DO YOU REALLY EAT EVERYTHING THAT YOU POST?
This is probably the #1 question I get. Everything I’ve posted I’ve tried. I would never want to recommend to my audience something that I can’t vouch for myself. Now with that being said, I am not a competitive eater and never claimed to be. So if you see something that is ginormous you can assume I’m sharing it with friends and family. I hate to be wasteful and I constantly get thanked for providing leftovers ☺
WERE YOU A PHOTOGRAPHER YOUR WHOLE LIFE?
I started taking photography seriously in my mid 20's. I went to school and got my masters degree for teaching and followed my mother's career path as a math teacher at an all boy's Catholic High School in the South Bronx of NYC until June 2017 when I decided to pursue the entrepreneurial life full time. You can read more about that transition in this FEATURE
WHAT EDITING APPS DO YOU USE?
I used to use Adobe Photoshop for the majority of my professional edits but have recently transitioned to using Capture One which I love. One thing in particular that stands out to me over Photoshop is the ease of use and accuracy of their color correction and grading. You can read more about it on my Pro Tips page .
HOW DO YOU STAY FIT EATING ALL THESE AMAZING THINGS?
The term CHEAT DAY comes from a mindset of balance. I like to indulge and enjoy delicious food but also have my CHEAT CLEAN days and I also love to workout. Being on the road full time can cause challenges with working out especially being on a plane all day but until I'm able to fly private with a mini workout studio onboard 🙂 I try to wake up early to get at least 45 minutes every morning I can. It probably averages out to about 5 days a week. I think it's all about moderation and balance and finding what works for you. You can check out some of my workout videos for inspiration and tips
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE TRYING TO DO SOMETHING SIMILAR?
Make sure you have a true passion for it. You’ll spend countless hours on your brand and I couldn’t imagine doing it if I didn’t truly love what I do.
ARE YOU COMFORTABLE WITH SHARING YOUR AGE?
My brand has become so much more than about food over the years. I really want people to come to my channels because they feel like they know me and can trust what I’m posting is what I believe is great. I answer all my comments and DMs because I love my community and that does include personal questions too.
With that being said, I'll utilize my background as a former high school math teacher and give you a math equation to figure it out 🙂 Take the current year we are in now and subtract 1,985 from it. If the current month we are in right now is before October then subtract 1 from the total and you have my age 😉
DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS OR TRICKS FOR ACHIEVING AN AESTHETICALLY AWESOME INSTAGRAM PAGE? ANY SOCIAL MEDIA TIPS?
I think having a food account it is relatively more difficult to go with a certain color scheme compared to many travel and fashion accounts. Food is colorful and I try to edit a photo to represent what that dish looked like to me in person. Check out my FREE workshop on how to take great photos with your phone. The focus is on food photography but you'll learn a bunch of great general shooting tips as well.
Some of my biggest tips
– Quality over quantity
– Be true to yourself – people can tell authenticity
– Connect and engage with your community
– Especially as it becomes more and more saturated, you need to have patience in seeing growth.
WHAT’S SOMETHING PEOPLE WOULD BE SURPRISED TO LEARN ABOUT YOU?
As I mentioned earlier, I was a high school math teacher in the south Bronx. I also was a personal trainer ( hence why the name cheat day is close to my heart) Also since I get the question so much, I guess people are surprised a lot to find out that not only is everything on @CheatDayEats my own personal content but that I also consume at least a portion of everything I post. (@Mr.CheatDayEats helps too).
DO YOU USE YOUR PHONE OR A CAMERA TO TAKE YOUR PHOTOS?
80% of the time I will use my professional SONY camera. With the growing improvements of cameras on phones this number is slowly decreasing. Make sure to check out my FREE workshop on how to take amazing photos and videos using just your phone!
HOW DO YOU MAKE A LIVING AS A ”BLOGGER”?
I know the intentions of throwing around the terms ''blogger'' or ''influencer'' are easy and convenient ways to describe this business but I like to think what my partner Mr.CheatDayEats and I do full time as more of running a digital content studio. We've created a lifestyle brand and production company focused on food, travel, and fitness. We offer a lot of different packages to different brands and businesses which includes full photo/video shoots for hotels and restaurants in addition to sponsored advertisement of work on Instagram. Feel free to reach out using the CONTACT form to learn more about how we can work together and the scope of work available.
WHERE DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR CULINARY HOME; A CITY OR COUNTRY THAT HELPED INFORM OR INSPIRE YOUR LOVE OF FOOD?
I am proud to call NYC my culinary home. With a melting pot of food and an unlimited amount of restaurants to choose from, NYC’s food scene is unreal! The diversity allows your palate to taste something new every day.
WHAT PHONE DO YOU USE FOR YOUR INSTAGRAM STORIES?
I have always loved the flexibility and features of the Samsung line of phones. I am currently using the Galaxy Note 10+ and love the way it captures content for me. Check out my FREE workshop on how to take great photos with your phone. The focus is on food photography but you'll learn a bunch of great general shooting tips as well.
WHAT IS ONE THING THAT YOU HOPE YOUR READERS TAKE AWAY FROM YOUR BLOGS?
I hope to inspire people. Whether that be booking a hotel because of a YourRoomService post or going to a restaurant because I posted about a dish I loved from there. My page has become so much more than a page about food. I really want people to come to my page because they feel like they know me and can trust what I’m posting is what I believe is great. I answer all my comments and DMs because I love my community.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE FOOD-RELATED MOTTO, QUOTE OR WORDS TO LIVE BY?
It’s my cheat day! – For me its all about balance (while it might not appear that way on my account). I eat healthy and work out so my account is not to suggest people have a cheat day every day, but when they do, do it right! I am there to do the research for them.
Will travel for food – This is something I live by because I love to travel to other places and base my destinations on the culinary aspect. I want to be able to experience a dish and taste the tradition of a culture.
WHAT/WHO INSPIRES YOU THE MOST?
My fiancé Brian (aka Mr.CheatDayEats) inspires me the most. He has helped take our business to another level and always has my best interest at heart both personally and professionally. He helps with content production, handling inquiries, facilitating itineraries, accounting, taxes, and all that super fun stuff 🙂 We both are up at the crack of dawn every morning 7 days a week running our business and pretty much go until our eyes close at night. It's for sure longer hours than our former career path but we love it and definitely subscribe to the saying " If you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life."
