Meet Bev Shaffer

 

We were lucky to catch up with Bev Shaffer recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Bev , thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?

I grew up in a large family environment and was always told that if you want something you have to work hard toward that goal. That always stuck with me. I know that my parents both gave 100% to their jobs (my dad was a chemical engineer and my mom was an assembler worker), jobs that were not easy. I have just continued that model, even when I’m tired or don’t think I can complete a task, I somehow pull the strength from inside me and get the job done well.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I started off wanting to be a lawyer, but that changed when I developed a love of all things food. My career in the food/beverage fields has been very eclectic – from owning a kitchenware store, catering business, hosting a cable television cooking show, authoring six cookbooks, cooking live on network television, food columnist, teaching cooking classes and more. I took a hiatus from my career for six years when my husband developed Alzheimer’s so I could care for him. He has, unfortunately, passed away.

I continued my career by writing about food for Crain’s Cleveland Business. That post was eliminated, and I took a position which I currently have writing about all things food/drink in Stark County, Ohio and more for The Repository | Gannett | USA Today Network. I love what I do. It’s a hectic, busy full time job that keeps me on my toes. I do restaurant reviews and features about happenings (openings, closings, chefs, brewers, etc.) in the area.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

– Learn to cook. You know nothing about food if you don’t know how to cook. Cooking teaches you flavor profiles, techniques, mistakes, new discoveries.
– Be curious. Travel. Learn about other cultures (by reading, if you are unable to travel). Be tolerant and don’t order McDonald’s when you’re in China. Eat culturally appropriate food – it just might surprise you.
– Always be willing to share your knowledge. Whether through teaching or writing.

For those early in their journey…know that you will ALWAYS be learning, and never assume you know everything.

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?

My husband was always my champion. He encouraged me to take risks, to get out of my comfort zone. He would always say the best way to learn is to do something you know nothing about.

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