Today we’d like to introduce you to Carmen Elena Galvan
Hi Carmen Elena, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My name is Carmen Elena Galvan. I was born and raised in Brownsville, TX, which is located on the US-Mexican border. Growing up in a small town, I was oblivious to the amazing food culture and food diversity that exists across the world. That is why I became fascinated with the Food Network Channel and even dreamt about having my own cooking show one day. My inspiration for cooking came from watching The Barefoot Contessa, Giada De Laurentiis, The Pioneer Woman, Bobby Flay, Alton Brown, and Paula Dean. But I must say my biggest role model is my mamá, Elvia Margarita. She cooks some of the most delicious, authentic Mexican dishes that she learned from watching her mamá and her abuelita. She even mastered the art of making various tamales on her own…which is what she’s famous for. It’s all about finding your rhythm in the kitchen.
After graduating high school, I enrolled at the International Culinary Institute in San Antonio, TX, and became a certified chef when I was 21 years old. Going to culinary school in a bigger, more diverse city, really opened my eyes to the artistry of food. Not only did I learn how to cook international cuisines, but I also learned how to beautifully present food on plates. I believe food is the only art that we can appreciate with all our senses…sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing.
Fast forward to today, I went on to earn a master’s degree in mass media communications and spent the last 10 years researching different food trends and tasting delicious food from the cities I visited. And thanks to social media, I was able to document my experiences and share them on various platforms. Taking pictures of food with my iPhone and creating reels on Instagram was a personal hobby that later became my mini side hustle. I began collaborating with restaurants and interviewing the owners to promote their businesses across social media platforms. This is why I decided to create The Healthy Beet, which is a marketing agency to help promote healthy restaurants across Texas.
I use my skills as a multi-media journalist to create food content that will hopefully inspire and motivate people to try new restaurants wherever they go. This is my way of showing restaurant owners that I appreciate and value their efforts in providing excellent service and delicious food.
This is why I do what I do, and I enjoy every moment of it!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Unfortunately, it hasn’t always been a smooth road. Although my parents supported me 100%, some of my friends and family judged me for spending too much time creating food content on social media. They saw it as a silly hobby and told me I should focus on a real career instead. I understand their point of view, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me from chasing my dreams! My goal was to create a fun and successful food marketing business that I would enjoy doing for the rest of my life. And although I’m not there yet, I’m consistently working hard and strengthening my skills to hopefully launch The Healthy Beet soon. Fingers crossed!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a social media content creator and visual storyteller who specializes in creating vibrant food posts and reels. I think what sets me apart from others is that I’m not shy and I can literally spark a conversation with anyone about anything. My friends and family would describe me as a friendly, bubbly, silly girl who is always capturing special moments with her iPhone. They know they can rely on me to take candid photos and videos of everyone at a party.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I hope to turn my food marketing business, The Healthy Beet, into an LLC within the next 5 years.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://carmengalvan15.wixsite.com/carmen-elena-s-ugc
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/c_elena_s/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheHealthyBeet
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMAQ_Wjouo–vP7s6YG6GuQ
- Other: https://atmosfy.io/users/carmenelena
