Episode 136: Building a Creative Food Business: Cookbooks, Food Blogging & Travel with Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack
Podcast
Episode 136: Building a Creative Food Business: Cookbooks, Food Blogging & Travel with Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack
"You just need to unplug and then you are re-sparked with new creative ideas." — Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack
This episode is your invitation to think about what sustains your creativity. I’m joined by Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack, food blogger, cookbook author, and creator of Muy Bueno. For the past 16 years, Yvette has been sharing Mexican recipes inspired by her grandmother from Chihuahua, Mexico, and her upbringing in El Paso, Texas.
We talk about how her creativity and business continue to evolve, from food blogging and cookbook writing to photography, storytelling, Substack, and curated culinary trips to Mexico. Yvette shares what’s inspiring her as she works on her next cookbook, The Best of Muy Bueno.
Yvette shares about bringing together recipes, family history, storytelling, color, branding, and creating a visual identity that feels distinctly hers. We also get into the less obvious parts of sustaining a creative career: taking care of your health, getting out of the house, finding community, traveling, unplugging, and giving yourself permission to step away from the work.
We go behind the scenes of recipe development and why Yvette knows what feels obvious to an expert may not be obvious to the person cooking your recipes. Reader comments and feedback has become a way that she continues refining recipes that have lived on her blog for years (and some will appear in her new book).
Whether you’re building a creative business, working on a book, navigating a creative block, craving more community, or figuring out how to take better care of yourself while doing the work you love, this conversation is a reminder that you get to create space that supports your creative process.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or on your favorite podcast platform while you cook, clean, or create. Get the full show notes & transcript below.
Questions to Reflect On:
Sit with these questions: Journal, take them on a walk, create a voice note, chat with a friend, or sit with a cup of tea and reflect on them.
1. Where am I finding inspiration outside of my work right now?
2. What helps me feel creatively re-energized when I’ve been working alone for too long?
3. What am I trying to do alone that could become more interesting through collaboration?
4. What makes my creative work recognizable as mine?
5. What happens to my creativity when I give myself permission to unplug?
Leave a comment below or connect with us on Instagram @chefcarlacontreras and @muybuenocooking to share your takeaways from the episode.
Disclaimer: Always seek the counsel of a qualified medical practitioner or other healthcare provider for an individual consultation before making any significant changes to your health, lifestyle, or to answer questions about specific medical conditions. If you are driving or doing an activity that needs your attention, save the energy practice for later. This podcast is for entertainment and information purposes only. Note: Some of these are affiliate links. I receive a small percentage of the sales. I appreciate your support of my small Latina & women owned business.
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Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack is the founder of Muy Bueno and a leading authority on Northern Mexican. Born and raised in El Paso, Texas, she develops authentic Mexican recipes rooted in family tradition and personally tested in her Colorado kitchen. Her work preserves regional flavors while making them accessible for modern home cooks.
Find + Work With Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack
Full Transcript:
Carla Contreras (00:00:00.206):
Welcome to Nourishing Creativity.
I'm Carla Contreras.
I am so grateful to have my guest here.
Yvette, can you introduce yourself and tell us how you serve your community?
Hello.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:00:14.010):
Thanks for having me on our first liveSubstack together.
Yes. So I'm Yvette Marquez Sharpnack.
I'm a food blogger over at MuyBuenoBlog.com where I share Mexican recipes
that I grew up with from my grandma who was from Chihuahua, Mexico, and my upbringing in El Paso, Texas.
So I've been blogging over there for 16 years and now have a couple cookbooks and working on another one.
Carla Contreras (00:00:44.646):
I can't wait for this next cookbook.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:00:46.927):
Thank you.
Carla Contreras (00:00:48.607):
What was the last experience that sparked your creativity for you?
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:00:54.091):
I just recently went to a retreat called Fresh Air Retreat and it's hosted by Liz over at Lemon Bowl, the Lemon Bowl. And she hosts these retreats twice a year.
And so you apply to be on these retreats and it's only maybe 10 content creators, food bloggers and And we just had it in Austin at a gorgeous Airbnb.
So the location was gorgeous. She had a private chef in the house.
And it's just like-minded women talking business.
So, you know, some people who have been content creators and now have turned food bloggers
or food bloggers who are struggling with content creation.
So it was just amazing to be re-inspired to learn what's working for other people and, um, And yeah, it just, you know, it's hard.
We live in our little siloed world and it could get lonely and hard to talk to with somebody who doesn't understand this world.
So it was really fun and refreshing to just be able to learn new things and talk about what's working.
Carla Contreras (00:02:00.549):
And you're right.
Carla Contreras (00:02:01.229):
Like before we hopped on this live, we were talking about, are we going to do a live podcast?
Carla Contreras (00:02:07.853):
And you're like, why not?
Carla Contreras (00:02:13.105):
And this is, you know, I'm going to be transparent.
Carla Contreras (00:02:16.067):
Like, had we not chatted, we would have not done this.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:02:21.091):
Yeah.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:02:21.812):
Yeah.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:02:22.212):
So it's fun to get back to
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:02:25.955):
real people and communicate and come up with new ideas.
Carla Contreras (00:02:30.759):
Yeah.
Carla Contreras (00:02:31.820):
And we talked about the last experience that sparked creativity for you,
Carla Contreras (00:02:36.023):
but I'm curious about how do you define creativity when it comes to your work?
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:02:42.428):
That's a good question.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:02:44.509):
I think I'm a natural creative.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:02:46.610):
I mean, I'm a very visual person.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:02:48.611):
My degree was in graphic design.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:02:51.312):
I was a graphic designer before I came into this space.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:02:55.393):
So I'm just always looking for creativity in everything that I see.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:03:00.496):
I'm very visual.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:03:02.516):
I love cookbooks.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:03:03.937):
I love magazines.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:03:05.858):
I love commercials.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:03:08.039):
I just think it's very interesting and creative to See how marketing works.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:03:13.782):
And so anything that I see that's very visual,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:03:17.564):
it's a way to figure out how I can incorporate this into my style.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:03:22.707):
So I love,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:03:25.169):
you know,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:03:25.469):
there's this trend right now with cookbooks that are very graphic,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:03:29.171):
you know,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:03:29.451):
versus, you know, the person on the cookbook and just a basic holding a dish.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:03:34.434):
You know, now it's very graphic and I love seeing that.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:03:37.616):
And so I'm excited to To be in that process with a graphic designer that's going
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:03:41.528):
to be on this team to just figure out my brand and to figure out what's going
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:03:47.371):
to resonate with people and but still make it in a cool graphic style.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:03:52.434):
So that's my goal with this new book.
Carla Contreras (00:03:55.896):
And you're about a year out from the book being published.
Carla Contreras (00:04:00.098):
So I'm going to ask you,
Carla Contreras (00:04:01.499):
what is your current relationship with creativity as you move
Carla Contreras (00:04:05.041):
through this next year?
Carla Contreras (00:04:09.358):
So can you repeat that again?
Carla Contreras (00:04:11.580):
Current.
Carla Contreras (00:04:12.881):
What is your current relationship with creativity?
Carla Contreras (00:04:15.343):
But I'm curious through the lens of knowing that your book is going to be published
Carla Contreras (00:04:20.707):
within the year.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:04:22.768):
I think literally, I mean,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:04:24.609):
being that I was a graphic designer with my very first cookbook,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:04:27.732):
I designed the whole book.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:04:29.853):
And there's no way I can do that now.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:04:32.115):
You know, it's just it's too personal and too hard for me to do it all.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:04:36.278):
And so now it's nice working with the Graphic design team and kind
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:04:42.352):
of relaying my creativity brain into their brain to see what they come out
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:04:46.593):
with together.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:04:47.573):
So, you know,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:04:48.754):
it's just been very hand in hand with my ideas and their ideas and just seem
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:04:54.775):
to see how this comes to fruition.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:04:56.816):
So that's been the fun part,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:04:58.496):
just kind of mood boarding,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:05:00.477):
you know,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:05:00.957):
all the,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:05:02.297):
you know,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:05:02.517):
it's like back to,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:05:03.658):
you know,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:05:03.958):
being creative and just figuring out the style,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:05:06.919):
the colors,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:05:07.579):
the branding,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:05:08.359):
the The history, the stories and how it's going to be visually creative.
Carla Contreras (00:05:15.445):
Can you tell us, and this is where I say, how do you nourish your creativity?
Carla Contreras (00:05:20.551):
Can you tell us about your creative process and maybe you walk us
Carla Contreras (00:05:23.734):
through what is it like to create on a day to day basis?
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:05:30.726):
With me, that's more right now with photography.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:05:33.690):
I'm not the photographer, but I've been working with a photographer for years.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:05:38.756):
She comes to my house and we style all of our projects together.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:05:43.702):
I don't know if you can see, but I'm a big collector of photography.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:05:47.569):
Mexican pottery and antiques.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:05:50.991):
And so I love, you know, estate sales shopping.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:05:54.434):
I love, you know, thrifting.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:05:56.415):
I love going to Mexico to buy props.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:05:59.657):
And then it just inspires the photography and the styling of it.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:06:04.641):
So I love when she comes over and we're When I first started the blog,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:06:10.175):
that was people who noticed that, like, I love your bowls.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:06:13.356):
Where'd you get your bowls?
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:06:14.497):
Or where'd you get your flatware or your serveware?
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:06:18.218):
And so I love that that stands out and that people recognize my photos because of
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:06:23.820):
the props that I use.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:06:24.900):
So I try and be really creative because I know for a while
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:06:28.581):
the theme was everybody's doing white marble, white plates.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:06:31.962):
So it's like, that's not me.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:06:33.263):
I don't want that.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:06:34.103):
I want people to see that this is my homey kitchen.
Carla Contreras (00:06:39.137):
And you're also doing this.
Carla Contreras (00:06:40.397):
This is a new facet of your business.
Carla Contreras (00:06:42.298):
You're also doing retreats.
Carla Contreras (00:06:43.959):
I'm curious how that came about.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:06:46.820):
Well, it's not so much a retreat, but it's just more traveling along with me.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:06:51.061):
So I love traveling to Mexico and exploring new places.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:06:55.603):
And so anytime I'm somewhere, people are like, oh, I wish I could go with you.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:06:59.624):
And so this was a fun way to make it happen.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:07:02.965):
So I'm teaming up with a travel agency.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:07:11.004):
So it's sold out within a week and we're going next month to Oaxaca.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:07:17.149):
So it'll be about 16 of us and it's a very curated trip, you know, culinary classes.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:07:23.814):
We're going to go learn how to make mole and go meet artisans and,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:07:29.818):
you know, just go to fancy restaurants.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:07:32.280):
So it's just I'm excited to just explore Oaxaca with Followers
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:07:36.790):
who have been following me who, you know, want to go on this trip together.
Carla Contreras (00:07:42.115):
And the next one is next year.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:07:44.596):
Yeah, so we're already planning the next one.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:07:47.739):
So it looks like we're going to San Miguel de Allende.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:07:51.082):
And that's going to be September of next year.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:07:54.724):
I haven't even fully announced it yet, so there's no way of yet signing up.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:07:59.748):
But once I open it up, then it's basically first come, first serve, whoever signs up first.
Carla Contreras (00:08:06.350):
And the last one sold out so quickly.
Carla Contreras (00:08:08.351):
So people listening to this podcast,
Carla Contreras (00:08:10.232):
stay tuned, subscribe to your newsletter so that they get the first dibs, right?
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:08:14.853):
Yes.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:08:15.254):
And it'll only be like $100 deposit.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:08:17.334):
So, you know,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:08:18.415):
I would recommend,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:08:19.095):
you know,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:08:19.335):
if you really are wanting to do this,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:08:22.276):
sign up, put your deposit down, and then you have time to pay for it.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:08:26.958):
So it's not like you're going to have to pay for it in one lump sum.
Carla Contreras (00:08:30.660):
Amazing.
Carla Contreras (00:08:32.007):
And I'm curious because with your creative process,
Carla Contreras (00:08:35.288):
you're not only creating newsletters,
Carla Contreras (00:08:38.489):
you're creating videos, you're creating photography.
Carla Contreras (00:08:41.950):
How do you nourish yourself through that?
Carla Contreras (00:08:44.691):
Is there a process that you do to take care of yourself during these days?
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:08:51.333):
I'm a big believer in self-care.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:08:56.214):
I remember when our kids were little, now I'm an empty nester.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:09:02.045):
My 18-year-old who just went off to college and then my daughter who's 24 years old,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:09:07.550):
college graduate.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:09:09.791):
But I've always believed in whether it was a morning walk, getting a monthly massage.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:09:17.958):
But now I literally have everything scheduled.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:09:21.381):
I work out every morning at 9 a.m.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:09:23.923):
It's just on my calendar.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:09:26.024):
And I work.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:09:28.533):
So I make sure to do my workout 9 a.m. every day.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:09:33.555):
And then I have my scheduled facials once a month.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:09:37.437):
And I treat myself just to massages.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:09:39.658):
So, you know, for me, I need that downtime and that community.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:09:45.962):
Like, I love going to the gym to be with my friends and,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:09:49.664):
you know, get re-inspired and just be motivated to be healthy.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:09:53.365):
So I realize, you know, as I have...
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:09:57.150):
It's not so much about looking hot and having that hot bod.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:10:00.813):
It's about, you know, going up the stairs and staying healthy.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:10:04.596):
So, so yeah, it's, it's,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:10:07.818):
and that for me,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:10:08.458):
it just recharges my creativity because it's a time for me to unplug and,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:10:14.983):
and just get your mind going into other things.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:10:17.945):
You know,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:10:18.165):
like it's when I'm in the shower,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:10:19.786):
it's like the things that are running through my head,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:10:21.628):
you know,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:10:21.868):
it's like,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:10:22.088):
you just need to unplug and,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:10:23.609):
you know, get off and, And you are re-sparked with new creative ideas.
Carla Contreras (00:10:29.762):
And it sounds like it's important like me, you're working alone.
Carla Contreras (00:10:33.792):
So it's important to get out there and be around other people.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:10:37.614):
Yes, for sure.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:10:38.875):
I mean,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:10:39.135):
I thankfully have a team who are a lot of more virtual assistants who help me
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:10:44.498):
with my social stuff.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:10:46.139):
And I have a business manager who helps me with brand partnerships.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:10:50.021):
Then I have my photographer who comes and, you know, so I have a team.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:10:54.063):
But for the most part, I'm working alone on the daily basis.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:10:58.045):
So it's nice to just be re-energized.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:11:00.727):
And that's why I love retreats.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:11:01.927):
That's why I love, you know, forcing myself to leave the house to to just get reignited.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:11:06.330):
And that's why I love travel,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:11:07.590):
because it's like,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:11:08.471):
you know,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:11:08.951):
just even though I'm Mexican
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:11:11.292):
and I have Mexican recipes doesn't mean I know every single dish out there.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:11:15.234):
So it's really neat to get that creativity and find a dish that sparks
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:11:19.557):
the inspiration to try and recreate it at home.
Carla Contreras (00:11:23.883):
When it comes to creative blocks,
Carla Contreras (00:11:26.344):
that's actually the reason that I started this podcast,
Carla Contreras (00:11:29.045):
because at the time I was food styling and I felt like I just couldn't create.
Carla Contreras (00:11:36.368):
Like I was like, what do I do?
Carla Contreras (00:11:38.669):
So I asked my food mentor and I tell the story often.
Carla Contreras (00:11:42.910):
She was like, oh, that's OK. You can just like paint the kitchen wall a different color.
Carla Contreras (00:11:47.892):
And I was like, what?
(00:11:49.293):
Yeah.
Carla Contreras (00:11:50.461):
This is fascinating.
Carla Contreras (00:11:53.403):
So I'm very curious of other people and how they view either it's a challenge
Carla Contreras (00:12:01.149):
in your business or it's an actual creative block where there's writing or creation.
Carla Contreras (00:12:07.615):
But I'm curious of you,
Carla Contreras (00:12:09.416):
how do you move through blocks or challenges in your business and
Carla Contreras (00:12:14.300):
in your creative business?
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:12:16.262):
That's a great, I guess, nothing that I've really ever learned.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:12:20):
I consider that that's what it is, but I love flowers.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:12:24.383):
I love treating myself to just flowers.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:12:29.006):
I'm not like a fancy bouquet maker,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:12:34.470):
but I feel like just having the pop of color helps me come into the new season
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:12:40.094):
or just reignites my
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:12:44.272):
Like if the photographer is coming, then we just buy a book.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:12:47.413):
She's a great stylist when it comes to flowers.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:12:50.334):
So we'll just buy a lot of flowers and,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:12:52.555):
you know, incorporate more of the lifestyle versus just a plate of food.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:12:57.757):
And I love how you do that in your videos.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:12:59.457):
You know, you have your little candle and you have, you know, maybe a little thing of flowers.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:13:03.238):
So I think, you know, to see everything.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:13:05.757):
The life behind just a dish is what makes things feel more homey and real.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:13:11.382):
So yeah, I love just adding realness and not making it look like a studio photo.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:13:19.991):
So yeah, and I love decorating.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:13:22.193):
So I'm always like rearranging our house.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:13:25.996):
So my family comes over, they're like, did you change the furniture again?
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:13:28.779):
It's like, yes.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:13:29.540):
Yeah.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:13:30.513):
So it's just like a little refresh that I think helps me and just,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:13:34.594):
you know, not having clutter and, you know, just clearing my space.
Carla Contreras (00:13:41.215):
So it sounds like having your space refreshed, organized, and also bringing in new elements.
Carla Contreras (00:13:49.797):
What is your,
Carla Contreras (00:13:50.637):
you mentioned that you love to do Goodwill and you love to find things
Carla Contreras (00:13:55.891):
when you travel.
Carla Contreras (00:13:57.051):
But I'm curious of other places and spaces that you find props and or inspiration.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:14:02.153):
I mean, I love I could stay forever like at an antique shop,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:14:06.935):
you know, just there's so many antique shops here in Colorado.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:14:09.756):
And there's one that's literally I've never made it through the whole thing,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:14:13.037):
but I could be there for hours and just going up and down the aisles multiple times
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:14:17.679):
and love.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:14:18.832):
I just love old fabrics,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:14:20.554):
embroidered linens,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:14:22.275):
you know,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:14:22.575):
like a handkerchief that I just think it's so special just to be able to use that as
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:14:27.720):
a little placement for a cocktail napkin and just using things in different ways.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:14:32.804):
So it could be just something like a sugar mold,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:14:36.408):
you know, like a, like,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:14:37.849):
I don't know if you know piloncillo,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:14:39.130):
it's a Mexican cone, brown sugar, and the way they make them are these
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:14:46.640):
And so I just love finding things like that,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:14:48.261):
that it's like, okay, I know what this is, but you don't have to.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:14:50.722):
You can use it to hold silverware,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:14:53.082):
or you can use it to hold flowers, or you can use it to hold candles.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:14:56.683):
So I just love to think like finding something to use in a different way.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:15:02.325):
So yeah, my husband and family call me a hoarder, but
Carla Contreras (00:15:10.167):
I just love it.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:15:11.007):
It's an addiction.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:15:13.108):
It's like my treasure hunt.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:15:15.228):
I love going to do those things.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:15:17.452):
And for me, that's another great creative outlet when I just can't even think.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:15:21.219):
And I'll just go take the day off and go to an antique store and just look around
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:15:25.787):
and conquer the day the next day.
Carla Contreras (00:15:29.403):
And when you're testing recipes,
Carla Contreras (00:15:31.204):
I'm curious about this because I'm actually working with a number
Carla Contreras (00:15:36.128):
of cookbook authors, recipe developers.
Carla Contreras (00:15:39.791):
What happens when you are in the process of developing your recipes?
Carla Contreras (00:15:44.414):
I'm curious about that process.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:15:46.476):
Yeah, I mean, I'm going through that right now with my latest book.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:15:51.720):
It's called The Best of Muy Bueno.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:15:54.022):
So it's going to be a combination of recipes that were in my very first cookbook.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:15:59.305):
And recipes that are on the blog and also a lot of storytelling.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:16:04.449):
So being that I grew up with my grandma,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:16:07.211):
my mom was a single parent mom and my grandma lived next door.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:16:10.414):
So it's just a lot of memories and stories of her time crossing over during
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:16:15.798):
the Mexican Revolution.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:16:17.059):
And, you know, just loved hearing those stories as a little girl.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:16:21.722):
So now it's just me sharing.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:16:23.275):
Continuously writing about those stories, you know, just to have it in a book is so special.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:16:28.459):
But when it comes to developing a recipe,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:16:31.140):
even though I have some recipes on my blog that I've had there for years,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:16:34.883):
I'm going back and remaking these recipes.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:16:38.165):
And so there's things that it's like,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:16:41.723):
I just had a funny,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:16:42.643):
I did a reel recently about somebody who left me a comment about my tamales.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:16:47.966):
You know,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:16:48.206):
I'm very thorough of like how to,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:16:50.787):
all the steps,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:16:52.147):
but what might be common sense for me might not be common sense to everybody else.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:16:57.529):
And especially tamales,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:16:58.590):
it's such a,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:16:59.890):
you know, labor of love, you know, and if you've never made it before, so what?
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:17:04.881):
So this person wrote how,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:17:06.641):
you know,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:17:06.901):
they invested the time and the money to go buy all these ingredients,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:17:10.222):
find a Mexican market, buy a big steamer.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:17:14.563):
And they did everything step by step.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:17:16.203):
And then an hour later,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:17:17.544):
as the tamales were steaming,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:17:19.784):
they smelt something burning,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:17:21.084):
but they figured, okay, I guess that's part of the process.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:17:24.205):
And then,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:17:24.785):
you know,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:17:25.125):
two hours after they took out the tamales,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:17:27.246):
they realized that the steamer ran out of water and
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:17:30.646):
that they should have added more water to the steamer.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:17:33.487):
So I was like, That's just such a good lesson for me that it's like, OK, to me, that's obvious.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:17:38.487):
Like you want to make sure that you're going to have water in the steamer at all times.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:17:42.109):
But, you know, for me,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:17:43.490):
it's like now I'm going back rereading all these recipes and saying,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:17:47.392):
OK, what's obvious and what's not obvious?
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:17:50.874):
So I think constantly there's little improvements that I'm making to my recipes
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:17:56.297):
to make sure they're super clear.
Carla Contreras (00:17:58.558):
And do you have testers?
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:18:00.989):
Yes, I've had.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:18:01.969):
And I mean, especially since the first cookbook, we had testers all through that one.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:18:07.631):
And I feel like within my blog, those are tested.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:18:10.512):
You know, they've been on the blog.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:18:11.692):
They've been successful.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:18:12.712):
They've been most, you know, very popular.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:18:14.993):
You know,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:18:15.213):
there's a lot of reader reviews and stars and,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:18:19.054):
you know, people have said that they make this recipe.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:18:21.995):
So I know they're tested and they're good.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:18:25.376):
And then if somebody ever leaves me a comment saying,
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:18:27.837):
oh, I, you know, So I use those comments to help me improve all my recipes.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:18:31.745):
Incredible.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:18:32.185):
Incredible.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:18:33.026):
Well, thank you for being the first guest.
Carla Contreras (00:18:56.578):
I feel like I've had one other live podcast and I am so grateful for your openness
Carla Contreras (00:19:03.664):
and willingness to come on.
Carla Contreras (00:19:08.063):
Thank you.
Carla Contreras (00:19:08.988):
I would love to know how we can find you, how we can support your work.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:19:14.292):
So, yeah, so my blog is MuyBuenoBlog.com.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:19:17.474):
You can subscribe for all of my recipes.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:19:20.376):
I mean, I have hundreds of recipes that are there for free.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:19:25.288):
Where anybody can just follow any of the recipes.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:19:27.970):
And then I also have my Substack.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:19:29.571):
And that's Cocina to Career.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:19:31.272):
Where I share more of the business journey of being a food blogger and a cookbook author.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:19:37.857):
And sharing all the nitty gritty.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:19:39.418):
You know, where and how we make our money.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:19:42.120):
And what's working for me.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:19:44.202):
And the behind the scenes of the grind.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:19:47.224):
So yeah, I am an open book.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:19:50.446):
And if anybody has any questions, you can message me on Facebook.
Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (00:19:54.651):
Email or Instagram.
Carla Contreras (00:19:58.936):
Thank you.
Carla Contreras (00:19:59.877):
Thank you, everybody.
Carla Contreras (00:20:00.678):
Bye.
(00:20:01.299):
Bye.
Thanks so much for tuning in to Nourishing Creativity. You can find me Chef Carla Contreras across all social media platforms and more information in today's show notes. While you have your phone out, please leave a review on iTunes or Spotify. This is how others find this show. I really appreciate your support, sending you and yours so much love. I