Today we’d like to introduce you to Jamie Sanderson.
Hi Jamie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My journey in supporting the culinary industry of South Carolina started a little than 11 years ago in Georgetown. I was going through a personal situation that involved multiple surgeries and routine checkups. After one checkup, I found myself on Front Street visiting a restaurant that was fairly new. It had a bright blue facade and that immediately caught my eye. When I went inside, I noticed the small Coke bottle cooler so I had to ask for a bottle. They had the small bottles. Perfect. There was a “Big Texas BBQ” burger on the menu. I knew I had to have it. When it came to the table in its green basket with fries, I snapped a photo. I later shared it on my personal Facebook profile just to mark the occasion. I only had Facebook, and nothing dedicated to showcasing restaurants. Well, the next day I woke up and saw that photo had 80+ reactions, all positive. I went back to show the owner and he got emotional. It meant the world to him. After that his family and mine built a great friendship. One day, he messaged me to say he was going in a different direction in his life and the restaurant would be closing. He said he was going to name that burger after me for the final service. He named another burger after my wife Adrianne, too.
My wife and I looked at each other and said this doesn’t stop here. We would do this for all of Georgetown’s restaurants. I created Georgetown Foodland and was off to the races.
Fast forward to April 2021. I moved from Georgetown to Greenville for an amazing job opportunity. I retired Georgetown Foodland, rebranded as The Culinary Encourager and made it nationwide. More than 158 million photo views on Google Maps. More than 30,000 Facebook followers. More than 3,600 followers on Instagram. Thinking back to 2003, I would have never dreamed this would be where it is today.
The impact and reach has grown ten fold. How? By being consistent with my authenticity, genuineness and integrity. These traits, and the passion I have to help others feel they make a difference in this world, sets me apart.
Please don’t consider me an influencer or marketer. I am not in that group. I don’t consider the culinary industry and its people clients.
I am an encourager. I encourage. Through my visits, I showcase people. I showcase food. I showcase the passion that makes up both. Does my work influence others? Sure it does, but there’s more behind what I do.
I encourage the behavior change of people and their interactions with restaurants. I encourage restaurant owners to stay the course and keep instilling positive reinforcement with their staff.
I encourage staff to keep smiling, even through the pain. Don’t give up.
I want them to feel they matter. I want them to know their learning of the culinary industry has brightness all around.
I encourage chefs to keep their heads up in a dark world. To know there is someone who cares for them. To know they are not alone. To feel the energy I do from the positive reactions with the tasting of their food, and just the interaction alone. I want chefs to know I truly appreciate them and their dedication to the craft, inside and outside the kitchen. The focus has been and always will be building up the spirits of those in the culinary scene. I also want chefs to know that when I am in your kitchen, your four walls of sanity, I am humbled and respectful. I want you all to know I am your champion out here.
I want chefs to know they are… heard.
I work tirelessly to have the culinary industry scene for who they are, not what others want to define them as.
I am bright light in a sometimes dimly lit world.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The culinary industry isn’t what I would call a smooth road. There are many bumps in the road. With my journey, I have been able to provide a support system for those in the scene. You know, a lot of chefs aren’t extroverts. They are mentally private. They feel their battles are unrelatable to those outside the industry. I wanted to come in and earn their trust with my genuineness and integrity. I wanted them to know there’s a beacon of light out here for them. Someone who would treat them as the have earned to be treated.
Smooth road? Life has a funny way of providing said beacon of light then instantly have something come along and dim it or put it out. The platform I have has become a saving grace for a few. More, it’s been a saving grace for me.
The one challenge I continue to fight is separating my efforts from influencers. I don’t consider myself one. Does my work influence others? Sure. I am an encourager. For the culinary industry.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a safety manager at a company in Greenville, South Carolina. I am most proud of using the positive thought process I am know for through The Culinary Encourager in the job I have by ensuring people go home the same way they come to work, emphasizing they are not only important to the company, but their families as well.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
As a safety manager, I am heavily involved with risk management. Whether it be an audit process to keep standards working as they should or investigating an incident, you have to be mentally present and have a good state of mind.
With the culinary scene, I see the risk involved on how people treat restaurants. When people post a review on a social platform that’s negative, and not allowing the restaurant to fix the issue before leaving, that review sends shockwaves.
A person’s words can do monetary damage. How? Others will take that review as fact and base their choice of visiting. That can take a toll on restaurant owner. More, it can affect chefs. How? Some of them take reviews to heart, especially when they hit with it out of the blue. Trust me, if you communicate in-house before you leave the meal you had wasn’t up to par they will be more than excited to fix it, make it better. That feedback makes them better.
Taking the opportunity away from a restaurant to fix a dish or improve your experience then positing a negative review risks the restaurant’s future, resulting in a possible closure.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://georgetownfoodie.wixsite.com/culinaryencourager/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/culinaryencourager/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/culinaryencourager
- Twitter: https://x.com/foodencourager
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9EGDiRj0FtlFB2uEg7RVqWeEZH-zDHBw
- Other: https://maps.app.goo.gl/RNZc1vGymbxchaT56
Image Credits
Adrianne Sanderson
