Fareedah Abdulsalaam. seamlessly blends her expertise in digital marketing with her passion for culinary arts, creating a unique and engaging online presence. By day, she’s a savvy marketer for startups, and by night, she’s a food content creator delighting her audience with mouthwatering recipes.

Tell us about yourself. 

I wear many hats. Aside from being a food content creator, I am also into marketing—marketing is my professional bread and butter. I’m focused on digital and social media marketing for startups and medium to small-sized brands. 

I’m also a caterer and a great friend, I take that personally.

Interesting, how did you come into the world of content creation? 

I started creating content seven years ago when I was at university. I always had a unique sense of style. People often told me they loved my outfit and they’d ask me where I got it from so I decided to start a blog to answer those questions. I documented my outfits for school and other occasions. 

As time went on, I started to work with some fashion brands and other fashion creators. I had this experience long before I started creating food content. 

So, how did you become a food content creator?

I wanted to change my diet and eating habits, and so my love for culinary arts evolved from there. As usual, I documented everything and soon, questions started coming in — people wanted to know what I was having and how I was making those recipes. 

This is why I describe myself as a lifestyle content creator because sometimes I even share beauty-related content. For me, content creation comes from wherever my life is at. I’m always exploring new interests. Who knows what content I’ll share in five years? 

Read – How To Become A Successful Food Content Creator

What do your days look like combining content creation and a full-time job? 

When I started, it was challenging for me — figuring out how to share recipes and stay consistent on social media, engaging with my audience while also managing my full-time job but I think I’ve gotten a hang of it now. 

I have a kitchen assistant who helps me while I shoot. I have shoot days where I film two to three recipes. Outside those days, I film content for trends myself or maybe when I make something out of a leftover meal. This schedule allows me to be productive for my 9-5. 

What challenges have you faced so far since you juggle your creator life with a 9-5 job?

My biggest challenge in the beginning was time management. I used to wake up and randomly decide to create content without thinking about how much it would take from me given that I also give my energy to my full-time job. This left me exhausted a lot of the time and I had to come to an agreement with myself on what my schedule looks like, hence the shoot days and my assistant.

How do you cope with challenges as they come?

I’m not afraid to take a break. I always say I’m not a prisoner of the algorithm. I know the algorithm favours regularly updated content but I know life happens and I’m open to the changes that come with it. 

I post once a week sometimes and other times, I just share my other interests via other social media platforms. I also post my day-to-day activities and engage with others just to stay active. When I feel overwhelmed and I’m off Instagram, I’ll still be on Twitter tweeting even if I’m not posting recipes, I’m still visible. 

Read – From Making Videos With Someone Else’s Phone To Digital Stardom: Polan’s Journey As A Food Content Creator

Can you share some of your favourite creations? 

Honestly, I love everything I make but I have a bit more love for the things I create out of nostalgia or sentiment. For example, recently I made Ekuru the way I used to have it grow up with the leaves and everything. I called my mum when I was done because I was so excited about it. 

I also find joy in making meals for my friends and family. Whenever I make something, I like to share it with someone I care about. This allows me to fall in love with most of my food creations as opposed to when I’m making food for just myself. 

What are some milestones you’ve reached so far? 

When I started creating food content, I wrote down a couple of brands that I wanted to reach out to for collaborations but as it turns out, these brands are the ones reaching out to me for work. Some of them are Hollandia, KerryGold and Gino for food products and Caraway and Our Place for cookware.

I’ve also been recognised for the work that I do but most importantly, I have built a community I am very proud of. It’s the one thing I’ve been fully focused on. I wanted to have a community of people who enjoy the kind of things that I do and resonate with my concerns, challenges and joys. So far, I think I have achieved that. 

Well done, what would you say to food content creators starting? 

I’d say focus on doing what you love. Look at your peers, see what they’re doing and how they are doing it and find your style. Be conscious of the little details like how you plate the final dish and how you move your camera. Those things matter. Also, don’t be afraid to niche out. For instance, say you’re a good baker, you can capitalise on that to build an audience and a community for yourself. 

Above all, be consistent. Love what you do and keep doing it. 

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