What's Happening This Week
Monday, June 8, 2026
Hello everyone!
Here’s what’s happening in Mastermind For Food Writers this week!
Creating a Values-Led Brand
Join Liza Debevec and me THIS WEEK for a two-part workshop on what it means to create a values-led brand.
What if building your brand didn’t begin with strategy, visibility, or keeping up with everyone else, but with a clearer understanding of who you are and what actually matters to you?
For many food writers, branding can start to feel external and performative: the right bio, the right niche, the right content pillars, the right way to show up online. But the strongest brands are not built from the outside in. They are rooted in something deeper: your values, your strengths, your voice, your boundaries, and the kind of work you want to create over time.
In this two-part workshop, we’ll help food writers clarify the core values that shape who they are, how they work, and what they want their business to stand for. Together, we’ll explore both the personal qualities that are essential to your identity and the practical values that guide your long-term goals. Rather than treating values as abstract ideas, we’ll make them personal and actionable, so they can become a foundation for your brand and the impact you want to have on the world.
June Mastermind meeting Dates and Registration
Two different meetings in two different time zones every month.
North American and Europe Meeting: Wednesday, June 10 at 11am EST.
Europe, Africa, Asia Pacific Meeting: Wednesday, June 17 at 8am GMT
Mastermind for Food Writers: North America & Europe
This month’s topic will be all about Food Photography. Jessie-Sierra; The Last Bite, Shelly Waldman, and I will explore how light, shadow, color, texture, styling, composition, and human elements can shape the story a photo tells.
Wednesday, June 10: 11am, New York (Eastern Standard Time)
Meeting hosted by Rebecca Blackwell
Follow this link to register for this meeting:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/DwvkWKkOQC-zfj-qz5BLYg
After you register for the meeting, you will receive an email that will allow you to add the meeting to your calendar in your time zone.
Mastermind for Food Writers: Europe, Africa, Asia-Pacific
Meeting topic: More info coming soon!
DATE: June 17: 8am BST / 9 am CET
Meeting hosted by Liza Debevec
Follow this link to register for this meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/6dkmrvP4RFeYBZzv3q9loA
After you register for the meeting, you will receive an email that will allow you to add the meeting to your calendar in your time zone.
Please register a day in advance if possible, to make sure you get the meeting link on time and to avoid ‘waiting at the door’.
In case you missed it, there’s some good discussion happening around this article…
Two Class Recordings Available Now
SEO: Build a Bridge From Your Work To Your Readers
This recording includes the first 90-minute teaching session of our two-session course, SEO: Build a Bridge From Your Work to Your Readers. In this class, Rebecca Blackwell helps food writers understand SEO not as a technical burden or a game to be won, but as a practical way to help the right readers find your recipes, stories, newsletters, and posts. You’ll learn what SEO means now, how AI is changing discoverability, why human-centered content matters more than ever, and how to make small, strategic choices that help your work travel farther and keep working for you over time.
*The recording comes with a 28 page workbook to guide you through creating your personalized SEO strategy.
Creative Recipe Writing: How to Write Recipes with Voice, Humor, and Story
This recording includes the first 90-minute teaching session of our two-session course. In this class, we teach the techniques of creative writing that can infuse recipes with personality, point of view, humor, and story. We talk about why creative recipe writing matters more than ever in a crowded publishing landscape, how storytelling can deepen a reader’s connection to your work, and what it looks like to bend the traditional recipe form without losing clarity or usefulness.
Through specific examples from cookbooks, newsletters, and food media, this session offers practical ideas for bringing more of your humanity to the page and writing recipes that readers remember.
Links and Resources
If you’d like to volunteer to teach a mini-masterclass at an upcoming Mastermind Meeting, please sign up here!
If you’re not listed in the Directory, leave a comment on the Directory with your name and publication and I’ll get you added!
Community Resources: A revolving list of resources from food writers for food writers
Collaboration Network: Find other substack food writers to collaborate with
The Mastermind for Food Writers chat is a great place to connect with other food writers on Substack.
About your meeting hosts
Rebecca Blackwell is a writer, recipe developer and food photographer who publishes two recipe websites and a Substack newsletter. Her and her husband are nomads without a home base but with many modes of transportation, namely an RV, a motorcycle, and a sailboat. Rebecca write recipes and stories for curious people who believe experiences are more important than things and who want more adventure.
Liza Debevec is a social anthropologist, African studies specialist, and career/life coach. She writes two Substack publications that bring together her love of stories, food, languages, and personal growth. Originally from Slovenia, Liza now lives in Lisbon, Portugal, after many years in Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, and other corners of the world. Her work is inspired by the ways people connect through meals, words, and meaningful conversations.