Cathy Erway on How to Find a Food Writer Mentor

In Chapter 11 of 16 in her 2012 interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "At This Moment in Your Life, Where are You Seeking Advice and Coaching?"  Erway details how she is learning from experienced food writer mentors and the steps she has taken to build relationships with them over time. 

Cathy Erway is an author and food writer living in Brooklyn.  Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  She earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen:  At this moment in your life, where are you seeking advice and coaching?

Cathy Erway:  At this moment, I am seeking advice and coaching from veteran food writers. I love to talk to them, hang out with them, eat with them. As well as I found that older, you know, food writers really like to hear what's going on with the youth culture, so it's a win-win. I have a few friends that had been doing cookbooks for decades and, we don't really, like, so much talk about cookbooks all the time. We kind of just hang out and maybe we will talk about the Super Bowl and just other stuff, you know, our families, what's going on in politics, but, you know, if we ever need each other's advice--like I've been helping a certain older food writer friend get into Twitter and do more social media and stuff like that, and figure all that stuff out. And I'm sure I will go back to him if I ever need a contact at The New York Times or something.

Erik Michielsen:  And do you find there’s just inspiration that comes from being in that group's presence independent of what specific thing you're talking about?

Cathy Erway:  Well, for me, definitely. Because the older, the more experienced you are, the more foods you know about, I think. I mean it's really a learning experience, the more places they've probably been around the world, so, yeah, I love hearing about that kind of thing and I will ask them endlessly and they're like, "Oh, and then in Barcelona, we went and had these snails..." you know, so I just love hearing about it I was like, "I wanna go."

Erik Michielsen:  Have you ever been intimidated asking, you know, to be part of that conversation, be part of those gatherings, and if so, how did you overcome that, you know, trepidation and push yourself in there?

Cathy Erway: No. No, I don't think so. I mean I will, like if I see a food critic at a party, say we're at the same event, and it's a public event, right? And some people are shy to walk up to people. I'm not, you know? Or email them out of the blue, because a lot of times they'll respond and they're really awesome. I try to do that to people that email me out of the blue. Maybe I don't get to all of them, I don't know, I think I do. If anyone's listening. I don't know, I mean, I think that it's, you know, if you wanna talk to them, they'll probably be happy to talk to you, too. 

Finding Food Writing Inspiration Reading Thoreau

In Chapter 12 of 16 in her 2012 interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "How Have Thoreau's Words 'None can be an impartial or wise observer of human life from the vantage point of what we should call 'voluntary poverty' ' inspired your work?"  These words, from Thoreau's "Walden", inspire Erway to put herself in a place to see things from another person's shoes, which opens a creative channel that becomes her blog and, progressively, her healthy food advocacy platform. 

Cathy Erway is an author and food writer living in Brooklyn.  Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  She earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen:  How have Thoreau's words "None can be an impartial or wise observer of human life but from the vantage point of what we should call voluntary poverty," inspired your work?

Cathy Erway:  That's a very interesting quote, isn't it? I thought it was so audacious for him to say that. It's so -- You've never heard something like that. I haven't before, so I thought it was, "Wow, what a bold statement," and that's what really caught me when I saw it, and obviously if we could say it a different way it would make a lot more sense. So you could say, "Altruism is..." you know, "…the best way to get to know about life and people." But he said this kind of shocking, you know, word poverty, voluntary poverty, that's crazy, right? So it did inspire me and it made me feel brave to start a blog called, "not eating out in New York" because that sounds pretty weird, that sounds shocking, a little crazy, and I just knew that it was going to be -- it was going to work because of that, because I liked it. It just caught me.

Erik Michielsen:  And was there sacrifice?

Cathy Erway:  Was there sacrifice? I mean the whole experiment was like a big sacrifice. But I thought, you know, I thought of a lot different names that would sound nicer to you, on the ear, it would just kind of be evocative of, like fruits or something like, you know, something nice, something pleasant, something people like to hear. "Oh, you know, 'juicy tomato,' that sounds great." But that wouldn't really say anything about the blog so I was like just go ahead, just do it, just say, "not eating out in New York." "What?" You know…

Erik Michielsen:  With regard to voluntary poverty, does that come back to being surrounded by so many professionals and a lot of wealth, and choosing to kind of go against that, and then tying that into your choices from a writing and food perspective?

Cathy Erway:  Yeah, I think that that pretty much sums it up. I mean, voluntary poverty means you've taken it upon yourself to see things from another person's shoes. So, you know, going back to -- that's another way of putting that statement, right? So, yeah, I mean we live in the most cosmopolitan, arguably, city in the world. Of course there's a huge disparity of, you know, different incomes in the city, so you can see that all around you, but for the most part, I mean, yes, I mean we have everything at our fingertips, the greatest arts, the greatest food, which is what I was going to focus on, and, you know, Thoreau, his whole thing was he stepped away from society. That quote is from Walden, so he lived in the middle of the wilderness in Walden Pond actually, and survived, and learned how to survive basically on his own devices, so that's what I was comparing myself to doing by feeding myself all the time when there's so much non-need to do that.

Cathy Erway on Learning to Lead and Champion a Cause

In Chapter 13 of 16 in her 2012 interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "What Does It Mean to Be a Leader in What You Do?"  By championing the good food movement, promoting healthy eating and encouraging people to cook at home, she finds it critical to engage people to drive action.  By allowing people to respond and take action to her words and messages, she finds her leadership actionable.  Erway goes on to share food writing and healthy eating mentoring influences, including Anna Lappe, Marion Nestle, and Alice Waters. 

Cathy Erway is an author and food writer living in Brooklyn.  Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  She earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen:  What does it mean to be a leader in what you do?

Cathy Erway:  Well, there are different levels of what I do. I think that one of the things that you could say I do is champion the good food movement, healthy eating, and cooking creatively at home. So-- "What does it mean to be a leader?" means engaging people and leading people, not just by writing about it, but by getting out there and organizing activities, initiating group -- just engagement somehow, whether that be asking people just questions to answer to in a Twitter feed or getting together a bunch of people and hosting a great event for a good cause. So I think that people just need to respond to you and need to be active themselves, they need to take an action, aside from just watching or reading, in order for you to be a leader.

Erik Michielsen:  Continuing on that, what leaders have you learned from?

Cathy Erway:  I've learned from a great deal of a really good food writer mentors. Also, along those lines, there are lots of local leaders in the food world, Anna Lappé who lives down the street from here, she's great, she's always been very active. Same with Marion Nestle she's always on panels, always talking, always being at events. I don't know her personally, but Alice Waters is such a leader. It's insane how much she does.

Erik Michielsen:  How so?

Cathy Erway:  Edible Schoolyard, I was out in Berkeley, California when they were celebrating their 30th anniversary with that project, and it just seems to expand all the time. They add more functions to this project. There's more cooking courses going on, there's more events surrounding it, and more groups that are getting involved with Edible -- it's like this thing, it's like this beast now. So, yeah, she's a huge leader.

Cathy Erway on Fixing the Mixed Messages of Food TV Shows

In Chapter 14 of 16 in her 2012 interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "Why Should Food Media Be More About Education Than Entertainment?"  Erway highlights the need for food media television and blogs to be more clear in their intent.  She believes audiences see entertainment as instructional.  Erway takes issue her and aims to clarify the intent or purpose of shows teaching cooking and selling cookbooks that do not promote healthy eating. 

Cathy Erway is an author and food writer living in Brooklyn.  Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  She earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen:  Why should food media be more about education than entertainment?

Cathy Erway:  Well, I mean, not to sound too naive, but I think that, yes, I understand there is a difference in tone for the purpose of a food media thing, television show, for example, and a lot of the times we don't see it, we don't see that line and it gets confused for authenticity or just, you know, plain instructions, something that you should follow, but of course a lot of entertaining stuff is out there that--it wasn't--it didn't have that purpose.

So, the first food media, TV shows started, you know, in the '50s when television -- that truly was--that was like housewives need to know how to flip an omelet, so this is how you do it. That's really where it started, but of course, now we have all sorts of crazy shows, all sorts of funny, entertaining blogs out there too, and we need to, like, just be a little more clear on which, you know--what we should be watching it for, and--I mean, not that there's anything wrong with entertaining food media. I love watching funny shows like Food Party. I love the old British series Posh Nosh but, I mean, if you're going to instruct a food and sell cookbooks, I think that there needs to be more purpose behind that than just to entertain. Because you're going to have a real impact on people's eating habits, and they do, and they really do.

And, you know, I've noticed when I write something on my blog that's a recipe that is kind of hilarious, over-the-top--bacon cream cheese cupcakes--that the readership spikes and sure enough, you know, that's fun and stuff, and I do that once in a while, but it's not something I want to do simply to have a broader audience and, you know, I just -- because I don't want people to eat -- I don't eat that way all the time.

Erik Michielsen:  Right. Yeah, yeah, it's misleading.

Cathy Erway:  Yeah. I think so.

Erik Michielsen:  Only if it's done for entertainment's sake then it -- Okay, the goal is to entertain and then to sell advertising behind that and to make a productive, you know, television show, but when you're--

Cathy Erway:  Then you're like a tobacco company. Right? You're just like selling something that people like even though you know it's not good.

Erik Michielsen:  Yeah, there's a deeper element there that can be probably used a bit more.

Cathy Erway:  I like to write recipes that, if you read the behind the lines I do have a mission, but I'm trying not to hit you over the head with it. I talk about how delicious turnips are. And they are, but I mean, who would've thought that originally? It's not something you'd read and be like, "Oh, yeah, totally!" You know, there's, I feel like there's media that is affirmative like when the watcher--when the viewer is watching it, it's, you know, there's a positive experience which is, "I agree with you, and I already do agree with you." And that's the easiest kind of positive response to get.

But when you challenge by bringing up a totally new thought or new revelation like turnips taste decadent. Right? Or you try to make it sound decadent instead. There this like, "Eh." You know, non-- but you know after a while maybe they'll try and maybe they'll think it's a positive thing afterwards. So it takes a lot more time, it's harder to do, it's harder to get people to have a good experience because they have to actually do it or try it or something. 

Blogging Advice on Starting a Weekly Podcast to Grow Your Audience

In Chapter 15 of 16 in her 2012 interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "How Are You Learning to Adapt Your Message to Reach Different Audiences?"  Erway notes how her podcast radio show as proven to be a strong complement to her food blog.  She shares how this has played into her evolving education marketing and promoting her ideas, messages, and writing. 

Cathy Erway is an author and food writer living in Brooklyn.  Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  She earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen:  How are you learning to adapt your message to reach different audiences?

Cathy Erway:  Well, one thing I've done is really focus on other mediums that I do on a pretty regular basis. So I have this radio show, it's a podcast on Heritage Radio Network. I think that the audience that listens to podcast radio, maybe they're -- maybe they just tune, you know, tune into it while doing other stuff at work, instead of reading because it's easier, maybe they're busier, I don't know, I think it's probably a different audience than somebody who reads a blog and also cooks a blog, cooks recipes from it that is.

I felt that, you know, there always are going to be people who just search for a recipe and land on your blog, and that's really cool too. So I like to tag up, you know, some recipes, which I didn't use to do before because I was so bad at--horribly bad at you know stuff like traffic, but that's always cool to see, and sometimes they do comment. They're like, "Hey, I just stumbled across this." And they're like totally a new voice in the whole conversation, which is great. 

Advice on How to Handle Rejection

In Chapter 16 of 16 in her 2012 interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "How Do You Deal With Rejection?"  Erway notes how dealing with rejection comes down to attitude and ego.  She reminds herself rejection is not about her and shifts focus on understanding the party saying no and why it would do so.  Cathy Erway is an author and food writer living in Brooklyn.  Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  She earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen:  How do you deal with rejection?

Cathy Erway:  Rejection is actually -- it is a product of ego. I'm very easygoing, and if somebody rejects me and it's not a huge deal, I really handle it pretty well. Or if something, you know, I -- say I submitted to a poetry contest and I didn't get it, it's really not--I'm not going to be crushed, so I don't really get so worked up.

And if you didn't have a big ego, then you, there's no such thing as rejection, actually. It doesn't exist. It is something that you feel when you're--when somebody says no for whatever reason. You can take that to be, "Oh, I respect the way that person or that organization is thinking," and that's, it is what it is, you know? That's all it is. It's not about me, but let's think about what they were thinking, and that's their choice, okay. So, cool. But if you're thinking of it from only your point of view, "Oh," you know, "the world is -- It's me against the world. And the world is rejecting me." Then of course you're going to feel bad, so it's really about an attitude.

How Permanence Shapes Creative Career Choices - Doug Jaeger

In Chapter 3 of 17 in his 2012 interview, entrepreneur Doug Jaeger answers "What Makes Your Work Meaningful?"  Jaeger shares how he started in web design and, over time, worked to launch websites and brands.  Over time, he finds his work no longer exists and shifts his attention to work that has a more permanent aspect, specifically company brand identities.  He enables this using multimedia designed for longer lifespans, specifically film, photography, and video.  Doug Jaeger is the co-founder of JaegerSloan, a multimedia design services firm in New York City.  His street front office doubles as the JS55 Gallery. Jaeger is also an adjunct professor at the School of Visual Arts (SVA).  He graduated from Syracuse University.

Finding Joy in Affecting How Others See the World - Doug Jaeger

In Chapter 4 of 17 in his 2012 interview, entrepreneur Doug Jaeger answers "What Do You Enjoy Most About What You Do?"  Jaeger notes how he finds joy creating and making things or stimuli - designs, experiences, products - that shape how others see the world.  He revels in understanding the reactions from what he presents and using that to shape future work.  Doug Jaeger is the co-founder of JaegerSloan, a multimedia design services firm in New York City.  His street front office doubles as the JS55 Gallery. Jaeger is also an adjunct professor at the School of Visual Arts (SVA).  He graduated from Syracuse University.

How Storefront Office Transforms Creative Business - Doug Jaeger

In Chapter 9 of 17 in his 2012 interview, entrepreneur Doug Jaeger answers "How Did You Decide Where to Locate Your Office?"  Jaeger learns from mentor, Carl Johnson of Anomaly, how London creative agencies work out of storefront offices.  After opening JaegerSloan as a hybrid office / gallery, Jaeger finds unexpected surprises being connected to the local community.  By being present in the community, Jaeger finds he is able to both participate and contribute as a member and help it flourish.  Doug Jaeger is the co-founder of JaegerSloan, a multimedia design services firm in New York City.  His street front office doubles as the JS55 Gallery. Jaeger is also an adjunct professor at the School of Visual Arts (SVA).  He graduated from Syracuse University.

How Curiosity Stimulates Creativity - Doug Jaeger

In Chapter 10 of 17 in his 2012 interview, entrepreneur Doug Jaeger answers "How Does Changing Your Surrounding Fosters Creative Thinking?"  Jaeger notes two ways to stimulate new ideas, creativity and curiosity.  He shares how changing surroundings opens new avenues for curiosity that translates into creative thinking.  Doug Jaeger is the co-founder of JaegerSloan, a multimedia design services firm in New York City.  His street front office doubles as the JS55 Gallery. Jaeger is also an adjunct professor at the School of Visual Arts (SVA).  He graduated from Syracuse University.

Learning Storytelling Skills to Sell Concepts and Ideas - Doug Jaeger

In Chapter 13 of 17 in his 2012 interview, entrepreneur Doug Jaeger answers "How Are You Improving Your Storytelling Skills?"  Jaeger notes how getting involved in film has helped him better understand how stories can be told and used to sell a concept or idea.  The process teaches him how to apply existing skills and develop new ones to better serve clients and build his business.  Doug Jaeger is the co-founder of JaegerSloan, a multimedia design services firm in New York City.  His street front office doubles as the JS55 Gallery. Jaeger is also an adjunct professor at the School of Visual Arts (SVA).  He graduated from Syracuse University.

How to Convince Clients to Try New Creative Ideas - Doug Jaeger

In Chapter 14 of 17 in his 2012 interview, entrepreneur Doug Jaeger answers "How Do You Create Hope and Dispel Fear When Introducing New Concepts and Ideas?"  Jaeger makes it a point to create a comparable to ease resistance and help the audience better connect with the idea.  This complements industry experience and establishing a business build upon independence, experimentation, and flexibility.  Doug Jaeger is the co-founder of JaegerSloan, a multimedia design services firm in New York City.  His street front office doubles as the JS55 Gallery. Jaeger is also an adjunct professor at the School of Visual Arts (SVA).  He graduated from Syracuse University.

How to Create Collaborative Film Project Teams - Doug Jaeger

In Chapter 15 of 17 in his 2012 interview, entrepreneur Doug Jaeger answers "What Do You Find Most Rewarding About Collaborating With Others on Projects?"  Jaeger shares what he has learned about working in a film project environment and assembling creative teams that thrive in his business environment.  Doug Jaeger is the co-founder of JaegerSloan, a multimedia design services firm in New York City.  His street front office doubles as the JS55 Gallery. Jaeger is also an adjunct professor at the School of Visual Arts (SVA).  He graduated from Syracuse University.

What Gets Easier and What Gets Harder - Yoav Gonen

In Chapter 1 of 11 in his 2011 interview, education reporter Yoav Gonen answers "What is Getting Easier and What is Getting Harder in Your Journalism Career?"  Gonen notes how he has become one of if not the most experienced reporter covering education news.  After writing over 1000 articles and building over 2000 contacts, he finds it easier to find stories.  Gonen finds challenge in not telling the same story twice and finding new angles to tell similar stories.  Yoav Gonen is the education reporter for the New York Post newspaper in New York City.  He earned a Masters of Journalism degree from New York University and a BA in English from the University of Michigan.

How News Reporter Becomes Better Storyteller - Yoav Gonen

In Chapter 2 of 11 in his 2011 interview, education reporter Yoav Gonen answers "How Are You Challenging Yourself to Improve as a News Reporter?"  After five years on the education news reporting brief, Gonen notes how he is looking for new ways to tell stories to build creative skills and satisfy his editors and readers.  Yoav Gonen is the education reporter for the New York Post newspaper in New York City.  He earned a Masters of Journalism degree from New York University and a BA in English from the University of Michigan.

Finding Motivation to Do Your Best Work - Yoav Gonen

In Chapter 3 of 11 in his 2011 interview, education reporter Yoav Gonen answers "When are You at Your Best?"  Gonen notes how working in a deadline driven environment motivates him to do his best work.  As a result, he has made it a point to find work where deadlines are fundamental to the job.  Yoav Gonen is the education reporter for the New York Post newspaper in New York City.  He earned a Masters of Journalism degree from New York University and a BA in English from the University of Michigan.

Why to Have Career Goals - Yoav Gonen

In Chapter 5 of 11 in his 2011 interview, education reporter Yoav Gonen answers "How are Your Priorities Changing as You Get Older?"  Gonen notes what he has learned about having goals and something to strive for and shares how goals affect his life for the better.  Yoav Gonen is the education reporter for the New York Post newspaper in New York City.  He earned a Masters of Journalism degree from New York University and a BA in English from the University of Michigan.

How to Build and Use a Professional Network - Yoav Gonen

In Chapter 6 of 11 in his 2011 interview, education reporter Yoav Gonen answers "How Do You Use Your Network to Get Help Making Career and Life Decisions?"  Gonen notes the challenges he has had finding people ahead of him in career to emulate and contact.  As his career develops, he better understands the importance of identifying people reporting on education and sets out to better do this in coming months.  Yoav Gonen is the education reporter for the New York Post newspaper in New York City.  He earned a Masters of Journalism degree from New York University and a BA in English from the University of Michigan.