We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicole Sparacio and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicole, do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?
In a world where all it takes is a phone, natural lighting, and Instagram to be an influencer, there are very few barriers to entry. Thus, there’s a lot of competition and pressure to stand out and be unique. I started my account, @eating.with.nicole with the intention of posting about restaurants I frequented without putting much thought into building a brand. Over some time, I realized the potential to grow my following and even monetize my work. My followers and the restaurants I posted shared their appreciation about my posts and that was the most rewarding thing I could imagine. Currently, I’m at the point where I desire to keep my account growing rapidly, but sometimes feel overwhelmed by other influencers’ work and the social media world as a whole. I believe whenever you get to this point it is important to take a step back and be cognizant of the fundamental goals of your passion. For me, that is simply creating photos and videos that capture the beauty of food. If you don’t stay true to the basic values and intentions of your passion, the fuel burning the fire of that passion slowly fades. Ultimately, as cliche as it sounds, it is important to stay true to yourself and your vision when creating your own art to keep that passion alive.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
While my full-time job is in finance, I consider myself a 5-9pm food influencer. I spend a number of hours in the week drafting up posts and videos for my food account @eating.with.nicole. I’ve come to love turning clips from a night out to eat into a video that tells a story in the hopes of promoting the restaurant. There’s just something about a cheese pull set to a Tik Tok sound you can’t get out of your head that keeps me going. Along the way, I’ve learned to be mindful of my fundamental goals for my food blogging passion, and that is working with restaurants and small businesses to showcase their beauty and authenticity. It’s easy to get distracted and lost in the world of social media, but whenever you do I recommend thinking back to your core values and what makes your passion, your passion.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If you’re visiting New York in the winter here is my recommendation for the best local, and non-touristy experience: take the ferry over to Governors Island, explore the island and ice-skating rink, then leave the island at sunset to experience the most beautiful views of the skyline and Statue of Liberty I have ever seen. Grab dinner at Loreley Beer Garden or The Skinny to experience food as decadent as the Christmas decor. Finally, check out Sesh Comedy on the Lower East Side for a BYOB comedy show that gives Comedy Cellar some competition.

In my opinion, the best way to experience summer in New York is at the beach or on a rooftop. My most memorable summertime experiences are those at the beach in Coney Island, Brighton, or Rockaway spent watching the sunset then grabbing pizza at L&B Spumoni Gardens. I also recommend setting up a picnic in Central Park or Dumbo, enjoying the sunset and a spritz at Arlo Soho Rooftop, and strolling along the West Side Highway.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
In my opinion, dining at the most beautiful and expensive restaurant is meaningless unless the experience is shared with those you love most. So, I want to thank all my friends and family who take the time to dine with me, position my portable light, and wait five minutes for me to capture every single angle of the food possible, because the experience of eating would be nothing without you. I also want to thank all the restaurants, small businesses, and apps who gave me a chance to create content for you and explore my creativity to help you succeed, because that is truly what I find most rewarding. Finally, shoutout to all my amazing followers and those who find value in my content and countless restaurant spreadsheets, I’m driven to keep creating thanks to you.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eating.with.nicole/

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@eating.with.nicole

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutSocal is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.