Meet Antwan Jones | Eats with Twan Recipe Developer & Content Creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Antwan Jones and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Antwan, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
The most important factor behind my success thus far is never being too good for improvement. Regardless how good my recipes turn out I want to be even better the next time around. Being complacent can be a factor behind failure. I find inspiration wherever I go and remain open minded to new recipe development ideas, and improvements which could elevate my brand and bring more brand awareness. Learning different aspects of content creation such as learning how to use a camera and how to set up lighting to film my recipes.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

Food is Art! I love creating and reimagining recipes which are innovative and of course delicious. In order to get where I am today I had to take the first step toward my vision to actually turn that vision into a reality. I sat down and wrote out what I wanted to do and began to research ingredients and test recipes. This was the development period. I had to learn the camera along with video editing software to begin filming my recipes, but more importantly learn how to take food photography photos that would convey what I want the viewer to see and crave. Once I felt like it was time to showcase my creative side I put out my very first recipe video which was a video tutorial on how to make Crab & Shrimp eggs rolls. Making the decision to share my passion for food with the world was a challenge I had to learn the best way to showcase my art. Coming up with the recipe ideas was easy but how do I show the world became a bigger question. Social media was the answer, but I wanted to take it a step further and learn video recording more on a professional level to set me aside from others. I researched and studied light set ups, aspect ratios for video footage and video editing. Taking time to learn the different aspects of the skills needed to showcase my art helped me overcome those challenges and helped me grow more confidence in this journey. Now I can be in front and behind the camera, it’s a 2 for 1 special. One important factor is to enjoy what I’m doing, when things get hard I remind myself that dreams and goals are nothing without any action behind them. There is a business side to creating content and developing recipes but enjoyment and passion has to be the focus. This is what sets me apart from others. My motto is “Don’t let the “work” over shadow the passion”. Don’t get me wrong there is a lot of hard work involved but not losing sight of my passion in the work keeps me going.

I’m excited that my passion for the Art of Food has been recognized by major household brands; Spoiler alert – Just in time for my 35th Birthday coming up on January 29th, I actually have my first ever long term sponsorship deal for 2023 which I will reveal to the world very soon! My story is still being written. I want the world to know Eats with Twan is the brand and I am the brand! I will continue to showcase the art of food and hopefully encourage the next creative to make the first step.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend was visiting the area and wanted to have a good time I would take them for a scenic drive up Pacific coast highway for views, good eats, and then up to the mountains for some outdoor activities. That’s the best part about living in Los Angeles, you can see the beach and a snowy mountain all in the same day. First we would need to grab snacks and drinks for the road trip – can’t have Beyonce sing alongs in the car without some Sour Punch Strawberry Straws and some UTZ Salt and Vinegar chips. Taking the drive up PCH with all the windows down to smell that ocean breeze is something special. We would stop at one of the many seafood restaurants to grab a bite to eat, preferably anything with crab and shrimp. We’ll also grab some fresh cajun fried calamari which is a must when near the coast. A road trip wouldn’t be a road trip without stopping and taking some awesome Instagram worthy photos with the sunset along the Pacific Ocean. Once it’s time to get some new scenery we would go up the mountains to catch a fresh snow pack in Big Bear on the ski slopes to go skiing and snow tubing which would be a perfect part of the road trip. On the way up the snowy mountains we would stop at small town diners to get some good ole diner food. Eating is the best part of any trip trying new food spots and different dishes would be great. To end the road trip we would go camping either in Joshua Tree or McGill campground to have drinks around the fire pit with some white chocolate s’mores and of course some snacks. That is what you call a good time!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I totally agree that our success is somewhat thanks to the encouragement and support of others. For my family I must recognize my mother who has always supported my ambitious ideas even when I didn’t quite believe in myself. My Aunt Tonya who always talked me through developing recipes, she even gave me tips on making her famous Lasagna recipe. They say once the family trusts you with family recipes you made it! Things like that are super encouraging and keep me going. Then I have close friends Delori and Nic who deserve recognition and credit for their encouraging words, and tough love approach which helped me excel to the next level in my journey. Having those unbiased and uncomfortable talks really motivated me to start. It’s important to give credit to those who have helped me along the journey as I did not arrive at this point alone. There are a host of other family members including all 4 of my brothers, and friends who provided love and encouragement that helped me on this ongoing journey.

Website: www.eatswithtwan.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eatswithtwan/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/eatswithtwan

Image Credits
Photo Credit: Amina T – www.aminatouray.com for Lifestyle Photos of Antwan Jones with Eats with Twan All Food Photography Credit – Antwan Jones with Eats with Twan