Today we’d like to introduce you to Nkechi Ahaiwe.
Hi Nkechi, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Since 2015, I realized that I love food more than my friends. Whenever I went to a place to eat, I would order an array of food choices, so I could get a taste of everything! At the table, my friends would always look at me weird when I would eat and photograph my food.
I would always tell them, “Life is too short not to eat whatever you want!” Furthermore, that’s how my Instagram name became to be. After that, I started to put my love for food on my Instagram and people started to gravitate to my page. Ever since then, it exploded from there.
Now a few years later, my page has grown from 10k to 63k followers. I have been featured on ABC 7 News numerous times and recently on the front page of Los Angeles newspaper + website. To know what I do full-time, I am a food and travel blogger who not only creates baking and cooking content on Instagram and Twitter, but I always do restaurant collaborations.
Alright, 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?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road because as a full-time content creator this is my full-time job. This is my source of income, so it’s always a hustle to find a paid collaborations out there as a person of color. Most of the paid partnerships go to non-black contact creators. However, I been blessed to work with a lot of brands in the past like Remy Martin, Gelson’s, Total Wines, Farmer’s Market and so many more.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My brand founded in 2015, is called EatWhateverYouWant. It’s a brand all about not limiting yourself to what your body craves. Everyone wants to have a cheat day, but why limited it be one day when it can be every day! As a strong, beautiful African American, I travel domestically and internationally to try the best food and desserts. Most people may know me as a Food Blogger, but I also am a Food Stylist who loves to cook and bake. I am known to make food & desserts to look appealing and the design set up to be attractive to the eye. What I am most proud of as a company is being able to spread my love of food to the world while having a fun time. In addition, what set me apart from others is that I don’t consider this a job, I consider this more of a fun hobby.
In addition, in the near future, I will be working towards having my own TV show called, Catching Up with Nkechi. The show will be based on my personal life, food journey and starting my own bakery in the heart of Los Angeles. I can’t wait for the world to see my life full circle!
What I am most proud of is my weight loss from 2020 to 2021. I lost 155 pounds and it was a great process to improve my health. I encourage anyone who is looking to live a healthier life to implement that as soon as possible. How I lost so much weight in a year is with the keto diet.
Lastly what sets me apart from others is that I am truly happy with my life and what I do for a living. I also choose happiness every time I wake up and I am the same person on social media in real life.
I would like to add that I have the great opportunity to be a James Beard award judge for the 2021 to 2022 years…
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most important lesson that I’ve learned throughout my journey is to never give up and never take no for an answer. In addition, I learned that everybody’s success path in life is different and that I shouldn’t compare myself to others because that’s not healthy.
Pricing:
- $2500+ for recipe collabs (Instagram)
- $850-$1500+ for restaurant collabs (Instagram)
- $1000+ for website post
Contact Info:
- Website: https://catchingupwithnkechi.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/eatwhateveryouwant
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/alwayseating__
- Other: https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2022-09-11/food-influencers-ethics-fees-charged
