Meet Danny Berke | Creator & Author of Insane in the Brine

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

Hi Danny, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I think I’m in a slightly unusual situation in that, when thinking about different businesses to pursue, my partner had a firm stipulation that taking out any kind of loans or incurring debt to develop a business was off the books. It was just too stressful. Although I’m not someone who takes huge risks either, this presented me with some challenges and almost made me give up the idea entirely. We both have good jobs working for companies and I came close to just letting it go. I had done that before with other business ideas related to my background in education. Actually, the challenge became a huge opportunity for me to develop a brand and a source of income – though it’s more of a side income at this point – from the ground up. At this point, I make a steady (though modest) stream of affiliate marketing income through my fermentation and pickling recipe blog, https://insaneinthebrine.com, and related social media pursuits (insaneinthebrine on IG, FB, Reddit & YouTube). I also have a cookbook coming out later this year. Over time my following and associated affiliated income has grown, and the hope is eventually this will cover most if not all costs associated with expanding the business into my larger vision, which is creating healthy fermented foods and/or hot sauces. The costs for this related to licensing and kitchen space are extensive. My story is not as exciting as others perhaps who took big risks and really saw it pay off. I always felt like that was the model for entrepreneurs who didn’t inherit large sums of money and either you had the guts and ambition or you didn’t. Given that I’m not as risk-averse as my partner, this was a challenging approach for me to take, as it requires a lot of patience and diligence, But I can also say this approach has opened my eyes to the power and fun of creative thinking and problem-solving, and allowed me to maintain my career and family stability at the same time. I feel like right now I have the best of everything and the adventure is only getting more interesting.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I work in the field of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and although my food blog would seem to be a totally different world, they have informed each other quite a bit. Looking back over my life, I see now that I’ve always been someone who connects various ideas, points of interest and more. My exposure to different cultures and travel related to my field has influenced the foods I make and the recipes I write. In particular, as a teacher I always valued the notion of being a good story-teller as a path to being a good teacher. Similarly, the foods and sauces I make all have a story to tell. This is evident in the cookbook I’m developing and all the recipes and foods I share each week.

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 I was back in my 20s, there were so many great clubs and bars in the Atlanta area and I loved living in the city. I’ve since moved further and further to the Georgia countryside and it’s just beautiful. The hiking, camping, foraging and nature sites around here are what I’m interested in nowadays. But I live near Marietta Square and it’s a.lovely mix of shops and restaurants giving an air of a time past. I look forward to when COVID is basically behind us and I can start spending more time back at the Square with my family.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My mom also involved me in the kitchen from a young age and is extremely artistic and creative. Also, without my wife’s smart business sense, I wouldn’t be where I am now.

Website: https://insaneinthebrine.com

Instagram: insaneinthebrine

Facebook: Insane In The Brine: Fermenting, Pickling & More!

Youtube: insaneinthebrine

Other: r/FermentedHotSauce on Reddit

Image Credits
Daniel Berke