Meet Iman Ashanti | The 5 Foot Foodie

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

Hi Iman, what do you attribute your success to?
Being completely genuine. I love food and I love bringing people together through food, naturally. I don’t care what mood I’m in, what’s going on in my life, if I’m being paid or not… i love what I do and no matter what life changes I have gone through it’s always been my passion.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I honestly started my food influencer journey because I love food and all of the conversations it starts. I literally wrote a childrens book about it called “I Love Food” lol. As I continued to go through my journey, meeting more and more amazing people in the food industry, I wanted everyone to see what I saw and feel how I feel when it comes to food.

God put the vision of Foodies for Life Fest in my head three years ago at the beginning of this journey. At first I had no clue what it would look like, I just wanted to have a great vibe and food. What it became is a whole food festival to do what I love. Bring people together through food.

This journey has not been easy at all, but that made me stronger. I’m a disabled veteran, I was injured in basic training and had 4 surgeries to simply be able to walk without being in pain.

During the beginning of my food influencer journey I was really lost… trying to find what was really for me, working for the state and just testing things out. I knew I loved food… talking about it, putting people on to new restaurants and encouraging people to treat themselves to good food. This was always me, so it was exciting to see where I fit in this food world.

I was just getting my feet wet… and then my body traded up on me once again. I had to have yet another surgery. My 5th on my ankles. I was so frustrated with life… i had lost countless jobs, couldn’t deal with school because of anxiety from the fear of having to have another surgery and being a failure, And here I was again… having to go through another surgery.

I fell into a deep depression. I felt like my life was never going to come together, started having intense panic attacks and believed I was a huge burden to everyone who was in my life. They literally had to take care of me, especially for this surgery because a blood clot developed in my lung. I thought my life was over.

But as I said… all of this only made me stronger. I went to therapy, had real conversations with the people around me, and prayed A LOT. I had to get back in touch with myself, focus on the positive and see past my scars and pain. And I continue this til this day, because I’m not perfect. I still deal with extreme anxiety and worry that I’m bothering people, but I have an incredible support system and a huge amount of self love.

Through the healing, came my baby “I Love Food” and more childrens books (soon to be published)… i had found myself again, step by step. And from there I got back out into the food community, meeting people and pushing myself to do more.

Things that I learned are to give yourself grace, pray, remind yourself that your pain does not control you, make sure you surround yourself with people who genuinely care about you, stay in touch with yourself and what matters to you, and to always remember happiness is what you make it.

The only things I want people to remember about me and my brand are love each other and eat good. I’m always told I’m such a nice person… and sometimes it gets frowned upon… well i believe we need more nice people in this world. And maybe if everyone treated themselves to food that they love, they might be nicer too.

By doing these things I’ve been able to work with and meet absolutely incredible people and brands in Atlanta and worldwide.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I encourage everyone who’s visiting Atlanta to do this: Visit the beltline, go to a sports game, go to Krog street, drive around and see the murals in the city, JJs Fish and Chicken, Toast on Lenox, Le Petit Marche, Atlanta Breakfast Club, The Optimist, Slutty Vegan, Twisted Soul Cookhouse and Pours, go to Edgewood, hit a strip club, go to a concert or festival, go on a hike, Atlantic Station, Ponce City Market, and man… i could go on and on. Atlanta has grown so much and I’m so proud.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have to thank God first and foremost for carrying me through life and putting every dream I have in my heart. Next, I have to thank my family, friends, my team Life ATL, Kanye West and Issa Rae for being my motivation, support and so much more. Next, The 818, for keeping me forever grounded and humble. And last, I have to thank Atlanta… being from California, it took me a while to get used to living here, but Atlanta and it’s community embraced me and made me fall in love with the culture.

Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/268017065257

Instagram: @imanashanti / @foodiesforlifefest

Image Credits
@imanashanti @photograford