Change is Good :) Where My Blog is Going This Year
Hello hello hello to all of you!
First of all, I want to say thank you for following along on this food blog journey and allowing me to turn my dreams into a reality. And thanks for sticking around through my brand experiments, new projects, and new failures. I genuinely can’t thank you enough! When I initially started @nycdining back in 2012, my goal was to visit every New York restaurant that I could while I was in college at NYU. At the time, I was in journalism school, and I used this platform as a way to grow my voice in the food industry to hopefully help me achieve my ultimate goal — become a TV host, following in the footsteps of Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern.
Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought it would turn into my full-time job. As I’ve grown and learned more about myself and who I want to be, my brand has also evolved into much more than a restaurant diary. I used to be afraid of change, but lately I’ve been embracing it. My life in the past 2 years (even 2 weeks!) has evolved so much, let alone the past seven years, since I began this blog while eating brunch in soho — a daring dish choice of black pudding waffles with foie gras butter.
I mean, think about how much you’ve changed since you were 19. It’s rare that you’re the same person you were in college, let alone your teen years. That’s how my brand has grown. From 19 to 26, this brand is me. It’s my soul and personality — so of course it’s going to naturally change.
These photos were taken from my first ever food blog shoot in 2012. How crazy!
For this next chapter of my life, I want to take everything I’ve learned through my culinary experiences — the dining out, the overnight baking shifts, the cocktail making, the live cooking demos— and incorporate this knowledge into my life and content. I want to keep learning and exploring. I will never stop exploring restaurants and seeking out dining experiences, and this time around, I want to be more selective. I want to feature restaurants that I genuinely connect with, instead of multiple places a week. I’ve started a video series called Skyler’s Spots, where I will feature a different place that I vibe with each week. On the flip side, I also want to focus on balancing my restaurant indulgences with, well, balance. I want to take everything I’ve learned through my culinary experiences, and incorporate this knowledge into my life through cooking. In this cooking vein, I’ve launched 2 new IGTV series — Casual Cooking Show and Skyler Swap. In Casual Cooking Show, my goal is to show you the honest, unfiltered truth of how I cook, what I’m making, and the mistakes I make in the kitchen. In Skyler Swap, I am taking inspiration from some of the most delicious, indulgent dishes and creating a more wholesome, all-natural version. I’ve learned that video is my favorite way of conveying my message and story. Moving forward, I will be posting much more video, as this allows me to do exactly what I love — eat, talk, entertain, enjoy food, and just have a damn good time without stopping to pose for pictures. Creating content has become such a “stop and go” process, that it can take away from the reality of an experience. I want the reality and the experience. I also want to be present.
Through these past seven years, I’ve learned that the key to my own happiness is learning how to balance what I want with what I need. This pertains to relationships, work, what I eat, and more. For example, last year I was going to five restaurants a day because I wanted to produce more content to share with all of you — however, these days would lead to me feeling sluggish and completely off center. That’s when I learned that I need to cook nutritious meals at home in order to balance my indulgent meals that I eat when I’m out. I’ve never been one for restrictions, and I will never restrict myself at a restaurant because I’m a firm believer in fully immersing myself in every restaurant I attend, so that’s why balance has become so important to me. Maintaining a cooking vs. dining equilibrium has helped me maintain my happiness. When I learned how to balance cooking and eating well with dining out, I also opened up a whole new side of me that loved to be in the kitchen. That’s why I am shifting my focus to include all of these elements.
I am so excited and grateful for you all to see what’s next with Dining with Skyler. My plan is to embark on this culinary change, and broaden my horizons. I also plan to move out of New York sometime in the future, whether it be a year from now or five years from now. No matter where I end up, my blog and brand will always show the core of who I am and what ignites my foodie fire.
I hope you’re as excited as I am for what’s to come! Love you all!
Xx
Skyler
