 Today we're excited to welcome someone who's writing and photography will make your mouth water. Maricels Salazar joins us to talk about being a top food Instagrammer in the U.S. and a known lifestyle writer and host in New York City. This is School of Hustle, the show where we find advice and inspiration from people who are making their own way. I'm Shannon, the VP of social here at GoDaddy, and I live and breathe at the Hustle of Business. Today we're filming from the Hustle of It All at the WeWork Times Square in New York City. Okay everybody, let's give Maricels a big warm welcome! Thank you so much for having me on School of Hustle. You know, I have actually been dying to be on this show. Ever since I met you actually, and it's been such an inspiring show for me, so to be on this side of the camera and to talk to you, I'm excited for our child. Well, I was thrilled that you would be willing to take time out of your very busy schedule to be here. Girl, you are writing for major publications, like The Michelin Guide. Thrillist. You're busy. I am extremely busy, but you know, for me, busy's good. Busy people get stuff done, and I kind of look at it as Newton's laws of motion. Once in motion, stay in motion, once at rest, stay at rest, and I prefer to be in motion. You're also hosting your own show these days, and you've built a top food Instagram page in all of the US. Oh my goodness. How have you been able to earn all of this type of influence and success in a space that is so crowded? It's extremely saturated right now, and there's so many voices and so many people who want to show, who want a really popular Instagram profile, who want to write for great publications. And when I was first starting out around five years ago, I actually got a really bad piece of advice, and it was from a really well-known chef, and he said, you know, you want to do too much. You can't be a writer, be a photographer, and do television. He was telling me, you need to pick one and stick with it, and you know, just be good at that one thing. And I thought, no way, you know, like I want to be good at everything that I want to do. While you're doing writing photography, you're hosting very different skill sets, very necessary though, given what you want to do, and I'm glad that you didn't take his advice. Do any one of these three things come more naturally to you, or do you have to like work really hard to be strong across the three things around like photography, writing and hosting? I find that hosting and writing come very naturally to me. You know, when we were chatting before, it's interesting to be on this side of the table or bar stool, so to speak, because last week while I was shooting the pilot episode for my show, I was the one asking the questions and guiding my guests through the cadence of our episode. And when I write, it really flows quite easily. I like to tell stories. I'm a very natural storyteller. The photography aspect though, that is something that I do have to try. I would love to say like, oh, I'm such a natural at it, but it's practice. And, you know, practice makes perfect and experience gets you better and better results. So while the more emotional components of what I do come very easily, the technical part of it, I do have to try at it. You graduated from Cornell. I did. It's impressive. Cornell? Cornell is one of the most prestigious hospitality programs in the world. I have to ask, were you always into the food and wine space or did Cornell rub off on you while you were there? So it's funny that you asked that because I actually wasn't in the hospitality school when I was at Cornell. I was in the agriculture school, which is like for farmers, you know. Really? But I was a communications major and I also minored in nutrition. So I thought I'm either going to be Christian Amunpur or I'm going to become a dietitian. I did neither. You know, when I graduated, I had actually just come off a trip to Madrid. I studied there for about six months and I know it sounds so cliche, but that's really where I had this culinary epiphany, you know, a ratatouille moment, so to speak. And I knew from then and there, you know, from my experience eating and drinking my way through Madrid, through Spain, through Portugal, that I wanted to pursue food for the rest of my life. So when I went back to school, I studied viticulture and analogy. I took cooking classes through the hotel school. So it was really Madrid that rubbed off on me, but when I went back to Cornell, they had the resources that I needed to actually get higher level knowledge of the food industry. It's interesting that you mentioned thinking about like health and wellness, dietitian, and that sort of thing at the forefront because when I look at your Instagram page, going out, eating out and drinking doesn't seem to go hand in hand with health and wellness. And so I'm wondering how do you stay healthy when you're out all the time? I'm a very crunchy granola person. Heart nutrition is so near and dear to me, especially because I studied it and I thought I was going to become a dietitian. And that didn't happen because I was still paying off my undergrads and just getting a master's was too expensive. But it's something that I've always considered when I go to eat out. And at first, when I was starting out as a food writer, it was such a struggle. You know, I've had these extravagant restaurant meals and wouldn't quite know it was in my food. So I would boomerang at home and try to eat ultra-healthy until I realized, you know what Maricela, like your job isn't to be a model. Your job isn't to be on the cover of, you know, a magazine, but it would be great if it was. Your job is to be the best food writer you possibly can. So what do you need to do in order to do that? You got to eat. You got to eat a lot of food. But also what dawned on me is that happiness and life satisfaction is a huge part of your health and wellness. If you don't have that, then you're not actually healthy. Like no matter how many salads you're eating. Right. Sustainability is important to you too. Yes. How do you think about sustainability and how do you lead by example? So when I first started as a writer, I would be invited to so many restaurants, so many food events and it really dawned on me the enormous amount of food waste that went on in the kitchens behind the scenes. And as someone who, you know, once upon a time, you know, only had $28 a week to spend on groceries and I would not waste a single crumb. That was really horrifying to me to see this gross amount of food being wasted, especially when we have such a problem with food insecurity in America. So one of the things that I've luckily been able to do, given, you know, my influence, my role as a food writer, is to cover those subjects, to cover restaurants that are doing really great, sustainable, closed-loop cooking in the food space. I'm actually on the hosting committee of City Harvest, which actually helps those that are food insecure across New York. And one of my latest pieces for Michelin, which when it comes out you should all read, is about how Swedish chefs are actually leading the forefront of sustainability and what that means our food will look like. And we sit down at a restaurant, so it's like, you know, Shannon, what is your food going to look like when sustainability is the main ingredient? If you were a plate of food, what would you be? Oof, Ardos con pollo. I grew up eating rice with every single dish. You know, it's a very Central American component to our food, but also when I lived in Hawaii and Japan, we had rice with every dish as well. So there was always some kind of rice or saucy chicken growing up with the food. Always, and that would be my last meal too. When you think about trends in food in the past, what is the trend in the past that you feel is the most impactful? You know, I hate to say it, especially because it was impactful, but I think it's on a downswing, and I'm almost glad that it is. Honestly, Instagram. Social media is, for better or worse, so different. It's good, it can be bad, but you know, it's impactful. And I really loved how social media, particularly Instagram, actually opened people's palates, you know, was able to let them get accessibility and an interest in food because they could see it, they could engage with it, they could chat with their friends about it, and that really made everyone a more engaged and educated diner. But everything has a tipping point, and it's a bell curve. I think we've reached that bell curve, and we're on the downswing where, you know, social media might not be, you know, as helpful and helpful for food and inspiration and creativity as it once was before. I've heard a chef once say that when I serve food, I serve it at a certain temperature on purpose, and when people are staging the picture, taking a picture, taking a new picture, filtering the picture, posting the picture, and then you go to eat the food, it doesn't taste the way it should. And they don't want to get a bad review that the food wasn't good because they were taking pictures. It just made me think of that story. And that's not the original intention of the chef, you know? If you wait past 15 minutes, that's not his or her food anymore. It's something else. Now, when you think about trends that are happening now in food, what is the food trend of today that you're most excited about? Well, it's similar to what we were talking about before, and I'm excited about sustainability. I really am. There is a really wonderful process called closed-loop cooking that I've really jumped on. And closed-loop cooking means taking the ingredients from one recipe or dish and using that as the foundation for another. And we're seeing that a lot in Scandinavian countries, but we're also seeing it too in restaurants across the United States. The era of monstrous, gross, epic-sized food, it's over. The new era is plant-based foods, alternatives to meat, alternatives to dairy, and how we're really protecting our food systems and our environment. But how do we do that deliciously and creatively? Right. I like to ask guests what their made-it moment is. So when you think about over all of the pieces that you've written, pictures you've taken, publications, everything in your long, successful journey, what is that one moment that you would say is your made-it moment? You know, it's funny to think about it. I don't think I've had that made-it moment. I think my made-it moment is going to come in a couple months. When the show that I'm actually hosting, it's a spirits travel and food show. When that show goes to streaming, I think that will be my made-it moment when people really see the other form of storytelling that I do, which is my on-camera hosting work. And so when that show comes, maybe we can revisit that. And then I'll be like, OK, Shannon, I've got the made-it moment now. And can you share with us how we can look for that show or is it still in the works and under wraps? It's still in the works, but I can share what it's called. It's called United States of Spirits. And I'm the host of the show, and I explore food and drink in various different ways. The first episode is in New York City, so I interview a variety of chefs of how cocktails pair with desserts. A cocktail's pair with very surprising ingredients. So take a look for it out later this year. Fantastic. Well, thank you for opening up and sharing all of that. Now it's time to transition to hustle time. OK. OK. We're going to set a timer for 60 seconds. Oh, gosh. And see how many cards you can get through. OK. Say the first thing that comes to mind. All right. I love a good challenge. Yeah, I know you do. And we're going to play the quantity game. Team, can I have 60 seconds? OK. Vacation, lounge on the beach or active hike? Active hike. Doctor Cats? Dogs. Favorite movie theater treat? Bunch of crunch. Sashimi or rolls? Sashimi. Would you rather never get angry or never be envious? Never be envious. Go-to karaoke song? Journey, something by Journey. Large dogs or lap dogs? Lap dogs. Song that is currently stuck in your head? Oh, techno song by Iliam. Ski trip or beach vacation? Ooh, beach. Your go-to outfit? This. Dream dinner guest? Ooh, Ruth Reichel. Best place you've traveled? Sweden. What's the first app you open in the morning? Instagram. Which would you rather give up for life? Pizza or sandwiches? Pizza. Would you rather never be able to teach or mentor or never be able to learn? Never be able to teach. Music or podcasts? Podcasts. Three things in your closet right now? Wine, shoes, moisturizer. Fireplace or fire pit? In it? Am I in it? Oh, fire pit. Worst trend you've ever participated in? Oh, God. Rainbow bagels. If you lose access forever, do you pick search engines or social media? Social media. Wow. Oh, God. Wow. I don't think I've been that nervous in a while. 17, 18, 19, 20. Favorite part of your day? Lunchtime. Best piece of advice you've ever gotten? Todd Climan. He said, what do you do when what you love doesn't love you back? Do it anyways. Worst piece of advice? Marisol, you can't do photography, hosting, and writing all at once. How do you use your career to inspire others? Like what you said, lead by example, I write about what's important to me and hopefully what I think is important to everybody else. Ever felt like walking away? Never. I could never. One thing you still need to learn? How to say no strategically. What do you want people to learn from you? I want them to learn that they can be educated informed eaters without having to shell out a ton of money to enjoy an experience their life through food. What's next for you? Hosting, you know, working on the television show. Who inspires you? Ruth Reichel, but this is going to sound so cheesy, but my gut reaction was like, I honestly inspire myself, you know. I really am my own biggest critic and source of inspiration, you know, but that doesn't come, you know, by working by myself. I have others to help me. Who challenges you? Myself. I have one last piece of advice that needs to be had, and this advice is for our entrepreneurial, our favorite pug on GoDaddy. Oh, Cosita! Hey, babykin. Come here. This is the most affection I've gotten from the opposite pecs in a while. Noodle loves food. Yeah, you do. A lot. Yeah, a lot. But he has some dietary restrictions that cause him to avoid things like lactose, gluten, and sugar. What advice do you have for people who find restaurant dining challenging? Constraint breeds creativity. Okay. So the fact that you're limited, so to speak, in what you can eat isn't actually true at all, because your world now is so much more open to things you normally wouldn't have tried or would have been afraid to try. And so now, you can do it. So Noodle needs to be adventurous and creative. And innovate when he's looking at the menu. Yes. You can be so creative. Don't be afraid of, like, you know, maybe those funky alternative cheeses, you know, or different types of grains you might have not normally tried. Like, shoot, now's your opportunity to do it, Noodle. Well, we always like to end with a final thought. So, in closing, kind of like a fortune cookie at the end of a great meal, let's see which one works for you. I'm going to read three quotes. Tell me which one that resonates the most in line. Okay. Number one, only I can change my life, no one can do it for me. Number two, to eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art. Number three, when you get thrown off a horse, you have to get right back on or you're going to be scared the rest of your life. Oh, wow. I have to say the first one really, really sticks with me and it's not something, it's something I think about every day. I was inspired by everything you had to say and that's what you're doing. Thank you so much. No, it really, you know, makes me motivated to hear that, you know, my audience and, you know, the people that I write for are my motivation as well. You know, outside of myself, they're also my greatest motivation. Well, tell everybody watching how they can follow you and find you. Yeah, of course. So, you can follow me on Instagram at Marislam Salazar, Twitter at Marislam Salazar, and then, you know, just Google search my name across Michelin, Thrillist, Fine Pair, Pure Wow, Tasting Table. I'm always writing something. I hope everybody enjoyed Maricel. I know you did and I know that you want to find more fabulous entrepreneurs every week. So, also follow GoDaddy too because we are bringing entrepreneurs like Maricel every week to you at School of Hustle. Until next time, see you soon. Bye.