DALLAS — Two New York Times best-selling cookbooks, a line of dressings and sauces and a massive social media following would make most people beam with confidence.
North Texas native Alex Snodgrass has hit her stride but it took work to feel self-assured in the competitive world of food blogging and cooking.
She’s sharing how she embraced her own flair of cooking and ideas on how to get picky eaters to eat healthy.
"We’re at Central Market in Dallas, Texas," says Snodgrass.
Alex Snodgrass shines like a proud mom.
"SideDish is a brand that I have been working on for years to help bring healthy dinners a little more easily to families and their dinner tables," says Snodgrass.
The foodie and recipe developer devoted two years to create three multi-purpose dressings; her commitment to make them dairy and preservative-free slowed down the process.
"I needed to learn a little more about food science and shelf stable products and because I don’t have any stabilizers or any added sugars to my products, it makes it a little trickier. I have been working with an amazing food science team to make them taste the way I want but to also be safe for the consumer," says Snodgrass.
Now, Alex’s healthy cooking tools are on the same aisle she shops - a big feat for the small-town chef from Celina - who started her cooking blog as a hobby.
"Nowadays, it’s not just creating a recipe. It’s creating videos to show people how to use the recipe. There is just a lot around content creation. It’s very time consuming. It really is helpful for the everyday cook to see that in place and to see it being made. It makes them feel like they can go home and do it themselves," says Snodgrass.
Alex invited us into her home while she filmed her Instagram series “Side Dish Lunch Break”.
"I just want people to love to cook as much as I do. Or at least half as much as I do," says Snodgrass.
Alex doesn’t have any formal culinary training, and she nearly let it hold her back.
"I was a little intimidated by the fact that I was sharing recipes that might be a little too simple, and not extravagant enough, why would anybody make these because to some people they might be obvious ways to cook," says Snodgrass.
But her approachability -- not her credentials -- is what won her fans. She realized at-home cooks want everyday recipes.
"I did my first book tour and the response to people showing up to my events just blew my mind! I had no idea that would ever happen to me, I thought, 'I hope people show up,'" says Snodgrass.
Her popularity exploded with social media. She’s leveraged her platforms to offer cooking solutions. Like feeding picky eaters!
"My biggest tip would be to make a meal and think about how you can deconstruct it," she said. "So, in my first book I have a Greek salad with lamb meatballs on top, and that one is a great example of how you can take the meatballs and maybe do a side of pasta and still serve them a component of what you’re having."
Alex's two daughters are typically adventurous eaters so, she mixes it up.
"My other favorite way to feed kids is [to] build a bowl. Any sort of 'build-a-bowl' recipe where you can put out a different component and everyone can build their own bowls," says Snodgrass.
For building meals at home and for her brand, Alex says expect her to be bold.
"I don’t eat bland food. It’s kind of a problem. I need to be blown away every time I take a bite of my dinner," says Snodgrass.
Snodgrass is going to start focusing more on product development so, expect to see more dressings and other side dish creations on store shelves.
You can follow her blog at thedefineddish.com or on Instagram @GetSideDish & @thedefineddish