Meet Erin Vasicek | Recipe Developer & Food Hunter

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

Hi Erin, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
The truth is starting my own business was never the plan. In 2010, I was halfway through graduate school working towards my PhD in Mycology – not exactly flush with spare time. However, I had always loved baking and cooking, especially with my family growing up, and the discovery of food blogs sparked my creativity in the kitchen. When I wasn’t experimenting in the lab, I was playing in the kitchen.

For awhile, when friends and family would ask me for the recipe of whatever it is I made for that particular gathering, I would send them the original recipe with notes for all my modifications. After many suggestions that I start my own website and one less hesitation, I finally decided to go for it solely because it made sharing the modified recipes easier. Twelve hours of coding later on November 11, 2010, TheSpiffyCookie.com went live.

This was also right when Pinterest and Instagram first started (find me @thespiffycookie). The food blogging world was tight-knit community where we wanted the stories behind the recipes, authentically interacted with each other, and formed lasting friendships. We didn’t care about followers or ad revenue. It felt like the Live Journal of my youth but for recipes. A lot has changed in 15 years but those early friendships remain!

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 think the best part about making recipes/food for others is being part of their family and celebrations, whether they are picking a recipe to serve to their family for dinner or asking me to bake a dessert for a birthday or other milestone. My love language is food so there’s nothing better. This is why one of my favorite things to do is cooking themed menus for friends and family.

I also find inspiration from the brand partnerships I’ve had over the years. Whether it be finding new ways to use Greek yogurt, helping local small businesses, learning about poultry and hog farmers, or judging cooking competitions, I love getting to know more about the food that is on my plate beyond the ingredients. Added bonus if food safety is involved because my full time job is a Research Scientist in a Salmonella lab.

But despite those highs, I do sometimes go through slumps lacking inspiration or motivation to create new recipes. At first I tried to force myself to continue on, to keep creating content for the machine, but I burnt out. I learned that after taking a little time off I found the motivation again. Rest is just as important as action.

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?
As someone who has an entirely separate Instagram account dedicated to things to do and eat in Columbus, OH (@spiffycolumbus) that is a harder question to answer than you might think – this city has so much to offer! Although like my tagline says, I plan my life around food and fill the gaps with activities so this will be a food heavy itinerary.

I love my neighborhood, so I would definitely show off some of the highlights in Clintonville and if it’s nice out we could walk/bike on the Olentangy trail to many of the options! For breakfast we would start at Emmett’s, Dough Mama, or Katalina’s (pancake balls for the table of course). If it’s a Saturday we could then peruse the Farmer’s Market (must grab a J-Pop) and other local shops including thrift/antique shops, bookstores, and other local shops like Wild Cat. Once we’ve shopped up an appetite we would stop at Wario’s, Ray Ray’s BBQ, or Los Agavez. Next we would take a stroll through the Park or Roses or see a movie at Studio 35 is the weather is not cooperating, complete with M&Ms or Reese’s pieces added to our popcorn. For dinner we would go to Understory, Food St, or Hound Dog’s pizza (has to be the Smokin’ Joe’s crust). And since there’s always room for dessert we would finish off with Bite This, Patty Cake Bakery, or The Buckeye Lady (because you can’t leave without having a stuffed buckeye).

The food list in Clintonville alone could keep us busy most of the week, and there are even more favorites throughout the city, but one top priority would include Bonifacio for their Boodle Night. It’s an experience and delicious. It should come as no surprise that some of my favorite things to do in Columbus involve food. Others include participatory dinners at The Kitchen, Columbus Food Adventures tours, and movies along the river skyline with tons of food trucks to pick from (my favorite is Fetty’s).

But when we need activities to fill in the gaps that aren’t food related we are attending a Crew soccer or Buckeye football game, going to the Franklin Park Conservatory, seeing a show at one of our many theaters, finding one of the many hidden surprise waterfalls (Hayden Falls is my favorite), or braving the High Ropes course at Camp Mary Orton.

If you think that’s a lot, try living here because it’s just the tip of the iceberg!

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?
I’ve had a lot of help along the way from many different sources: from the community of food bloggers as a resource for guidance and support through all the changes over the years, brand partnerships that motivate and inspire, family and friends that make and share my recipes (and accept pre-sliced desserts), and mostly my husband for being my taste tester of both the incredible and the failures and sometimes cold food eater once the photos have been taken. And of course the biggest fan of my chocolate chip cookies and my partner in crime for root beer day trips.

Website: https://www.thespiffycookie.com/

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

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

Other: https://www.instagram.com/spiffycolumbus