Meet Meagan Schwartz: Food Blogger + Designer

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

Hi Meagan, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
A few years ago, when I first started Salt+Rye, I just wanted to share the food I was making, and my heart for sharing a meal with others. I have a background in design and education, and I’m passionate about food (both eating and sharing it). So building a website where I can share food via my recipes just seemed like an obvious choice for me. I truly believe gathering around a table and a meal is sacred. Whether it is just you, your household, or a large party, I think that making time to sit, converse, reflect, and fully enjoy what is before you can be world-changing. When we cook and eat together we can dream together, we can learn from one another, and walls can begin to come down. My vision for Salt+Rye is to be a virtual dining table for us to gather around. A place where you can learn, not just recipes, but maybe increase your confidence in the kitchen. If I can help relieve the stress of planning what and how to cook your meals, it can free you up to fully enjoy feeding your people. You can focus on the meal and the people in front of you and make the kitchen a place of joy!

What should our readers know about your business?
I won’t lie, the world of food blogging is pretty saturated. It has been a bit of a struggle for me to find my niche but honestly, I think having to figure out how to feed my people during a pandemic has helped! This time last year, my goals were mostly focused on helping people feed those gathering around their table, with a focus on inviting people in. That’s changed a bit in this post-covid world. My table is less crowded. There are fewer opportunities to eat together safely. But I don’t think that has changed my mission. My table looks different in this season but I’m still feeding my people. Another thing that has both been a struggle, and something I’m proud of, is all the new skills I’m having to learn along the way. I came into this with a knowledge of design and how to cook my own food. But I’ve had to learn so much more like building (not just designing) my website, improving my photography skills, SEO, social media, video editing, and selling products on my site. It can feel overwhelming for sure, but with each new thing I’m learning, I am able to see what works for me and my community. The question I keep returning to is, “How can I best serve those around my virtual table?” As I’ve had to refocus over the last year, I’ve seen a need for a better way to plan. As a mom who works at home, but has also been facilitating virtual school, these days have felt chaotic. I literally had 4 notebooks to help me plan meals for the family, meals for the blog, when school calls start and end, errands that need to be run, random to-do lists. I’ve had a hard time keeping it all straight. In my search for the perfect planner to help me visualize each area of my day, I came up pretty short. I found a lot of goal planning notebooks, or diet-focused meal planners, or “I’m an organized mom who loves polka dots and script fonts” out there. But none of those were what I needed or wanted. I needed a streamlined, day/week/month planner that didn’t add to the clutter. So while I was getting frustrated in my search, my husband said, “Why don’t you just make your own?”. That was in January and now I have a shop on my website, and I’m starting to sell on Etsy, too. For now, I have a variety of digital planners and meal planning printables, but it is my goal to have a physical product in the near future. The planners were a natural progression for my brand. I want to help take the stress out of the kitchen so that there is more space for joy. Having the right planner that helps with meal and day planning, one that helps you stay within your budget and reduce food waste, creates that space! The point of the planners is to make feeding our people easier. Whether it is easy weeknight dinners for my family of four, finding ways to make our smaller celebrations special, taking meals to friends and neighbors, or someday hosting a dinner again – my goal is to give you not only the recipes to make but to help make them feel attainable.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
It’s been so long since I’ve been out and about in the city, thanks to Covid! I’m sure a lot has changed in the last year that I don’t even know about! I will say, what I am loving right now, now that the weather is warming up, is driving with the windows down and looking at all the trees blooming. Growing up in Texas we didn’t have these obvious changes of seasons and even though I’ve lived in Atlanta since 2002 I am still amazed when I see spring flowers or fall colors! I am also excited to get back to some of my favorite food spots in the city. I love sitting outside at Ladybird, with a cocktail in hand, just people watching along the beltline. Exploring the food scene around town is something I’ve missed so much over the last year, and I can’t wait to discover all the new spots! Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My family has been such a huge support over the last few years of growing my business. It takes a lot of patience to wait for me to cook and photograph a meal before they can dig in! My husband, Eric, is my biggest encourager in all things and he helps me to take my cloud of ideas and direct my energy into something viable.

Website: www.saltandrye.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/salt.and.rye/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saltandrye

Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/saltandrye/

Image Credits
Meagan Schwartz, Salt+Rye