Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alyssa Larson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alyssa, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
As I started teaching pasta workshops and putting my recipes out on social media I definitely had some imposter syndrome. How could someone like me with no formal cooking training be creating and sharing recipes and also teaching others how to do it?
One way that helped me was to have an actual workshop with my close friends first. I taught them all how to make pasta at my house and got their feedback, and every one of them had a great time and learned a new skill!
I also know that my food tastes good and others have confirmed that, so I try to remind myself of that whenever I start to feel like a fake.
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 honestly never meant for this small business to turn into anything. I originally started an Instagram account to remember the recipes I make up on the fly and share them with family and friends.
I’ve always enjoyed homemade pasta, but when I started a series called “Will it gnocchi”? It exploded. I take ingredients that wouldn’t normally be in gnocchi and create a dish with it. That eventually turned into my friends asking if I could teach them how to make pasta, which eventually led to a local beer garden reaching out and asking if I could have a class at their venue. The rest is now history as they say!
While I teach pasta classes and have a lot of pasta related content, I am staying true to my life of making up recipes on the fly. I have a few brands I work with to feature their products in original recipes that make people think of new ways to use their products.
The best part of all of this is the people I’ve met. Whether it’s online or in person, I have found such a creative and supportive community? And the workshops are a great way to be involved locally in my current town of Wilmington, NC.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Approachability, creativity and originality. I have made so many connections by being approachable and also being I afraid of creating connections with people in my real life and online foodie community.
Creativity is key. There are so many businesses and content creators out there, and you have to stand out. It doesn’t have to be outlandish and should be true to you, but trying to stay fun and attention catching is so important.
The MOST important thing is to be originally you. Everyone will find their true tribe by being themselves.
Best advice is to just go for it. I may never have started this if the owner of that local beer garden never reached out- and I’ll always be so grateful for her- it was the push I needed!
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I am always looking to collaborate with others! My favorite part of building this small business is the people I’ve met and relationships I’ve built along the way.
I’m always looking for other food lovers and recipe creators or food brands to partner with!
Contact Info:
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