Blogger and self-proclaimed memory hoarder, Bev Weidner has always seen food in a meaningful light. Whether gathered around a table as a family, enjoying some quality girl time or caring for her children, she feeds off the rhythm food can provide.
“I have grown up to crave anchor points in my life and to really love structure, and I think food does for families and for relationships. That's kind of the relationship I have with it now,” Weidner said. “It's still fun to eat fancy and get a little takeout once in a while, but I like keeping it simple at home.”
Accustomed to eating cereal for dinner, Weidner decided to embrace her newlywed life by creating pretty recipes at home. She delighted in the beauty of food and how it appealed to all five senses. In 2011, after finding success sharing recipes with friends–in person and on Facebook–she thought she would give blogging a try.
“I got a nice camera and studied magazines, looking at the layout, the way the food was placed and trying to replicate it at home. Styling food became a lot of fun, and my style has changed so much through the years. I used a lot of bolder colors back then, a little bit of neon here and there. It's kind of embarrassing, but it's fun to look back on all of that,” Weidner reflected. “I'm proud of her, where it led me.”
Weidner left her job and dipped her toe into this whole new world of creativity. She purchased a URL that her followers affectionately know as bevcooks.com.
“Back then, blogging was such a different industry. It was small. It was sweet. It was community-oriented. It was positive, and there weren't too many bloggers doing this,” she said. “Everyone would comment on each other's blogs and feature each other. We all just climbed the Google ranks.”
What happened next surprised Weidner to the core and validated her talents all the same. She received an email from The Food Network, offering the opportunity of a lifetime.
“I was shocked, getting that first email. It was a four-year contract, and I remember signing it and opening champagne right after that. I thought, ‘Well of course we're here.' And then immediately after, 'How did I get here?' It didn't happen overnight, but it was magic overnight,” she shared.
Her column quickly grew to resonate with women all over the country—introducing meals that are delicious and nutritious for kids, while also satisfying the elaborate cravings of adults. As a mom of twins, Weidner knew a thing or two about living a busy and fulfilling life. Staying true to herself and infusing personality into her content, she stepped into an on camera role, starring in her very own series on the Food Network app called Mom Wins.
“We did a lot of episodes in New York, and that was so great. We shot like 20 episodes in five days. It was intense,” Weidner said. “Cultivating relationships with people on set and behind the scenes was just as important of an experience as it was cooking the food and learning about food.”
The show spanned four seasons and came to a close in early 2020. Six years later, Weidner is still blogging and looking to draw inspiration from other things life has to offer, including the in-between moments that are often overlooked.
“I am a joy seeker and a person that really notices the little poetry of the day–the way the light slants and the shadows look at a certain time of year, the way light dances on the walls– it takes my breath away. You just want to look at it forever until the sun moves, and that's so cool that the sun's going to move. It's all so fast,” she said.
As a contributor for Missions Hills City Lifestyle, she has become a familiar name and face within its pages. Starting this month, she is broadening her inspiring content with a new column—The Slow Down.
“I like the experience of sensory explosiveness, and it can be in the form of reading a book or putting on an album that you forgot about when you were a teenager, a good Mazzy Star moment, you know what I mean?” she gestured.
Just as food and fellowship anchor many, Weidner hopes the art of noticing will become an integral part of her readers’ everyday lives.
“Sometimes, you'll eat something somewhere with someone, and it's the walls around you, the smell of the restaurant or someone's home. It's the music that's being played. It's the clinking of glasses. It's the candles. It's the low light,” she added. “It's the conversation that's being had, and when you pair it with what you're eating, the experience is explosive such a memory.”
Follow Bev online at bevcooks.com or on Instagram: @bevcooks
Her new column The Slow Down will be featured in Mission Hills City Lifestyle starting this month.
I am a joy seeker and a person that really notices the little poetry of the day
"I like the experience of sensory explosiveness, and it can be in the form of reading a book or putting on an album from when you were a teenager."