Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffany Spradley
Hi Tiffany, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
As a 12th generation South Carolinian I’ve spent many Sunday Dinners around tables after church surrounded by cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents and extended family. Growing up, my extended family grew so large that we ultimately moved our Christmas and Thanksgiving Dinners to the church fellowship hall. After my Great Grandparents passed away and my brother and I started families of our own my Mom started Sunday Dinner again at her home. My family, my brother’s family and my parents gathered regularly on Sunday to share a meal. It was such a regular occurrence that we took it for granted. In March of 2020 when Covid hit we abruptly stopped Sunday Dinner. My niece has a chronic lung disease called Cystic Fibrosis and with the unknowns of Covid we were too afraid to be together. After several months and more readily available information about Covid we began our Sunday Dinners again and we have rarely missed a Sunday since. I was a fan of the social media app TikTok for a few months when I decided on a whim to record our Sunday Dinner Buffet and post it. It was my favorite meal that my Mom makes, meatloaf, secret sauce, mashed potatoes and green butter beans. I woke up during the night because my phone kept vibrating. When I picked my phone up I saw that I had millions of views on the meatloaf video. I continued to post our Sunday Dinners each week and my following grew. Once I reached 10k Tiktok followers I began making a small amount of money from Tiktok based upon the number of views. My following continued to grow and I knew that I could be making money in other ways but I didn’t exactly know how. My childhood best friend’s wheel house is marketing so with her help I was able to start my website, www.sundayinsouthcarolina.com as well as begin negotiating brand deals. She is truly the brains of Sunday in South Carolina but I continue to be the creative force, myself along with my Mama. We continue to eat Sunday Dinner. I continue to film it and post it. I now share recipes on my website and promote different brands that I believe in. There are two really important things that have come out of this unexpected journey, The first being the opportunity to document all of my Mama’s recipes and this special time around the table with my family. I know that my Mama and Daddy will not be on this earth forever and I’m thankful for the opportunity to document this time with them. I am also so thankful for all of the people across the world who continue to support me. The folks who have reached out and continue to watch week after week are so supportive. I believe the popularity of Sunday in South Carolina stems from the nostalgia that people feel when they are taken back to a time when they were able to spend time with their families. The snap shot of foods that their Grandmama’s cooked takes them back to a time when the world was a bit slower and families were a bit closer.
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?
This journey has been mostly smooth. I receive negative feedback at times but that is just part of the “gig”. Also, I still work a full time job so I struggle with time management between my full time job, my Tiktok obligations and making sure my most important job, being a Mom of three is at the forefront of all things.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a digital content creator. I create content on social media. It is mostly southern food and family based. My content takes people back to a time when they spent time with their families on a regular basis, when folks didn’t move so far away, when the world moved a bit slower. I share recipes and videos that allow people to learn and create dishes that have been passed down through 12 generations of South Carolinians.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I’m a talker. There is no other way to say it . There is an inside joke among my family that I will find someone I know or have a connection with at any place on the planet. From the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina to an airplane over Las Vegas, I’ve made connections and realized that we had friends in common with people everywhere I go. It is truly a gift and a curse. I love to make connections with people from all walks of life and to cultivate those connections into relationships.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sundayinsouthcarolina.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sundayinsouthcarolina/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SundayinSouthCarolina/
