5 Years of easygayoven!
When I pressed “publish” on the first post on the easygayoven Instagram page on July 25, 2019, it was mainly to get my friends off my back. They had been responding to the pictures and videos on Instagram and Stories (from my personal account) saying, “You have to start a separate account for these.” Maybe they were just tired of seeing them! Eventually the chorus (like 10 people) grew loud enough that I thought, I don’t know what it is, but maybe there’s something to this little hobby, which I had burrowed myself into as an escape from deep depression and my horrible 9-to-5 job working in entertainment news.
To celebrate this milestone, I’m running a very special special: 25% off a paid subscription forever. Must be redeemed by 8/4!
On a bus ride to the beach, my friends and I were brainstorming names for the handle. “Limp Whisk?” I asked. Dodged a bullet there. “Easy Bake Oven … easy-gay-oven,” blurted out one of my friends. (Regarding any future litigation from Hasbro, this is not a confession!) The brainstorm ended there, I took the idea as my own, and I squatted on the Instagram handle for about a month after that.
The past five years have been a lot of “we’ll see.” When I started the account: We’ll see if I ever make my own recipes. When I launched the website: We’ll see if I ever make any money with this. When clients started to reach out to work with me: We’ll see if I can grow enough to make *real* money. When I started growing on Instagram: We’ll see if I can ever go full-time. Woah. When I quit my day job in December 2021 and started working for myself full-time at the start of 2022: We’ll see how long this lasts. I kept telling people, “This isn’t me leaving corporate media forever. Who knows what will happen. I’m just gonna work on this thing for a while.”
Those were expertly-planted seeds to give myself a graceful fallback plan in case of emergency. But I also think I knew that I could make this project a success, and that I had everything I needed to do it: a humble amount of savings, no debt, a security net, and as a 20-something single person, no responsibilities. And, unflatteringly, I really wanted to show my former co-workers, and everyone else, that I didn’t quit for nothing.
So far, we’re doing okay! It’s not easy being a freelancer — let alone one whose job relies on the ebbs and flows of algorithms and creativity. No benefits. Figuring out taxes and healthcare SUCKS. Sometimes you go months without getting paid. There’s no one to teach you about the business, and companies big and small try to take advantage of you. It’s isolating and stressful: You’re a one-person team who’s now performing every role; you traded in a 9-to-5 for a 24/7. But it’s also a huge privilege and an adventure — something I never thought I would do. If you’ve been here since the beginning, thanks for putting up with me and I couldn’t be more grateful. Thank you for trusting me with your ingredients and I hope I have helped make baking easier and more fun for you.
I’m going to drop a little timeline of some important moments in the EGO journey below.
2017-2019: Pre-EGO Era Baking Projects
This is what it looks like before a hobby spirals out of control. I will never forget: I made the green and black cake to bring into the office for the 15th anniversary of Wicked on Broadway. My boss walked in and asked in front of the whole team, “Who made this weird cake?” To be fair, it is weird.
July 25, 2019: The First Post Ever on easygayoven
A month later, the website went live.
I had a wonderful, giant window in my first real NYC apartment. The account was first and foremost a place for me to share my baking projects and also as a training ground for me to get better at my bourgeoning hobby of food photography. In the beginning, almost all the photos were taken on. my. bed. Taking and editing photos is still one of my favorite parts of this job, but with short form video, it’s not one that is always the most rewarded. Here are some of my favorite shots from the early yearsTM.
The First Recipe I Developed
Is no longer available online because I haven’t made it since and really can’t stand behind it. This was cereal milk layer cake.
2020: When I Auditioned for the Great American Baking Show Twice
And was rejected, maybe twice. I made this below and brought it to an in-person tasting on March 10, 2020. Who knows if I would’ve been cast, lol, which I’m glad I never was!
Going Full-Time in 2022.
I still have good friends that ask me to this day if this is my job. This was around when I had 10,000 folks on the IG.
2022-2023-ish: Writing for Serious Eats
I was fortunate to pick up a writing (and photography) gig to supplement my income while I was still getting the business side of things up and running. Writing will always be part of what I do, which is why I love having this newsletter! You can find all my articles and reviews here.
April 2023: The First EGO Substack Newsletter Hits Inboxes
If you’re here, you’re a big reason easygayoven can keep running the way it does. Receiving emails from me isn’t easy, but someone has to do it. I wanted a way I could connect with home bakers more directly, keep y’all updated, and build out the community and this has been a great way to do that.
April 2023: My Youtube (and Food52) Debut!
Dan Pelosi, GrossyPelosi, is an inspiration and a friend, and I was absolutely floored when he invited me to do an episode of his Food52 Series The Secret Sauce. This definitely felt like a woah, this is getting real moment.
October 2023: Hitting 50K on Instagram
TikTok was also happening but I hate to say that I feel much more connected to the community we have over on IG. My mom, my biggest fan, was easily more excited than I was for this milestone.
Present Day
Now we’re just chilling. I put out recipes and info for y’all and in turn you read my rants. Thanks for indulging this trip down Memory Lane, and I’m so excited to take y’all along for whatever comes next … Longer-form Youtube Videos? A podcast? A book? we’ll see!
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So amazing! Congrats!!! 🎉