Conversations with Aaron

Today we’d like to introduce you to Aaron

Hi Aaron, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Hello there! My name is Aaron. I am a lifelong Californian and a lifelong foodie! Having lived my entire life in the Greater LA area, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to experience much of its diverse food scene. Inspired by the countless food influencers whose content I’ve spent countless hours watching, I finally decided to take that step and begin to share my passion for food with anyone who cares to give my channel a click.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I am a foodie 24/7, but I do work a regular daytime job full time. While that job does take care of the bills, it does not leave me with nearly as much time as I’d like to put into my channel to brainstorm, film, edit, etc. The dream is to get to a position where the channel is the job that both pays my bills and is my passion. A variety of other logistics can also prove quite challenging: everything from operating within a modest budget and using minimal equipment to the practical limitations of doing everything myself. Also, my background in videography is minimal, so I had to teach myself everything that goes into content production and publishing. Even trying to be somewhat health-conscious with the food I eat can be a challenge!

Apart from those more logistical challenges, the reality of becoming a content creator can be very discouraging. Starting out, you hope for your “never-been-done-before” idea to turn into the viral video that takes you to a million subscribers within a week, but rarely does that happen. Soon, you likely realize it’s hard work, and maybe a bit of luck. You try to work the platform algorithms to grow your channel. Are people subscribing? Are they also leaving a comment? Are they also watching the entire video? Has the algorithm suddenly changed? Am I marketing right? Am I spending enough on marketing? Can I afford to spend more on marketing? It’s easy to go down that rabbit hole of more, more, more, everything has to be perfect, but all you can really do is put in your best effort as often as you can. I believe — and maybe have to believe — that consistency and a constant desire to improve will produce fruit, even if it can seem painfully slow.

I believe the channel has come a long way, but I am hopeful there is far more to come!

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?
The ambition of “Aaron’s Trendy Eats” (ATE) is really to be a food channel open to “All Things Food” (ATF). The only limitation I might put on that is that I want the channel to be relatable, i.e., readily relatable and accessible. That’s why much of the early content is — and will continue to be for the foreseeable future — centered on fast food. Most everyone eats fast food at times. Most people know the big chains. And, while prices have gone up, it’s still “relatively” affordable. In other words, you probably won’t see me doing a video about cooking a little-known dish with hard-to-find ingredients that takes a very long time to prepare. I love cooking, but that video is probably not coming anytime soon. Or ever.

That said, I started posting some fine dining review content to expand the channel a bit. I am a fast food fan, but I don’t eat it all the time!

For now, the idea is that the channel content will be centered on three of my passions: food reviews, food challenges and food deals. I believe that the triple threat of having a discerning palate, being able to eat a lot and having a keen eye for savings does make the channel unique. While I think it’s fair to say the channel is not very well-known now, if it continues to grow and eventually shifts into my full-time job, I’d love to transition to more of a food & travel channel. That is the dream!

Honestly, what I’m most proud about is taking that step of faith to launch the channel to give myself a shot of achieving that dream!

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love where I get to live! In particular, I really like trying new food places. Even if I have the most amazing experience at a restaurant, I’d rather choose to try a new restaurant than go back to the first one. That’s nothing against the first restaurant — I’d love to go back there — but there are so many amazing restaurants to try, and that list is not running out anytime soon. At the same time, I like reliability. I like being able to go to a chain restaurant and have virtually the same great experience I had the previous time. Even though I’ve been to In-N-Out dozens of times, I appreciate that I’ve never had a single experience when their burger was disappointing compared to the time before. I appreciate that the layout at each of their locations is near-identical so that you feel like you’re visiting an old friend even when you go to a new In-N-Out location in a new city for the first time. Just don’t ask me to defend their fries!

I dislike what I have dubbed “glam fine dining”. I won’t use names, but there are certain fancier-looking restaurants that try so hard to look good without actually having food that lives up to that look. I’m talking about literal smoke and mirrors at times. One other big dislike of mine is when some restaurants — again, usually fancier ones — have overly-dim dining rooms. I get they want to go for a romantic vibe, but I should be able to see what I’m eating!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/aaronstrendyeats
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/aaronstrendyeats/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@aaronstrendyeats