Today we’d like to introduce you to Sydney Taylor.
Hi Sydney, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, you could tell our readers some of your backstory.
In short – I attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, where I got my degree in culinary arts & applied food studies. I learned not only the skills needed to cook but also gained an understanding of the role food plays in society – how it’s a marker of history, where you came from, and what you value. I loved this idea that food plays a much larger role than simply what we put into our bodies. After graduating, I moved to New York City, working events & catering across the city. Since then, I’ve returned to Greenville, where I worked at Methodical Coffee, to start their food program in 2019. After that, I got into food styling – a sect of food media I had always wanted to work in. I worked on Food Network shows such as Delicious Miss Brown and Girl Meets Farm, doing behind-the-scenes food preparations for the shows. Eventually, I realized I wanted to return to my cooking roots and continue with my business, Peachy. Peachy is still in its infancy, but we cater to local events and provide coffee shops like Daydrinkers with creative pastries. In 2024, we plan to start our supper club – highlighting seasonal produce and old-school cooking techniques with a nostalgic, retro style. The hope is to comfort and excite guests with unique flavors and combinations of familiar foods in a not-too-stuffy yet refined setting.
Please talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned. Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Yes and No. I’ve had so much support from my family, friends, and colleagues to encourage me to follow my dreams. I can’t say with certainty that I’d be in this position if I didn’t have their faith in me. With that same intent, I found it challenging to settle into one role. I’ve always jumped around, finding new career paths that excited me, and I followed them. I used to feel so frustrated that I hadn’t found my “calling,” but I finally realized that food was, and always has been, my calling. I’m trying to find different ways to settle into it.
I appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a chef with a background in traditional French culinary techniques, which I carry with my current cooking style. I’m known for that European influence and unique flavors in familiar foods. I set myself apart from others by embedding a strong sense of femininity in my cooking style – having a soft, casual approach to cooking as opposed to the strict, rigid style of traditional, male-dominated cooking.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting?
It is so easy to get caught up in how someone else does something that you can beat yourself up and say, “Ugh, why doesn’t my stuff look like theirs?” That person has been doing it for years, and that’s why it looks perfect – because they’ve perfected it. Anytime you feel jealous or bummed about someone else’s work, I think it’s best to shift your mindset to appreciation and respect. I look at people’s work with a new lens now, in awe of what they can accomplish, and then take that inspiration into my work if it applies to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: eatpeachy.com
- Instagram: peachy.gvl
Image Credits
Connor Granville
