WEBSITE, AND WHILE YOU ARE
THERE, YOU CAN E MAIL YOUR
QUESTION THROUGH WCCO.COM/LINKS.
SPEAKING OF MONEY, SOME OF
THE BIGGEST NAMES IN FOOD IN THE
TWIN CITIESS ARE NOT CHEFS.
THEY ARE THE EVERY-DAY PEOPLE
WHO HAVE MADE A BUSINESS OUT OF
SHARING THEIR LOVE OF FOOD
ONLINE.
FOOD BLOGING HAS GAINED
POPULARITY OVER THE YEARS WITH
FOODIES SHARING THEIR RECIPES ON
SOCIAL MEDIA.
SOME DON'T EVEN COOK.
THEY JUST EAT.
AND THEY ARE GETTING PAID.
KATE RADDATZ TALKED TO THREE
TWIN CITIES WOMEN HOW THEY
TURNED THEIR LOVE OF FOOD INTO
BUSINESSES.
Reporter: IT IS A SHOOP DAY
IN LEE'S ST. LOUIS PARK
APARTMENT.
FRESH PEPPERS, PURPLE
CABBAGE.
WE TOASTED SOME RAMEN.
Reporter: IT IS A RECIPE FOR
A NEW KALE SALAD THAT WILL BE
SHARED ON HER BLOG, FIT FOODY
FINDS.
IT REALLY STARTD TO CHRONICLE
HOW TO LIVE HEALTHY WHILE IN
COLLEGE, IT STARTED OFF AS
COLLEGE FOODY FINDS.
Reporter: SHE POSTED ORIGINAL
RESACIES, HEALTHY AND EASY, SHE
BOUGHT HER DOMAIN AND WHEN SHE
GRADUATED SHE REALIZED HER LOVE
OF FOOD AND FITNESS COULD BE
BIGGER.
SOCIAL MEDIA WAS REALLY
STARTING TO BOOM AND PEOPLE WERE
STARTING TO SEARCH FOR CONTENT
ONLINE, LOOKING FOR RECIPES,
WORK OUTS.
Reporter: SHE STARTED MAKING
MONEY BY GETTING SPONSORS FOR
HER BLOG AND INSTAGRAM POST.
WE HAVE OATMEAL WEEK IN THREE
WEEKS.
Reporter: IN 2014 SHE QUIT
HER JOB TO RUN FIT FOODY FINDS
FULL TIME.
YUM.
Reporter: LEE HAS THOUSANDS
OF FOLLOWERS FOR HER BLOG,
INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, AND
PINTEREST PAGES AND MAKES IT A
SIX-FIGURE SALARY OFF OF
SPONSORED POSTS, ADS, AND PAGE
VIEWS.
SHE HIRED HER BEST FRIEND FROM
COLLEGE, LINLY, TO HELP RUN THE
BLOG.
WE ARE LIKE A WELL-OILED
DOMESTIC COUPLE.
WE ARE.
RIGHT, MARTHA?
SURE, MARGE.
Reporter: AND ACT AS A HAND
MODEL FOR FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY.
SHE ACTUALLY HAS AN INSTAGRAM
ACCOUNT CALLED LINLY HFS HANDS,
IT IS KIND OF A FUN PROJECT.
Reporter: LEE'S ONLINE STORY
BEGAN IN COLLEGE, FOR
32-YEAR-OLD CHRISTINA, IT WAS
AFTER 9 YEARS IN FINANCE.
THEY WERE GIVING AWARDS FOR
MILESTONES AND, LIKE AT 10 YEARS
YOU GOT A WATCH.
AND A PAIR-- A KNIFE SET.
AND I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, I AM
NOT GOING TO BE HERE NEXT YEAR.
Reporter: SHE TOOK A JOB AT
THE AIRPORT AND STARTED DOING
MORE OF WHAT SHE LOVED, COOKING
FOOD FROM HER CHILDHOOD.
MY FRIENDS WERE ALWAYS LIKE
HOW DO YOU KNOW HOW TO MAKE IT?
LIKE TRADITIONAL LOUD DISHES.
Reporter: CHRISTINA STARTED
YOUTUBE CHANNEL HOUSE OF XTIA,
WITH COOKING DEMOES AS A HOBBY.
SHE HAS 12,000 YOUTUBE
SUBSCRIBERS AND 7,000 INSTAGRAM
FOLLOWERS.
PEOPLE WATCHING HER COOKING IN
HER KITCHEN.
IT IS NOT SO MUCH ABOUT THE
MONEY, IT REALLY ISN'T.
RIGHT NOW IT IS THE HAPPINESS
AND THE FREEDOM.
Reporter: SOME FOODY STARS
RAEN EVEN MAKING-- AREN'T EVEN
MAKING FOOD, THEY ARE EATING IT.
WE MET UP WITH KIM AT THE
MCKINNEY ROW RESTAURANT IN
MINNEAPOLIS, HER OFFICE FOR THE
DAY.
SHE IS TRYING THEIR FOOD, TAKING
PICTURES, AND POSTING IT TO
INSTAGRAM TO HER 26,000
FOLLOWERS.
I PLAN A WEEK OR TWO OUT,
EVEN A MONTH, A CALENDAR FULL OF
RESTAURANTS I WILL HIT.
SOMETIMES I JUST GO ON MY OWN.
Reporter: WHEN NOT WORKING
FULL-TIME AT A HOSPITAL, SHE IS
EATING, SNAPPING, AND SOMETIMES
GETTING PAID.
I CAN GO ANYWHERE FROM $350
PER POST AND UP.
Reporter: FOR THE THOUSANDS
WHO POST FOOD ON SOCIAL MEDIA,
WHAT MAKE SMZ STAND OUT?
PASSION.
MY PASSION IS FOOD.
Reporter: BEING AUTHENTIC, ON
AND OFFLEN HAS HELPED
FOLLOWERS-- OFFLINE HAS HELPED
FOLLOWERS STAY HUNGRY.
KATE RADDATZ, WCCO NEWS.
LEE COFUNDED ANOTHER BLOG
CALLED HEALTHY GLOW COLLECTIVE,
IT OFFERS MEAL PLANS THAT
FOLLOWERS CAN DOWNLOAD.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO CHECK OUT
THE WORK OF ANY OF THE FOODIES
MENTIONED, YOU CAN FIND IT AT
WCCO.COM/LINKS.
HOW ABOUT THAT?
WE SHOULD, UM, START BLOGING
ABOUT OUR ROAD TRIP.
YES.
ALTHOUGH I WOULDN'T PUT THAT
IN THE GOURMET CATEGORY.