Today we’d like to introduce you to Yasmine Agelidis
Yasmine, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I love food. I just really love food. I grew up eating everything and anything—never said no to a dish, even as a toddler. There’s a home video of me in my high chair in a Michigan suburb trying my first bite of grapefruit, and I’m bopping around eating it all up. Can’t get enough of it! In fact, I start to cry when the whole grapefruit is gone. Good food brings me so much joy. It makes me feel comforted, inspired, and like I’m exploring the whole wide world. I love that different cultures came up with similar dishes even though they exist on opposite sides of the world and rarely if ever interacted, like dumplings, noodles, chicken soup. I love that my mom’s spaghetti Bolognese reminds me of a handful of relatively unimportant evenings over the years, and that I can’t think about custard profiteroles without remembering sampling one for the first time as a 5-year-old kiddo at Costco with my parents. Food is so cool because it can be so freaking delicious and satisfying, and it also ends up being a measuring tool for the life that we’ve lived.
Last year, in 2024, I created my social media account Yazzyeatsfood to try to reconnect with my kitchen. I’d been struggling to get back into cooking, and it occurred to me that maybe an Instagram account could help keep me accountable because I wouldn’t just be cooking for me. It also gave me an opportunity to try to put myself in the center of something. I was craving a bit of that feeling of ownership and spotlight. I fumbled a bit awkwardly to figure out what shape I wanted it to take. But through experimenting I started to tell stories of why this family recipe matters to me, what that dish reminds me of, and how this food makes me feel. I liked how I felt when I shared those memories, and I think people who found me enjoyed it too. I guess that brings me to today! I’m still tinkering with the shape of it, but you can find me cooking tasty recipes and telling sweet stories that connect to something meaningful from my life. If any of this sounds nice to you, I would love for you to join me and follow along at @Yazzyeatsfood on Instagram and TikTok.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I’m having a lot of fun cooking delicious recipes and telling sweet stories, but self-doubt certainly creeps in. There’s something so disconnecting to feel like I need to ‘get the algorithm to like me.’ But if I’m being honest, I think blaming the algorithm is a bit of a cop out. What I’m learning through all this is that if I trust myself and am aligned with what I create, then I’ve met my definition of success. Of course I have to do this realignment every day, but hey that’s life.
Two thoughts are keeping me from sinking into the trap of external validation these days. 1) Be disciplined with your thoughts. Those little suckers know how to trick you and they have no issue lying to you. 2) The only thing that concerns you in the creative process is what happens before you hit ‘send.’ Make sure it reflects your values. The rest is irrelevant to you, so forget it.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I like to share a good meal with loved ones. I think it’s so fun to be with people who get it when you’re beaming with excitement for how the flavor profile zips way up to the top of your head, or sinks into a warm, comforting bowl in your mouth. It’s really special to share those feelings with someone, and to have them reflect their opinions back to you. What a beautiful thing! I’m trying to capture those moments and share them with anyone who wants to join in.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
As a kid I was a playful goofball with a shy streak. My parents took pride in the fact that I would eat anything. And now I take pride in that too: escargot, kibbeh, you name it. I grew up living all over the world, moving every three years. My favorite home was a little suburb outside of Amsterdam. It was quiet, calm and had such a peaceful natural environment. Things I loved there included dancing to the Spice Girls with my best friend after school, climbing trees near the pond, feeding the ducks, riding bikes, and catching frogs and naming them in my backyard.
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