Life & Work with Alyssa Ponticello

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alyssa Ponticello.

Hi Alyssa, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers. 
I would have to say like many stories, my journey started in childhood. As a child, I was always creating little entrepreneurial ventures, from the typical childhood lemonade stand to a jewelry business where I made and sold bracelets, a library where I’d rent books to friends and family, a monthly newsletter with recipes and games, and a club I created to host monthly gatherings focused on connection and giving back (one of my favorites was the gathering I had for Earth Day- we planted trees and then we all ate a dirt cake, the cake made with chocolate pudding, cookie crumbs, and gummy worms to resemble “dirt,” that I had made). I guess the curiosity for these ventures stemmed from my parents’ entrepreneurial spirit as they were real estate investors and even started up and ran a successful health food store (well before Erewhon was even a thing! Haha!). 

Fast Forward to my mid-twenties, when I moved to New York with my husband and, like anyone at that age, was just trying to survive and thrive in the city. I was applying for jobs left and right, but after what seemed like droves of application after application, I was beginning to feel hopeless and bordering on the line of insanity a la Jack Nicholson in The Shining. But remember that newsletter I mentioned earlier? Well, that, combined with my college years spent on LiveJournal and Myspace (Yes, those platforms! Remember those?!?), was my lightbulb moment, where I knew there was something I could do that would help ease the feeling of drowning in a sea of job applications. Except, a physical newsletter would no longer cut it in a digital age, and my peaks of interest in food, travel, and even fashion were far too vast to print out at the local library or at home, so out of this, my blog Runway Chef was born back in 2011. 

Since 2011, my blog has evolved into a lifestyle brand and website, alyssaponticello.com, that focuses on life lived in good taste and features food, recipes, and travel, with some lifestyle content thrown into the mix, as well. I’m also a recipe developer and food creative, working with brands to bring their products to life via original recipes, creative direction, food styling, and food photography. And this year I am throwing the gauntlet down and starting to work on my first cookbook and product line. 

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?
Here’s the thing- no road is smooth, especially in the world of entrepreneurship and business. If anyone tells you otherwise, they are either not telling you the full story or the truth. The reality is there have definitely been moments of smooth sailing or where it seems like things are on cruise control, but there are usually a lot of bumps and constant ups and downs. But it’s the invaluable lessons you learn from the bumps and turbulence that lead to the smooth sailing. 

To get a little granular, some of the struggles for me, in particular, definitely come down to myself and, more precisely, my mental self. It’s the constant inner battle and imposter syndrome that I feel many creatives struggle within the thinking of “Am I good enough?” or “Who will read my stuff?” or “Why isn’t my content as good as so-and-so’s,” and trying to rationalize it into a concise decision to either move forward with an idea or not. Having tunnel vision, blocking out the noise, staying true to yourself and in your lane in an ever-evolving digital landscape is a forever struggle. I’d also say knowing how and when to grow, having the resources to fund new ideas, and having more ideas than you have time or team to help you. Diving further into expanding, there’s really no handbook on hiring and growing your team, so it can be a real learning experience, and I’ve definitely struggled with hiring the wrong people or for the wrong positions within my business. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Well, as I briefly mentioned above, I am the founder and creator of my lifestyle website and brand alyssaponticello.com (I know, super original ha ha), where my focus is helping others to enjoy a “life lived in good taste”. While I cover a variety of subject matters, my core pillars are centered around food and travel. On the food side, I develop and create recipes for my audience that are meant to be elevated yet attainable, while on the travel side, I love exploring and sharing places that I have been and then creating travel guides to be a resource for people to plan their own travels and rely upon my recommendations that are often food-focused and from a more local perspective or off the beaten path. 

Within the food space, my work specializes in recipe development, working with brands to bring their product to life through engaging and original recipes that are fresh and flavorful and often highlight the bounty of produce we have available here in California and at our local farmer’s markets. I also work with brands to go a step further and bring the recipe to life through creative direction, food styling, food photography, video, and stop motions. 

As for what I am most proud of, there are a few things that come to mind. I’m proud anytime anyone says they’ve tried and liked one of my recipes, and even more so, someone who doesn’t normally cook telling me that my recipes make cooking easy and enjoyable for them. I’m proud of the community of kind and like-minded food and travel-obsessed people that I’ve brought together. I’m proud anytime anything I create and share positively impacts someone’s life. I’m proud of never quitting despite so many setbacks and failures. I am proud of the brand relationships, projects, and collaborations I have been a part of and cultivated over the years. I have developed and created recipes for brands under major conglomerates such as Unilever for both domestic and international activations and have worked with other global brands in the food/beverage, travel, and fashion industries. More recently, I’m proud I am finally starting to work on my cookbook, something that has been a lifelong dream of mine, and that I am finally holding myself accountable to get it underway this year. 

As for what I’m known for, and I think what sets me apart is how approachable and “real” I am. I have never been one to shy away from sharing something that may be deemed as not pretty or Instagrammy or from sharing a negative experience that happened to me in real life. I think that providing that sense of reality shows people that you have ups and downs just like anyone else and that there’s a sense of trust and connection that you get to build with your audience by sharing not just the good but also the bad, by being vulnerable. It allows you to still be your authentic self, and it gives your audience a sense of appreciation for the fact you’re not there to just show the “pretty” side of things because they can see through the BS, and the moment you think they can’t, it’s game over. 

Outside of that, I’m most known for my recipes that are unique and flavorful yet approachable (I want everyone to be able to get in the kitchen and cook, so my greatest joy is someone who doesn’t really cook telling me how I’ve helped them get in the kitchen and have fun cooking!), my travel recommendations that are focused on local culture and cuisine, my aesthetics and my eye, the way I capture things, style things, put them together and share them. 

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Hmm, what advice can I give… run, panic; the world is ending!!! Ok, apocalyptic humor aside, the best advice I could give to someone starting out would be to not listen to your brain or your heart but to truly trust your gut and not be afraid to be yourself, no matter what anyone else is doing or says. If it is not a hell yes, then it’s a no. Be patient, be consistent, be kind, don’t rush the process, know that there’s no such thing as an overnight success, doing something is better than doing nothing, don’t be afraid to fail (because that’s how you learn and grow) and trust that everything works out how it’s supposed to. 

As for something I wish I knew when starting out…it’s not going to be easy, but it will be worth it. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://alyssaponticello.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alyssanponticello/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AlyssaPonticello

Image Credits
David Levine
Alyssa Ponticello