Meet Maryanne Aguilar | Food Content Creator

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

Hi Maryanne, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?

I knew that I wanted to get into the creative field because I always loved creating things, whether it was making a physical or digital product. Having an idea and making it come to life is such a rewarding feeling for me. I’ve always been the student who studied hard in school and strived to get straight A’s to not only make my parents proud but to make me feel “accomplished.” It felt like I was always trying to make myself proud and I still do that to this day. But in high school, as I was trying to figure out what I wanted to major in college and what career I wanted to pursue, I just knew that I didn’t want to spend my life doing something I was not passionate about.

Despite studying hard, what I enjoyed most in school was creating videos during multimedia class, doing art projects in art class, and designing our school’s yearbook. I was Editor-in-Chief of our yearbook in senior year and I loved it although it got stressful at times. Those were subjects I enjoyed the most, so anything where I can be creative and showcase my work, I loved! I even considered doing a balloon business the last couple of years as I also enjoy creating balloon arches for family parties or special occasions. Regardless, being an entrepreneur and having my own business is something that I’ve been wanting to do.

Although it took me a while to realize what I wanted to pursue with my career, I’m glad I went through everything I did to be on this path. One day I hope to make my Wanderfoodiiee business a full-time career and be my own boss!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

Wanderfoodiiee has been an outlet for me where I can showcase my love of food and different cultures’ food. At the same time, I was able to highlight small and big businesses around San Diego and wherever I traveled to. I honestly did not think about making Wanderfoodiiee my business at first. Who knew that I would be a food content creator? I didn’t think so! I just love all types of food and I started taking pictures of the different foods I would eat at restaurants because I wanted to document them for fun. Either the plating of the dish would be nice or the restaurant had cute aesthetics, whatever it was, I wanted to take pictures of it!

From taking pictures of food, I decided to join Yelp in 2013 to post my reviews and share my pictures, so they didn’t go to waste! I even became a Yelp Elite where I got to meet other foodies like me and I’m happy to be a Yelp Elite this year as well. Then, one day I was looking through my photos on my phone and came across a picture that I took at Disneyland of a rose cake pop from Beauty and the Beast. That serendipitously inspired me to create an Instagram account dedicated to my food pictures. I personally loved seeing people post about their food on Instagram, so why not share my own? And then, Wanderfoodiiee was born in 2017! I had a long list of different potential names, but I love the word “wanderlust” which means “a strong desire to travel,” and I’m a foodie, so I combined the two words to describe me: someone who has a strong desire to travel for food!

Posting my food pictures on Instagram all started as a hobby, and fast forward to 2021, I was invited to enjoy a Glitz and Glam brunch at STK Steakhouse located in downtown San Diego, CA by an agency. I recall that moment when we left the restaurant, my boyfriend was hyping me up saying how I’m a food influencer now because that’s what the hostess at the restaurant referred to me as. That’s when I realized all the possibilities that I can do with my Wanderfoodiiee brand! All these years, I’ve been trying to discover what I’m truly passionate about, but all along what I wanted to do was something I was already doing. My pictures evolved into videos and I started creating a compilation of my videos to document my experience at restaurants and businesses. More opportunities started coming my way and I’m now able to share more of my creation elsewhere such as on the Atmosfy app and Franki app.

This new career path I’m taking on inspired me to get a degree in Multimedia Graphic Design, so I’m now working towards that as well. If anything, this is all just the beginning of my business and I’m excited to see all the new doors that will open up for me as I work hard to grow Wanderfoodiiee.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

Here are some options to help plan an amazing day(s) with the bestie in San Diego, CA!

Morning – places I would take my bestie for brunch:

– Breakfast Republic – Shrimp n grits for breakfast? Yes, please! I love getting that here and their chilaquiles are good as well. Plus they have different options for coffee.

– Snooze, an A.M. Eatery – They have a variety of pancakes, eggs benedict, and drinks, ranging from hot chocolate to mimosas. Definitely a popular breakfast spot, but always worth the wait!

– Tom Ham’s Lighthouse – If it was Sunday, then we would do their Sunday Brunch Buffet! They have a variety of breakfast options, a seafood bar, and a made-to-order pasta and omelet station! Can’t forget about their mimosas to go along with the food. Plus, you get a beautiful view of the San Diego harbor.

Afternoon – Fun activities to do:

– Tiki Town Adventure Golf at Belmont Park – A tiki-themed mini golf spot! The decor is cute and mini golf is always fun when you have great company, then afterward, you can stroll around the park for more fun activities and rides!

– Eco Boat Rentals at the San Diego Bay – Fun pedal boats you can do along the bay! Also, great to do at night as they have the Glow Boats as well.

– Axeventures – A great way to let some stress out is to throw axes! By the end of the session, you’ll be a master at it and you’ll score yourself an arm workout!

Lunch – Time for more food:

– Ketch Grill & Taps – Get some yummy calamari, deep-fried pickles, and fish and chips here along with some raspberry mojito! Great place to hang out with a beautiful view of the harbor.

– Liberty Public Market – There’s a variety of food spots to choose from all in one vicinity! If you’re craving Korean food, Thai food, lobster rolls, pasta, etc, you can get them all here. Mix up your lunch and grab one of everything!

– Royal Mandarin – Can’t go wrong with the classic Chinese food! This place is a staple in family parties, especially growing up. You have to get their salted pepper chicken wings and salted pepper calamari. SO good!

Late Afternoon – More fun things to do:

– Harland Brewing – Try out their unique flavors at this local brewery! My favorite is the Melona Sour. I recommend ordering the flight so you can try out 5 of their 5 oz. beers and IPAs. The Scripps Ranch location has some arcade games to play and it’s dog friendly, which we love!

– Sunset Cliffs – Great place to watch the sunset as the name says! Perfect for strolling around while watching the waves crashing against the cliffs and the sun going down.

– Windandsea Beach – Another great place to watch the sunset and listen to the waves crashing against the rocks!

Dinner – Because food is life:

– Little Sakana – My favorite all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant! Can’t go wrong with their salmon nigiri, UFC Roll, and Ex-BF Roll. There’s a variety of appetizers and rolls to choose from all for one price, or you can go al a carte and order them individually if you’re not feeling too hungry.

– Gen Korean BBQ House – All-you-can-eat Korean BBQ is the best unless, of course, you don’t want to cook your own food. This place feels like you’re at the club while you’re grilling meats because of their upbeat music and atmosphere. Definitely have to try their adult Capri sun soju pouches as well!

– The Grass Skirt – Fun tiki bar where you enter through a freezer! They have live music and different tropical drinks and food to try. Great spot to hang out and end the night after a busy day.

If you’d like more food recommendations around San Diego, check out my foodie page on Instagram!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

I would like to give a shoutout to my parents for supporting me in everything I do and motivating me to pursue what makes me happy. Also, they exposed me to a variety of delicious foods growing up, especially in my Filipino culture. They both have transformed me into a foodie, so I’m thankful for that!

Shoutout to my older sister, Mae, for always believing that I can achieve success in anything I want to do and for giving me those motivational talks to overcome my insecurities. She has been my day one and always will be.

A big shoutout to my boyfriend, JC, who is my number 1 fan and supporter. He encourages me to follow my dreams and has been so supportive in anything I set my mind to. He’s also the best foodie partner because he’s a foodie himself and he’s always ready to help me when it comes to filming our food adventures. I’m very lucky to have him by my side.

Denise, my best friend, for hyping me up all the time and being a proud BFF especially when I first became a Yelp Elite.

Kristel, who’s been another sister to me, thank you for sharing your expertise and recommending all the best places to try. I’m so fortunate to have a chef and foodie sister to help offer advice and support when I need it.

Lizette, my foodie fam aka @foodventurewithliz, thank you for being supportive in my foodie journey and being down to try out different places. I love having a friend who enjoys and appreciates food as much as I do!

Mahal ko kayong lahat (I love you all in Tagalog)!

And of course, thank you to the restaurants and businesses, big and small, for making delicious foods and loving us foodies. I appreciate all of your passions, stories, and hard work to make your dishes come to life!

Instagram: www.instagram.com/wanderfoodiiee

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wanderfoodiiee

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=X7K7OjUUi_ulMtfIOCCM2w&utm_source=ishare

Other: https://beacons.ai/wanderfoodiiee

Image Credits
All food images taken by Maryanne Aguilar (@wanderfoodiiee) Profile pictures taken by Mae Aguilar