Meet Jacob Knight | Food Content Creator

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

Hi Jacob, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
Hello! I am originally from Phenix City, Alabama and I have been living in the Atlanta metro area since March 2022. As long as I can remember I was always a food lover. Growing up being black and Filipino was a unique experience when it comes to food. One week we’ll be having fried chicken with mac & cheese then the next week it’ll be chicken adobo. Growing up in the South soul food was everywhere but having Filipino food helped broaden my taste buds. My mom would always get Shopow, a steamed bun filled with pork, beef, or chicken, and Puto which is a steamed rice cake. So imagine the looks I got at the lunch table in elementary school when I pulled that out while the other kids had ham sandwiches. With that upbringing I have always been an adventurous eater. My mantra is that “I’ll try anything once”. That is how you’ll know if you like it or not. So I enjoy visiting restaurants and trying different kinds of cuisines from all over the world. With me being a curious person naturally I want to know how it is made which lead me to wanting to cook these fantastic meals I ate at these restaurants. Which later led to me creating my food page.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I started my food page So Yea I’m Eatin’ in June 2022. I had the idea for a food page for a couple years at that point but never acted on it. So after moving to the Atlanta area I finally decided to start it because I was like “new city, new places to eat, what I got to lose”. What sets me apart from other creators is that when it comes to food content creators there is normally one or the other. You either visit restaurants and review the food or you are a home cook who create recipes. On my timeline I am one of the few food content creators that do both.

When it comes to how I got to where I am today I would say taking risk. This food page was originally just me going to restaurants, taking a picture of what I am eating, and then post it. Then on Instagram reels were popular and I was like “let me record myself eating the food”. Then that lead to me saying “I like cooking too so how about if I record myself cooking and post that as well”. To further my audience reach I went from Instagram only to posting videos on TikTok and YouTube as well. Then I thought to myself “how about a blog where I can post my travels and more in depth dishes with recipes included” so now I have a blog on Substack. Now finally with my biggest risk is that I am currently writing a cook book. So if I never took those risks I’ll probably still be posting pictures only on Instagram, not have an established audience on multiple platforms, not have a blog, and not be in the middle of writing a cookbook.

Becoming a content creator was a little challenging at first. Balancing a full time job, a personal life, and finding time to workout was already hard enough. Then you throw in recording content, editing videos, and posting on a regular basis to build an audience, content creation is almost a full time job as well. But what helped me balanced all of this was planning and scheduling. I like to schedule the content I record and release a couple weeks in advance to make it easier on myself. Also learning how to adapt with change as well because you can schedule everything out perfectly then next thing you know there is a new restaurant that just opened or a new recipe you want to try out then release. So being organized and learning how to adapt with change are the biggest lessons I’ve learned on this journey.

Lastly this food page is here to show people that it is okay to branch out and try different things in life. I am doing it on a smaller scale because it is just strictly food. But maybe seeing me eat or cook different cuisines would probably open the door for someone else to branch out and try new food. With that little small step maybe since they tried out a different type of food they normally wouldn’t eat that could lead them into trying something different out in another aspect of their life.

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?
In Atlanta there is so much to do and so much to see. Depending on the mood here are some of my suggestions:

Coffee/Brunch/Breakfast

Starting your day off with some coffee is great. My favorite spot is Wave 3 Coffee in Buckhead. They have some very unique flavors and their matcha is the best the city has to offer. If you want some food for example like a quick pastry then Little Tart Bake Shop is the spot, I specifically like the Grant Park Location. For a nice hardy breakfast Folk Art in Decatur or Bomb Biscuits in Old 4th Ward are 2 great options.

Lunch

Lunch is where we can show off the versatility that the Atlanta food scene has to offer. First up is Buford Highway the premiere spot for international restaurants. El Rey Del Taco, Kamayan Filipino Cuisine, and Quoc Huong Banh Mi Fast Food are my favorites. In Midtown, Momonoki is a great spot to eat at. For a burger LOL Burger Bar and Mattchew’s are the 2 best I had in Atlanta. If you want a little bit of everything in one place Ponce City Market, Krog Street Market, and The Works are food halls I enjoy going to.

Dinner

Dinner is where I’ve had some of the best meals while living in Atlanta. Twisted Soul serves up soul food in a very initiative way. Miller Union serves up fresh farm to table food. Gunshow is by far one of the best food experiences you’ll have in Atlanta. For tapas I like going to Under the Cork Tree and Eclipse Di Luna. For some international flavors Fudo and Delbar are must tries.

Things to Do

Atlanta has so many things to do. Start the day off with going to a Farmers Market. We can walk the Belt Line and visit some of the bars and cafes. Enjoy the Roof at Ponce and see the beautiful Atlanta Skyline at night. There is always a concert going on in the city so those are fun to check out. Probably the best sporting event I’ve been to is an Atlanta United Game. The atmosphere is amazing! If you want to get artsy then the High Museum is great. For hip-hop fans the Trap Museum is a place to visit. There is always something to do in Atlanta!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My mom played a big role in the person who I am today. One of my fondest food memories was when I wanted to start cooking and I asked her if I could make scrambled eggs. She was the type of person that says she won’t help but the second you mess up she’ll take over and finish it. Then still say you made it. That’s also how most of my school projects went as well. I remember the summer before my junior year in high school my mom, who worked at a printing company, brought home a cookbook. I wanted to make so many recipes in that cookbook that she told me to pick two recipes and stick with it. So I made blonde brownies  and homemade pizza all summer. So thank you mom for always supporting my interest, encouraging me to be unique, and always be myself. I love you.

Website: https://open.substack.com/pub/soyeaimeatin

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SoYeaImEatin

Other: TikTok

@soyeaimeatin

Email

soyeaimeatin@gmail.com

Link tree

https://linktr.ee/soyeaimeatin