Readers will always come first: Riya Patel

Riya Patel wishes to make the world a sweeter place, one dessert at a time, all made with seasonal produce and a dash of eccentricity.

Most of the recipes Riya Patel brings to life have stories behind them. The creations are inspired by her family, people who have impacted her, or her own personal experiences. She tells us more about her life as a blogger.

Looking back, where did it all begin? 

It all began when I baked brownies for a school bake sale with my grandma at the age of 7. I would spend every Saturday with her and watch her cook. That inspired me to experiment on my own but when you’re in India, it’s hard to follow a career in culinary. I ended up getting a Bachelors in Mass Media but that wasn’t enough for me. I had to follow my heart and moved to Melbourne to achieve my dreams.

Can’t believe that same shy 7 year old, over 17 years later has become a pastry chef, graduated from Le Cordon Bleu and William Angliss developing recipes for brands and doing lots of fun collabs with restaurants.

What's in the name? 

Le Tiny Whisk revolves around the little silver whisk that I began baking with. I have an emotional connection with it. It’s helped me improve my baking skills and all my first creations were made with it.

What is your USP in this cluttered space? How does your content give you an edge?

My main goal is making the world a sweeter place, one dessert at a time. I know there are millions of bloggers out there doing the exact same thing, having a crazy number of followers but I don’t feel the competition at all. I just focus on doing my thing, all my creations have a story behind it and I think that’s what my readers enjoy. They are creations that have been inspired by my family, people who have impacted me or personal experiences. I create my desserts with seasonal produce and like using ingredients you wouldn’t really associate with desserts like curry powder.

Please take us through your content creation process. How do you stay relevant and relatable?

My Instagram feed is a mix of baking recipes,  experimentations and restaurant reviews. I only collab with brands that I can relate to and would appreciate what I do. I guess that helps me a lot when it comes to creating content. It’s so important to stay true to yourself and your beliefs, sometimes you feel you’re falling behind but you just need to try and stay in the game. Don’t let the pressure get to you.

How do you make moolah with your efforts?

You can’t get anything in this world for free right? So I expect when brands reach out to me, they keep that in mind. I haven’t faced many issues on this front, never really had to run behind people for payments but I just don’t take on any brand that comes my way. I’m very selective with who I work with and it’s not always paid collabs. If it’s something that I feel my followers would enjoy reading, I do it anyways.

Also Read: Don’t be in a hurry to review every single place: Ambika

How do you maintain editorial objectivity with the influx of brand briefs?

My posts are all very raw and it is as you see it. I put my real self out there and what I’m passionate about doing and well if brands don’t like that, then don’t approach me.

If their product is trash, I will tell them as it is. No mincing words. No one can really influence my opinions and thoughts. And I think that’s what my followers deserve. My readers will always come first.

One instance/experience that made it all worthwhile

Two years ago when I did my first Christmas menu and I earned quite a bit of money from it. Didn’t think I would receive such a big response because I wasn’t even a qualified pastry chef back then. That made me realise this is what I want to do for a living.

Weirdest brand brief/request ever

A brand approached me to review a new phone knowing that I only take on food projects saying that ‘it would benefit my audience’.

If not blogging, you would be?

Blogging is my passion and not my full-time job. My dream was to become a pastry chef and I’m working towards that to opening my own business someday!

A day in your life...

I study full-time and work two jobs part-time plus take on small collabs now and then so you can only imagine how chaotic it gets but I enjoy every bit of it.

Message/tips for upcoming bloggers

Blogging is not as glamorous as it looks from the outside. There’s a lot of work that goes into it. It’s a very competitive environment and at times you can simply get carried away. Remember to stick to your niche and stay true to yourself always.

Your Favorite Influencer

I don’t have a favourite but I’m lucky to have a met a few bloggers on Instagram who inspire me to create better content, improve my photography and increase my knowledge.

The Future you foresee for your Personal Brand

My very own cafe focussing on seasonal and local produce.