There is something incredibly nostalgic about food. A certain smell or ingredient can transport us back to our childhood and we are immediately removed from our reality and into those surroundings—reminded of the emotion we felt in that moment and the comfort it brings. For Tieghan Gerard it was at 13 making Rachel Ray’s mac and cheese for her brother in the family kitchen (apparently he still asks for it!). Since then her love for preparing food for others has extended beyond the family table and into a very successful business with a New York Times bestselling cookbook and a million followers on Instagram.
If you haven’t heard of Half Baked Harvest yet then you’re in for a real treat. Even if you don’t make the recipes, the visual feast is delicious on its own. We promise you’ll be pinning every one of them to your recipes board. Read on to hear how Gerard took her passion from the dinner table to global domination and the mistakes she learned from along the way. We predict she’ll be the next Rachel Ray—watch this space!
CREATE & CULTIVATE: You come from a family of nine and in a bid to get dinner on the table at a respectable hour, you started helping with the cooking—Can you take us back to that time? How old were you when you started cooking? What were some of the first meals you cooked? And when did you realize that cooking was something you wanted to do for a living?
TIEGHAN GERARD: I was 13 when I started cooking and my very first recipe was a Rachel Ray mac and cheese bake. To this day it’s one of my oldest brother’s favorite recipes. He begs me to make it all the time. It was within that first year of cooking that I began to realize just how much I love to cook. Seeing the reactions on my family members’ faces when I served them a dish they truly enjoyed was the greatest feeling. It's really how I developed a true love for cooking.
It wasn’t long after starting Half Baked Harvest that I realized I wanted to make this my career. Reaching so many people and being a part of their lives excited me so much. I loved giving my readers recipes they could enjoy together.
Eventually, this passion grew and you took over the cooking of your family meals full time—that is no small undertaking! This is also where you started capturing the process and sharing your best recipes online—That is now called Half Baked Harvest—What was your vision for the site back then? Did you ever expect it to grow as it has? What has the journey been like for you?
Back then I really didn’t have a vision for HBH. I was just creating recipes that my family and I loved. I never expected HBH to become my full-time business, but over time it's been amazing to see it grow. We have the kindest and loyal community. I’ve loved building the brand and in turn helping more people break out of their cooking ruts and find a place in the kitchen. It's so special to be able to help so many through food and I’m excited to continue to do so.
“It’s very demanding and it took a lot of hard work to get to this point. I spend nearly seven days a week working, I don’t really shut off.”
You just released your second book, Super Simple which just hit the New York Times’ bestseller list—congratulations! What is the difference between this book and the first? How did it feel to see this one make the NYT list? What advice do you have for other people reading this who want to write a book and don't know where to start?
Thank you! The first book was very much a reflection of the crazy creative HBH blog recipes I was creating then. Some were quick and easy, but some had multiple steps and took a bit more time than people might have on an average weeknight but all are still delicious. The second book is heavily focused on the simplest dishes with the most flavor. There are 30-minute meals, instant pot recipes, one-pan dinners, and simple five-ingredient desserts too. This is the cookbook for everyday cooking.
It’s been beyond amazing to see the book on the NYT list, I still can't believe it. I never expected to make that list, but now that I have, well it’s just the greatest feeling. For anyone who'd like to write a book, you first need to find your audience. What is the purpose of the book? Who does it serve? Ask yourself these questions. Then, I’d recommend a literary agent to help you write a proposal and get the book in front of the right eyes.
When you hit a bump or hurdle in your career, how do you #FindNewRoads + switch gears to find success?
I just keep pushing through, keep creating, and working hard. Everything has a solution and as long as you work hard to find the fix, all will be okay. You'll learn a lot in the process and come out with a better business in the end.
What advice would you give a woman today who's about to begin her career in the food industry? What traits/characteristics does she need to be successful and navigate that industry? Why?
My best advice is to just jump in and do it. Find your style of cooking, what makes your recipes unique, and what makes them stand out. Use social media to get your work seen and always work to create something that is truly yours, that’s unique.
Can you recall a specific time you failed and how you turned that around/into an opportunity?
I was accepted at a design school in L.A. where I was going to finish my last two years of college. Before starting school, I spent three months in the city and quickly become homesick. I moved back home and spent a week or so feeling like a complete failure. It was during this time that I decided to put all my energy into starting Half Baked Harvest. It was the hardest time for me, but in the end, it ended up being the best move I ever made.
The filtered world of social media often hides a lot of the hard work and hustle behind-the-scenes. What is the reality of being an entrepreneur in the food space today? How hard is it? What are some of the challenges? What did it take for you to get to your level of success now?
Oh man, so much goes into running your own business. It's truly a 24/7 job, especially when social media is such a huge part. It's incredibly hard and demanding. The challenge for me is the balance between work and life. It's hard to shut off and stop working when the work literally never ends. There is always something to do, someone who needs a question answered, or content to create. It's very demanding and it took a lot of hard work to get to this point. I spend nearly seven days a week working, I don't really shut off.
Can you recall a specific mistake you made in your career/business and share what you learned from it? How did you turn it into an opportunity?
So far my biggest mistakes have been with hiring. I've made some bad hires, but I’m slowly learning what it takes to manage a team. I am nowhere near the perfect leader, but learning as I go.
What is the best advice you have been given? Or a favorite piece of #realtalk? Why?
Work harder than everyone else and always be kind—I live by this. Running your own business is hard work, you have to put in the time. But if you do, you will be rewarded. And the kindness part? It's the golden rule, you just need to treat others the way you want to be treated.
“I strive for perfectly, imperfect—our flaws make us unique and I try to embrace mine now.”
What is the #1 piece of advice you'd like women to know when starting out or building a business? Why?
Know that running your own business is going to be a lot of work. You have to love it to be successful and you have to put in the hard work. Nothing happens overnight but if you have the passion and drive for what you do, your hard work will pay off.
There has been so much innovation and disruption in the food and beverage industry—what changes are coming next? How are you continuing to bring change and newness?
I wish I'd know that perfect isn't reality. I spent a lot of time trying to make recipes perfect, trying to make photos perfect, and my writing flawless, but over time I’ve realized that perfect is great to strive for, but it's not reality. Now I strive for perfectly imperfect—our flaws make us unique and I try to embrace mine now.
What do you wish your younger self knew when you were first starting out? Why? What characteristics/traits make you successful?
Passion for what I do, having a drive to succeed, persistence, being innovative and finding ways around obstacles, developing a tough skin… not giving up!
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