Today we’d like to introduce you to Shweta Gadhia.
Hi Shweta, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
Mostly everyone in my family loves cooking. We love experimenting with new recipes, different techniques and trying our own twist on a recipe. So, food and cooking have always been a large part of my life. My education is in nutrition and public health, so I used to get a lot of questions from family and friends on how they can make a meal healthier, what recipes they can incorporate, or even need help coming up with meal ideas for the week or for a party. I used to write out recipes and email them to family and friends.
Blogging always fascinated me, but the confidence to become a blogger didn’t come until I was encouraged by my family to get the process going. After having a child and completing Grad school, I returned to work after a 3-year gap. I was looking for a flexible job, but I think for moms taking a long “gap” in their career after becoming mothers, it is difficult to jump right back in where you left off. So, I decided to quit my job and started the blog as a hobby to keep my mind active until I found something else for work. That’s when I learned more about food blogging, how it can be a profitable business, and I can still do what I enjoy! Share the Spice was finally born, and even though it has been a slow process with many breaks, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my journey growing this blog.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not at all! But that’s part of the journey, right? I started my food blog, not knowing how much I needed to learn. It was right before my second pregnancy, and I didn’t want anything to do with food. I didn’t want to give up this new venture, so instead of cooking the food, I learned anything I could about food blogging, SEO, photography, styling, etc.
I finally got the chance to practice what I learned, and the pandemic hit. My toddler was at home, and I later had a newborn. Navigating motherhood made it easy to put my blog temporarily on hold but keep learning the logistics of blogging. Later, I worked during their naps or after they went to bed. I made meals that we could all eat later, and that’s kind of how the niche of my blog developed. I wanted to continue to help individuals how to cook delicious vegetarian and vegan foods and help busy families come up with easy but nourishing meals for those hectic days.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a food blogger, food photographer, recipe developer, and own my website: Share the Spice. I specialize in nourishing vegetarian and vegan recipes that busy individuals and families can make. As a child of immigrants, I like to cook foods that I hold on to my Indian roots but also foods from various cuisines that I incorporate into our daily lives! I’m most proud of every sweet message I get when someone makes my recipes. I have saved the sweetest messages where people have told me they made my food. My favorites are when they tell me their kids devoured my recipe…those warm my heart! On the days I’m discouraged about my progress in the blogging world, this is what I read to remind myself of WHY I started this process.
I want to share with my readers that I’m just like you! I want to be relatable, not different than my readers. I’m just another human who loves good food, a fellow mom, and a friend here to help you bring delicious meals to your kitchen table.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I enjoyed reading, loved participating in our Indian cultural events, traveling with my family, and doing anything creative. I was an introvert and still consider myself to be one. I loved having a smaller group of friends that I could have meaningful conversations with than a large group of people to pass the time with. I’ve always enjoyed learning something new and am glad I carried that with me because food blogging and running a website were new to me! As a child, family time was always so special to me, and I’m so thankful my parents encouraged those beautiful moments because I can now do the same with my little family.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sharethespice.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sharethespice/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sharethespice
Image Credits
Shweta Gadhia
