Our Story
Tastemaker Conference was founded with the goals of community, education, and experience in mind. The idea came to life in the corner of Abbey Rodriguez’s bedroom home office in 2017. At the time, she worked as a full time food blogger and freelancer, while juggling motherhood. She craved a way to connect with other like-minded folks, and wanted access to an intimate, fun, and bespoke experiential event for the food creator community. Nothing like it existed, and her vision was to create a welcoming and inclusive place for food bloggers and content creators to connect and learn how to grow their online businesses.
Today, Tastemaker Conference has grown to be a notable pillar in the industry, advocating for the legitimacy and expansion of creator economy, with multiple sold-out events and conferences hosted each year. Their brand partnership and attendee roster features leading brands, businesses, and creators, in addition to providing engaging social interaction and cutting-edge virtual education as the food creator economy grows and evolves.
Whether you are virtually networking, or attending a highly sought-after in-person event, you can expect to build long-lasting relationships with fellow foodies and brands, learn from top industry experts in classes and excursions, and experience the magic of Tastemaker.
Meet the
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Abbey Rodriguez
she/her
Founder & CEO
Abbey Rodriguez is the founder of Tastemaker Conference, and The Butter Half, a food blog that combines gluten-free recipes, herbal cooking, and holistic nutrition and wellness education for the whole family. After three years of growing her community online, she was inspired to create a real-life community where other creators could come together. Tastemaker Conference was born in 2017 out of this mission to empower bloggers and influencers to build sustainable businesses and relationships through food.
Abbey has worked with hundreds of brands and organizations, providing recipe development, food photography, and influencer marketing consulting. In 2023, she co-founded a food content creation agency, RAFA Creative, with the goal to further support food brands in their content process. Abbey is also a certified herbalist and holistic nutritionist, and is the co-author of the cookbook, Root & Nourish: An Herbal Cookbook for Women’s Wellness.
In an effort to educate and empower the creator industry, Abbey is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Sociology at George Mason University, where she is studying Digital Sociology, and using her background in the influencer marketing industry to inform her thesis, “The Politics of the Creator Economy.”
Abbey resides in the D.C. metropolitan area, with her children and their ever-growing pet family.
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Chandice Probst
she/her
COO & Sponsorship Director
Chandice Probst is the bubbly personality behind both This Vivacious Life and Holiday Food and Fun. She is a food and entertaining blogger and the co-author of Gluten-Free on a Budget with her mom. Chandice’s work has been featured in print and online industry publications, as well as on television. As someone with Celiac Disease and a degree in exercise and health wellness, she has led the charge in hosting Celiac awareness nights with MLB and NBA teams around the nation as well as working with the Celiac Disease Foundation to raise money for research.
Chandice has been with Abbey since the first Tastemaker Conference in Salt Lake City and has loved getting to know the community at each subsequent event. Working with sponsors to help them achieve their marketing goals and planning fun experiences for guests is where she thrives. From conceptualizing booths and brand activations, to creating menus and organizing all excursions for Tastemaker Conference, Chandice loves creating moments that everyone will remember for many years to come. The best part? She gets to do it with the greatest team ever!
While Chandice loves to cook, entertain, travel and plan for Tastemaker Conference, she loves being a wife and mother most.
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Leslie Jackson
she/her
Operations & Logistics Director
Leslie Jackson is the Operations & Events Director at Tastemaker Conference. Leslie first fell in love with events when she volunteered herself to organize a community fun run for over 500 people and was then hired to be the race director for her local community. She now has over a decade of experience in planning and organizing community, political, corporate, and influencer events.
Leslie has been with Tastemaker Conference since its inception and has loved getting to know the foodie community. She loves making her foodie friends recipes at home.
Leslie is married to her amazing husband and a mom to three incredible kids. At home you can find her fussing over her 50+ houseplants.
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Daphne Davis
she/her
Executive Operations Coordinator
Daphne is the Executive Operations Coordinator at Tastemaker Conference. With 4 years of experience as an educator, Daphne is well-versed in the art of using data to make informed decisions, as well as creating spontaneous solutions to adapt to the real-time needs of her audience. Daphne received her M.Ed in Teacher Leadership from Utah Valley University, and she is an advocate for applying relevant research in adult learning theory to the curriculum and structure of Tastemaker Conference.
In addition to her role on the operations team, Daphne also manages sponsor relationships, launched the Mentor Roundtables and the Tastemaker Photo Contest at TC 2024, and assists attendees in having the best possible experience both from afar and IRL.
Daphne loves to read, try new coffee shops in Salt Lake City, and educate the TC team on the latest TikTok trends.
Advisory
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Andrew Wilder
he/him
Andrew Wilder is the founder and CEO of NerdPress, a digital agency that provides WordPress maintenance, performance optimization, and support for hundreds of food blogs and other publishers. He has been building, breaking, fixing, and maintaining websites since 1998, and has spoken on a wide variety of technical topics (in plain English!) at many conferences including WordCamp LAX, the International Association of Culinary Professionals, IFBC, BlogHer, Everything Food, Mediavine, and, of course, Tastemaker.
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Erin Collins
she/her
Erin Collins has been blogging for 10+ years and has a passion for the ever-changing world of food blogging. She is the voice, author, and photographer behind the popular gluten-free food blog Meaningful Eats. Erin holds a bachelor’s degree in food science and a master’s degree in nutrition. She resides in North Carolina with her husband and children.
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Evelyn Williams
she/her
Chef Evelyn is the CEO, Founder, and Dean of Curriculum Development at Gourmet Grad School. Gourmet Grad School is a Culinary Entrepreneurship Academy that teaches professional chefs and passionate home cooks how to earn income outside the traditional restaurant kitchen. Evelyn is a former Chemical & Environmental Engineer who left corporate America to pursue her passion for food full-time. For the past 14 years, she has cooked professionally as a personal and private chef for celebrities and high-net-worth individuals, teaching in-person and online cooking classes, hosting culinary events and restaurant tours, working with food brands, creating content as a podcast host and consulting with other culinary entrepreneurs on how to create multiple streams of income and create high-end culinary brands.
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Haley Janicek
she/her
Haley has dedicated the past seven years to supporting creators at ConvertKit, emphasizing the development of meaningful connections. Her primary role involves orchestrating events and experiences aimed at fostering creator growth. Based in Boise, Idaho, she enjoys life with her husband and their three daughters, balancing professional growth with family joy.
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Izzah Cheema
she/her
In late 2016, Izzah started Tea for Turmeric on a whim while her daughter was napping. Two years later, Tea for Turmeric was lucky to be a finalist for the Saveur Blog Awards in the Most Inspired Weeknight Dinners category. Since then, with the help of a small team of amazing people, it’s grown to millions of views a year. Her blog is dedicated to sharing of the BEST South Asian recipes on the internet.
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Jazzmine Woodard
she/her
Jazzmine Woodard is a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion practitioner, recipe developer, and travel writer with over 10 years of experience. Her intersecting passions and skillsets have helped her cultivate a dual career of developing digital content on her website, Dash of Jazz, while serving as a trusted DEI advisor to leaders in the private sector. She is also a Board member of the Eat the Culture collective, which empowers, educates, and amplifies Black culinary creators. Jazzmine resides in Houston, Texas, and travels to experience different cultures and foodways as often as possible.
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Julie Tran Deily
she/her
Julie Tran Deily started her blog, The Little Kitchen, in 2009. She’s a former software engineer and a nerd at heart, she has been blogging and running her business full-time since 2012. She loves to share recipes that are easy to make and are accessible to home cooks looking to learn new tips and tricks.
She has spoken at various conferences over the years including Tastemaker Conference and Mediavine Conference as well as WITS and TBEX. She loves sharing her knowledge and actionable tips for content creators and small business owners on her other site. She lives in Central Florida with her husband and rescue pets.
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Marta Rivera Diaz
she/her
Marta Rivera Diaz is the chef and author behind Sense and Edibility®, a food site created to teach home cooks everything they need to know about cooking, baking, and cocktail-making. Marta uses her multicultural upbringing and experiences traveling the world to bring eclectic, creative, and unpretentious recipes to her readers.
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Susie Bulloch
she/her
Susie Bulloch is the creator of the BBQ food blog Hey Grill Hey. She has appeared on Food Network, and is a true leader and influencer in the BBQ industry. Along with running a successful full-time blog, Susie and her husband, Todd, own the BBQ product line, Patio Provisions.
Brand Diversity
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Tastemaker (n.):
A person or thing that establishes or strongly influences what is considered to be stylish, acceptable, or worthwhile in a given sphere of interest.
It’s the name of our brand. It’s the seasoning that binds our values of community, education and experience (our recipe for success) together. But what the dictionary definition fails to mention is this: influence is not just about iterating on what everyone knows. It’s about changing the game
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The Missing Ingredients
Imbued within the company’s culinary DNA are 3 main ingredients: community, education, and experience.
At Tastemaker, we acknowledge that our magical recipe for success was created with a limited number of possible flavors and perspectives.
The food blogging industry may be small, but it is a diverse one. And we have not always lived up to our name when it comes to the diversity of our community.
Some may ask, why now? Some may ask, well how come there’s no diversity on the team?
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Living Up to Our Name
Here at Tastemaker, we’re whipping up a new recipe for success. One that prioritizes community, but also diversifies our definition of it to include more camaraderie, more inclusion, and more space for new perspectives. The magic in tastemaking is about doing exactly that, after all.
We aim to create a more inclusive community and educational experience. As thought leaders, we can change the industry’s tastes. Bring different flavors to the culinary table. Celebrate varied experiences.
Many feel this is a conversation only relevant to larger companies. But small businesses are the true icebreakers, so we’ll start the conversation.
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Doing The Work
Food is the ultimate symbol of community and connection. It is powerful in its penchant to bring people together. We can break bread together. But we cannot truthfully call ourselves tastemakers if we do not do the work of bringing everyone together.
That’s why we’re committing to regularly including BIPOC and diverse food content creators within our social feed and community. That’s why we’re committing to having more BIPOC and diverse speakers at our events. That’s why we’re changing our vendor vetting process to contract more small businesses. That’s why we are diversifying the Tastemaker team.
Tastemaker Conference is committed to equal opportunity for all individuals. All education and events shall be free from discrimination based on race, color, ancestry, national origin, ethnic group identification, age, religion, marital or parental status, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, weight, abilities; the perception of one or more of such characteristics; or association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics.
What do we stand for?
What makes us different?
A Cookbook of Different Perspectives
The work may start with race and gender, but community has more nuances than those two areas. We’ll lay the groundwork here and as we build, infuse other areas of DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion, and access) into our DNA.
There is no such thing as mastering or perfecting the recipe. Our goal is to curate a cookbook that features a variety of perspectives and give others the recipe to do the same.
Education also includes our peers—that means you! But it needs to extend beyond our minds and into our homes, onto our blogs, and into our circles of influence, both personally and professionally, to truly enact change. Here at Tastemaker, we believe that together we can and will change the tastes of the industry.
Tastemaker Conference is committed to equal opportunity for all individuals. All education and events shall be free from discrimination based on race, color, ancestry, national origin, ethnic group identification, age, religion, marital or parental status, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, weight, abilities; the perception of one or more of such characteristics; or association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics.
Please check out our blog post on Building Diverse Partnerships. And sign up for our newsletters for Equity-based tickets and scholarships!
Follow us on
@tastemakerconference
Join our Free Online Community
We believe in collaboration over competition. Tastemaker Collaborative is our free online membership for food bloggers and creators that provides a space for meaningful connection. Join us for free access to monthly masterclasses and conversations, online events and workshops, and access to a community of like-minded foodies (outside of social media!) to support you as your build your business. If there is one thing we have learned, it’s that our relationships are the key to success, and we are here to help you build them every step of the way.
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Who is the conference for?
Tastemaker Conference is for all food bloggers, content creators, and brands. Whether you are just starting out, or you are a seasoned pro, there is something for everyone at our events. The education ranges from introductory, general, and advanced. The networking opportunities benefit all attendees, because relationships are one of the most beneficial factors in business growth. Find a mentor, be a mentor, make a connection with an amazing brand—whatever it is that you are looking for, you can find it at Tastemaker Conference.
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What events do you offer?
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What if I can’t attend or afford an event?
We have scholarships and equity tickets available for events. Please sign up for our newsletter to see when those are released.
We also offer replays of all of our conferences. You can purchase individual event replays or bundles here.
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What free resources do you offer your community?
We have a free membership site that anyone can join called the: Tastemaker Collaborative. Where we cultivate community and offer free webinars.
Or if you are looking for freebies like templates to help your business, you can check out the Freebies page.
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How often are events held?
The Virtual Tastemaker Conference is held once a year, currently in the fall. And our In-Person Conferences are also held annually, but in early spring. We now offer more virtual and in-person workshops. You can find details here.
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How do I buy a ticket to events?
You can check out all events and buy tickets right here on our site. Check out the Event Tickets page.
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What about refunds and ticket transfers?
All tickets to any event, including the conference, workshops, and digital products, are NON-REFUNDABLE. Tickets may be transferred to another person up to 30 days before the event. All transfers must be made by the original ticket holder. Tastemaker Conference is not responsible for organizing the ticket transfer.
Each attendee will receive full playback of the event, whether or not they are able to attend.
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I’d love to speak at the conference! Is there a speaker application?
Our submissions are limited, but we would love to hear your ideas! Please submit a speaker application.
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This event looks like an amazing sponsorship opportunity. Whom should I contact?
We would absolutely love to work with you and offer affordable and unique experiential influencer marketing opportunities. Please email chandice@tastemakerconference.com to receive our current sponsorship deck.
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What’s your contact information?
Please reach out to hello@tastemakerconference.com for any additional questions. We’d love to hear from you!
Contact Us
Giving Back
A Taste Of Hope Recipe E-Book
We believe in the responsibility of giving back. So we reached out to our community of Tastemakers to create this collaborative recipe ebook to benefit the children of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®. Our first ever charitable recipe ebook, A Taste of Hope, is a special collection of over 25 mouthwatering recipes from your favorite food bloggers.
Each recipe in this collection is inspired by the children of St. Jude and represents the power of community and our shared commitment to giving back. We believe in the magic of food to bring people together, and this recipe book is a celebration of that connection.
The ebook is available for just $19.99, and now through December 31, 2024, Tastemaker Conference will donate a minimum of $18.00 for every ebook sold– directly to St. Jude. By purchasing this recipe book, you’re not just getting delicious recipes—you’re helping St. Jude give kids with cancer a chance.
Thank you for joining us on this journey. Let’s cook, celebrate, and give back!
With gratitude,
Abbey, Chandice & the Tastemaker Conference Team
We are here to teach you how to run a successful food creator business, and connect you to like-minded foodies along the way.
Will you join us?
Get started by downloading our Brand Partnership Pricing Calculator. Plus, get tips and event updates direct to your inbox.
