Mariachiara: “The power of food in building relationships”

Mariachiara is a freelancer, content creator – marketing and consultant in food communications. She is the founder of “TravelwithGusto”, a publishing house which prints travel guides (e-books) for people who love travelling for food. She also recently hosted a podcast named “Lingua” about relationships through the lens of food. 

What is your first memory related to food?

The kitchen has always been a place where I would find shelter after a long day at school, a space to talk and play with my cousins. I always felt good in the kitchen, especially at my aunt Paola’s house. In my family, aunt Paola was the most passionate about cooking and she took care of passing on all the family recipes. I remember her notebooks and cookbooks all over around the house. She loved to experiment and innovate in her cuisine (the outcome wasn’t always as delicious as expected!) She taught me to always stay curious and keep on getting inspired by new cuisines. Equally, every time I would go to my grandmother, she would be preparing tomato sauce, that she would later distribute to all of her children and grandchildren. One of my sweetest memories are her home-made ravioli filled with fresh cow ricotta.

I come from a small village near Salerno, that had no supermarkets at the time of my childhood. My grandfather had a vegetable garden and my grandmother had her own chickens, so I was lucky enough to grow up with high-quality ingredients in our kitchen.

To me, the kitchen is a joyful place where I know I can always find myself. 

What fascinates you about food?

Food is a tool to build relationships, but it is also something that involves all humans, it is a necessity and it can have a different meaning to each one of us. Food has always allowed me to connect with people and to grow my network. It is the heart of what I do, the main topic in my blog and what enabled me to work for various companies.

What is your background?

I was born near Salerno but I lived in BolognaMilan and Turin. I have been working in the communications field since 2005, but I always had a double/triple career. I used to work in a PR agency during the day and write for my food blog, for food and beverages magazines and organise events in food industry at night.

How powerful do you think Instagram is for food storytelling?

Food is a combination of flavours, senses, people and feelings, and Instagram is the perfect instrument to reflect all of these aspects. The pictures show you the visual and tasty aspect, videos allow you to see the people behind food and the producers, while Instagram stories are more spontaneous and show the more “human” sides of food. Moreover, Instagram conveys interesting and educational content in a direct, quick and easy way. It allows you to make connections with producers, chefs and even with strangers! And, most of all, it makes you dream about how a dish will taste like. The only missing aspect is smell! 

What role does Instagram have in your life?

To me, Instagram is an instrument to talk about my interests and my daily life. Food is definitely at the centre of my life, as it defines who I am and it allows me to show my personality through the products I buy and consume. For example, every time I buy new spices I enjoy showing and explaining them to my followers!

How has food communications changed over the past few years?

I believe that a book should be written about this topic, to fully answer to this question. We should mention social media, food influencers, TV shows and chefs as they are the main characters in this change. In this past few years, we experienced a switch in values and in the communication of food. Companies are now focusing on communicating their products with a different and distinctive voice, and they give more and more value to what the public wants to hear. There is no communication that is not connected to reality, social media shortened this process and made it possible to customise the gastronomic experience.

This is just a little taste…

What do you think are the challenges faced by women who work in the food industry?

I was never directly discriminated during my career but I have to admit that, as a woman, it was always difficult to be considered for the most prestigious positions, especially for what concerns managing and organising events. This tends to be a male-dominated industry where men hold most of the managing positions and who then introduce more men to it. Hence, it is typically more difficult for women like me to get access to certain roles. It took me a while to understand this mechanism, as at the beginning I thought I was the problem, and that maybe I was not good enough. Overall, in Italy, it can be tough to be recognised for your own capabilities and as women we often need to work harder to get where we want to. 

How did Covid-19 impact your life and career?

My job before the pandemic was quite different. I used to work for medium and large enterprises in the food industry as a content creator and consultant. I used to do some individual advisory as well. 

I used to travel around Italy to meet with clients and to train the companies I was working for on a weekly basis. At the beginning of lockdown, after feeling desperate for one week, I realised that the life I was living before was not suitable for the person I am and that I had to find an alternative solution. I remember asking myself: “What am I good at?”. And for the first time, I truly listened to myself and understood that many people already knew the answer. So I started organising online master classes about what I feel I am an expert about: “Food writing” and “Instagram Food Marketing”, to ultimately teach people how to do storytelling, talk and photograph food in a more persuasive way. 

How did you come up with your podcast “Lingua”?

A few years ago, I published a post on my blog called “what happens to our cupboard when a love ends”. I wrote that post after my divorce, to talk about how my kitchen changed after that event. After receiving positive feedback and encouraging comments, I started thinking about doing something bigger on this topic. Later in 2019, I then presented my idea to the podcast platform “Storytel”, and told them I wanted to talk about relationships through the lens of food. I realised how food can be a unique tool to talk about universal topics such as love, pain, divorce and relationships overall. Through the culinary language, sounds and recipes, I was able to tell stories that moved all my listeners and I am proud to say that my podcast has been one of the most successful ones on “Storytel”!

What advice would you give to someone who wants to follow your career path? 

Before becoming a consultant and freelancer in food communications, you need to work many years, not necessarily in the food industry (you can cultivate that interest in your own time) but most importantly you need to work for a PR agency or creative company to understand the communications strategies behind specific products. Working in such environments teaches you how to build valuable relationships with clients, meet deadlines and understand this field from a broader perspective. My ultimate advice is: never stop eating!!