Meet Grace Vallo | Food Blogger, Recipe Creator & Influencer

We are thrilled to be connecting with Grace Vallo again. Grace is a Food Blogger, Recipe Creator & Influencer and is also a content partner. Content partners help Voyage in so many ways from spreading the word about the work that we do, sponsoring our mission and collaborating with us on content like this. Check out our conversation with Grace below.

Grace, it’s been too long since we last connected. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts with our community again. Some readers might have missed our prior conversations, so maybe you can kick things off for us with a quick intro?
Cooking and baking with the seasons has been a part of my life since I was just a little kid. Here in New England, seasonal cooking is more than the fresh produce available during that time of year. It’s the “feeling” that you get when making popsicles or grilled meats in the summer, or a warm bowl of pasta in the winter! Whether it’s Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter or any holiday in between, I hope my recipes satisfy your seasonal cravings.

What is your favorite part about being a food blogger?
I love being able to provide people with recipes that become part of their family table. There’s no better feeling than hearing that I completed that table with food that brought everyone together.

To anyone wanting to start their own business, how would you suggest they start?
I suggest they start by reflecting on what they absolutely LOVE to do and wouldn’t ever get sick of doing. Starting a business is more than a full-time job; it’s a lifestyle. If you love what you do then you really won’t ever work a day in your life. After you’ve defined that, then go take a hard look at the competition. Learn from what they do well and what you could do better.

Do you ever get tired of cooking everyday?
Oh yes! Even though I love what I do, sometimes I just want a big box of Pepe’s pizza (I’m CT born and raised after all!). I also sometimes get sick of writing down every step and measuring out every ingredient. There’s times where I just want to cook and not think about how someone can recreate what I’m making. But most of the time, it’s a fun challenge and it’s gotten easier over time.

How do you get inspiration for the recipes you make?
Magazines, Pinterest, my dad sending me recipes from newspapers, what’s locally fresh and available that time of year in New England, and what the seasonal mood calls for. Recipe creation is one of my favorite activities. It’s where I can really exercise my creativity, and it’s really cool seeing an idea come to life and have people get just as excited about it as I am.

What career advice would you give to your younger self?
I’d tell myself to enjoy the journey. It’s really easy to get caught up in the day to day grind, and get stressed and overwhelmed by the minutiae. I’d also tell myself instant results are rare…starting a business is a slow grind with lots of bumps in the road but some big wins that make it all worth it.

How do you stay motivated without a formal “boss?”
I get asked this a lot but if I’m being honest, my own motivation and my own inner “boss” is too strong to not push myself. I think I struggle sometimes with the opposite: pushing myself too hard. I have so much enthusiasm for what I do that I can be a perfectionist over every detail. I’m working on finding a balance between motivation vs. perfectionism. To me, it’s one of the toughest parts of running a business!

Alright, so before we go, how can our readers connect with you to learn more and show support?
You can find all my seasonal recipes on TastefullyGrace.com. Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube (@TastefullyGrace) for more from my New England kitchen!

https://www.instagram.com/tastefullygrace/
https://www.facebook.com/TastefullyGrace
https://www.pinterest.com/tastefullygrace/
https://www.youtube.com/c/TastefullyGrace

Contact Info:

• Website: tastefullygrace.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TastefullyGrace
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TastefullyGrace/videos
• Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/tastefullygrace/

Image Credits
Photos of Grace: MJL Photography and Films Photos of food: Tastefully Grace