off sometimes. What I’ve learned on this journey so far is that the easiest way to stay on track is to plan during the week and meal prep once or twice during the weekend. It gives you variety during the week and you don’t have to wonder what you’re going to be eating. I would also say to go outside your comfort zone, try something new that you normally wouldn’t get at the store and experiment with it. You can never go wrong with expanding your culinary tastes.
B: Talk to us about what it takes to design and run a successful food blog.
AE: I’m still learning the answer to this every day. It’s trial and error . So far, I’ve learned lots of patience, good photography, and making your readers feel connected and being relatable.
B: How does the city you live in influence your blog?
AE: I’m a southern girl, so being from Atlanta but living in the surrounding area, I crave great comfort food, but I like a lot of different flavors. Luckily, you can find that here. Whether that’s an Ethiopian restaurant or one of the farmers markets we have here, you can honestly find just about any and everything you can possibly want to try. However, as a textbook introvert, the city and this blog has influenced me to explore even more and see what else Atlanta and other surrounding cities have to offer.
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