Meet Shantelle Amigable of Pasadena, CA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shantelle Amigable.

Hi Shantelle, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My story started off in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic when we were all stuck at home. I was living with my fiancé and his kids at the time and a wonderful way to not only pass the time but also bond with the kids was through TikTok. I created my very first TikTok video on Christmas Eve of 2020 and it was a video of me cooking pasta for dinner. The next morning I woke up and it had reached 20k likes. The kids were ecstatic about it and it became a way for us to continue bonding. They were so supportive and were highly invested in helping me film videos. Soon enough, making content became a side hustle when I found out that these creators or “influencers” were actually making money off of it. I became so obsessed with creating because it was like therapy and it was a special way for me to remain connected to my step kids. So I started doing a ton of brand deals, campaigns, and collabs. With a growing exposure online, I was able to start my own seasoning brand. I curated it as a way to better connect with my followers who wanted an easier way to cook with me and follow along with my recipes. Then, the growing exposure also turned into me getting my first book deal. Unfortunately, at this point in time, my fiancé and I ended our relationship. This was a period when things were tough, but definitely strengthened my resilience and grew my faith. This was a rocky period where at some point, I had to live out of my car. While still working a full time job. And while still finding a way to write a cookbook without actually having a home. I had no kitchen to cook in to complete my brand deals or curate my recipes. No home to photograph these recipes. No safe space to land at night. No stable way of completing anything. Yet, I still powered through and showed up to my day job as if nothing were wrong. I still continued to write this book, even without a proper means to be able to. A lot of my content and cookbook recipes had to be filmed on beer pong tables in random locations, staged to look like a kitchen just so I could finish writing my book. There would be some nights where coworkers or friends would offer me a couch or a bed to sleep on. Unknowingly, for every person that invited me into their home or fed me a meal during my afflictions, I would ask them what their favorite comfort meal was and I would turn that into a recipe in my book and name it after them. I had this grand plan to theme my cookbook around comfort meals, except they were inspired by real people – the people that helped me get by when I was struggling. However, life was getting me down at this point in time and I was struggling so badly to stay afloat that I was ready to call my publisher and let them know that I could not complete the book on time. I still had over half the recipes in the book to complete. I had no way of filming, photographing, writing, and editing within the span of a week while being stationed out of my vehicle and having zero means to be able to do anything. Then one night on July 20, 2022, I was in my car scrolling through e-mails getting ready for bed and I stumbled across an e-mail from a man named Billie. It read:

“I know you probably get a million messages a day but I need to know where to get your cookbook. My daughter is 7-years-old and cooking is her passion and it gives her peace especially when she has a bad day. She has watched every video you have made and she wants to learn your recipes, especially your roasted chicken and veggies. She wants to make it for her papas birthday. I will enclose a picture of her and a picture of the hamburger steak and gravy she made last night all by herself. It was her first full meal with no help and it was amazing (we are from the south).”

At this very moment, I realized that I couldn’t let this little girl down. I couldn’t let my followers down, either. I realized at this very moment that I couldn’t let my struggles take heed of me because the brand I worked so hard to build and the version of me that I built to be able to flourish this much and leave a lasting impact was riding on me not giving up. So I got up and continued writing this book. I worked my full time job, and then I worked extra hard to complete the remainder of the recipes. Filming in peoples’ garages, in ghost kitchens, posting up at coffee shops and libraries to be able to complete my recipes. I stayed up day and night to ensure that this book was going to be done within a week. My first book was published and released on August 8, 2022.

Since then, I have funneled a lot of my resources to give back to my community in order to support those who may be going through similar stories. I make donations to Friends in Deed here in Pasadena. As well as Door of Hope, who provides shelter to homeless families and mothers who have escaped DV. Just as a reminder that with a little love and care from strangers and with a little faith, where we come from does not determine where we are headed. I continued “influencing” and curating content. But now, I do it for Nestle. I’m a case manager for a non-profit that provides care and resources to intellectually and developmentally disabled adults. I have also since published a second cookbook. And I’m two months out from opening my first dessert franchise location.

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?
Not at all. A lot of mental struggles that originated from various stages of life. A breakup, of course. A huge transition. Losing my home. Losing a baby and the grief that came with it. Grief from losing my father along the way as well (he passed in 2022). Friends leaving. It was a lot.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I have so many different jobs so I’ll start with the one that I clock into everyday. I’m a case manager. I provide resources to a group of individuals under my care so that they have access to the same quality of life that everyone else does.

Online (and offline periodically), people know me as “Chips.” I’m known for cooking and foodie content. They call me Chips because my username is “chipsinasandwich.” I chose that as a username because that was my favorite struggle meal growing up.

I’m also currently developing and building out a new dessert franchise that specializes in cinnamon rolls. Our first location is set to open this July in McKinney, TX. 4

What I’m most proud of is how far I’ve come. I went from not knowing how I was going to push through after a breakup and after back-to-back trauma to now being further ahead that most of my family as I continue to build out my brand and empire. What sets me apart is my insane ability to pivot when life gets harsh or when things don’t turn out how we wanted them to. I can lose it all and get it all back over and over again. And that’s my best characteristic.

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I encourage you to have the audacity. All of it.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/chipsinasandwich
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/chipsinasandwich
• Other: https://tiktok.com/@chipsinasandwich

Image Credits
Cookbook covers by Found Publishing