Meet Ryan Tonthat | Content Creator, Social Media Manager and HS Teacher

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

Hi Ryan, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I literally started the social media page to store photos of my foodventures with my first dog, Max. We would go to different local businesses a few times a week to hang out and try new dishes. My dog loves the camera. Often times I would take the photo of the food with him. It slowly grew into the page that we have today and the name FoodandPooch was born. During the pandemic, taking food photos, making homemade meals, and walking at the park with my dogs (now 2) have been an escape from the chaos and stress that I am sure everyone experienced. I guess you can say my social media journey was purely coincidental. I never have thought I would be invited to record the food making process in some popular restaurants, to attend preview at theme parks, or to be a social media manager of some of LA’s popular hotspots. I am grateful for everything and everyone that I have encountered throughout my journey and cannot wait for what is to come.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am currently a HS Math teacher. I started the career 15 years ago and I love what I do. If you were to ask me why I love teaching, it is the improvement in my students that motivate me each and everyday during the school year. It is not always the big medals and trophies that students receive at the end of the year. but the day-to-day moment when I am able to untangle the confusion that students have from doing homework the night before or to help them get through a difficult problem during in-class practice. It is not easy to balance my full time teaching career and handle my social media pages. I admit some days I don’t get as much sleep as I’d like to. I wake up early on weekdays to create batch contents for the following week. But the most important thing is, I feel fulfilled. I am able to balance my critical and analytical side from teaching while satisfying my creativity side from taking photos and making food videos. I love what I do, and that is why I will continue to do what I love.

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.
I get asked this question a lot. Almost every time someone finds out I am a food content creator, the first thing they ask is where my favorite spots are. I always struggle to answer that question. Maybe you can help me out (hehe!). It is not always the food, Yes, the food has to be delicious. But that is only 50% of the problem. It also depends on when we’re going, what our cravings are. Are we taking our dogs? Then we need to find a dog friendly spot for brunch. Are we craving Mexican food during happy hours? Definitely check out Descanso in Costa Mesa. Are we doing take-outs during the week? Perhaps Roll Call in Koreatown LA or Mighty Bowl in Santa Ana. And if you’re a fan of Korean food like me, then we would definitely hit up Hanshin Pocha in Rowland Heights for the Spicy & Cheesy Pork Barbecue.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to give a quick shoutout to ABC Eyewitness Program. My first shoutout was from their Instagram page and it has helped jump start my social media journey on that platform.

Instagram: instagram.com/foodandpooch

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=GE2k2CmsKOAdN4kpf0OoiA

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@foodandpooch

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@foodandpooch