Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Strickland Freeman
Hi Ashley, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I am a cookbook author (most recently of The Duke’s Mayonnaise Cookbook), culinary content creator, food stylist, culinary producer (most recently of Delicious Miss Brown on Food Network), and owner of Little Black Skillet, a recipe website featuring approachable recipes to turn to again and again (like women turn to a little black dress).
I started off in the test kitchen of Oxmoor House, the cookbook division for the brands Southern Living, Cooking Light, Coastal Living, etc, developing and testing recipes and also styling food for photo shoots. After about 4 years, I moved over to the editorial division as a cookbook editor (and finally used that journalism degree). I helped create books from beginning to end, coming up with concepts, book outlines, organizing recipe development and testing, and ghostwriting. It was a blast.
In all, I developed recipes or edited or, in some cases wrote altogether, more than 45 books for Southern Living, Cooking Light, Gooseberry Patch, Lodge Cast-Iron, Weber, Weight Watchers, Betty Crocker, and Pillsbury, including for independent authors.
While I was a cookbook editor, I met Chris (who is now my husband). He was in Birmingham getting his PhD in Marine Ecology. After 5 years in Florida for Chris’ postdoc wrapped up, we had the freedom to choose where we wanted to live. Because of the food scene, the marine biology program at the College of Charleston, and the proximity to my family in Savannah (where I grew up), we picked Charleston. It seemed like the perfect place.
And now here we are: in Charleston and loving every minute of it. Twenty years ago, when I was an apprentice for Nathalie Dupree, one of her “chickens” as she liked to call us, little did I know I’d be returning to this vibrant food city to continue her legacy of celebrating Southern food.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I wouldn’t say it’s been a smooth road. There have certainly been challenges. As a freelancer, you are often faced with “feast or famine” situations–either tons of work or dry spells. That can make the work/life balance a bit tricky, especially if you are learning not to say yes to every job that comes your way. To combat those dry spells, I’ve learned how important it is to diversify your source of income. That’s why I wear so many hats as a freelancer. When Covid hit and my freelance food styling jobs got cancelled, I picked up my DSLR camera and learned how to do food photography myself. I became a one-stop-shop. And, because I do so many different things, every day is different, keeping my job fun and interesting (and paying those bills).
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I have a unique background and loads of experience that sets me apart from others in my field. My undergraduate degree is in Journalism, and I also have a Culinary Arts degree. I know cookbook publishing from all sides of the coin. I’m a recipe developer and tester, having gained experience in a test kitchen. I have close to 20 years of experience as a food stylist, having styled food for cookbooks, magazines, and advertising clients. I’m a cookbook author and have written three cookbooks with another in the works. I’m a cookbook editor and have edited over 45 publications. I have experience with food tv, working on Delicious Miss Brown (Food Network) as the lead food stylist for seasons 1-4 and as the culinary producer for seasons 5-9. I am a food photographer and culinary content creator, producing recipes and images for brands from my home studio. Finally, most recently I launched Little Black Skillet, a recipe website that utilizes all of these skills in one place.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I would consider myself a conservative risk taker. I’m big on “listening to your gut.” I would not be a freelance content creator had I not taken the risk of leaving my dream job to move to Florida with my husband. Starting a food blog was also a bit of a risk, but In less than a year, my site has grown by 8197%, a statistic that is practically unheard of these days. Hard work and dedication has turned these “risky” moves into successes.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://littleblackskillet.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/littleblackskillet/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashleystricklandfreeman
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-strickland-freeman-4baa5410/
- Other: https://www.ashleystricklandfreeman.com
