Today we’d like to introduce you to Amber Bogardus
Hi Amber, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started my food blog, AToastedCrumb.com in 2020 in the midst of the pandemic. What started as a way to share my recipes with others during lockdown quickly grew into a place where I could combine my passion for cooking, my joy in teaching others, and my desire to connect. I have enjoyed working with some big brands, sharpening my cooking skills, and seeing countless friends of the #ATCFoodieCommunity learn to love cooking just as much as I do over these past 5 years!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
In 2022, during the last trimester of my first pregnancy, I learned that my son was expected to have some pretty serious heart problems after birth. I had to put all of my plans for the blog on hold, in a completely different way than I had already planned for his birth. I ultimately had to shut down for 2 years as we learned that he would need a heart transplant when he was born, live in the hospital with him for many months, make the transition home, and ultimately (miraculously) be told he was slowly improving and we’d be able to delay heart transplant. I was able to navigate this experience in my own way but struggled to contribute to my growing blog, understandably.
In 2024 I relaunched A Toasted Crumb with a renewed sense of purpose and vision, to enjoy what I had built and thrive in this community. I have placed full focus on growing my blog and getting back into all of the things that I love along with my community who stood by my side. It has been challenging, beautiful, restoring, and unpredictable; but so, so much fun!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in creating simple, easy to follow recipes that even a novice cook can pull off. When I started cooking in my early twenties, I had absolutely no experience. I knew I was a self declared “foodie”, I loved to go out to eat, enjoy great food, and try everything – but I didn’t know how to create those things myself. Amidst all of this enthusiasm, I was pretty limited on budget at the time. I had to teach myself how to cook with base level ingredients and learn to make a lot of things from scratch. I learned to love creating sauces, marinades, and spice mixes to improve base level produce and meats. And my love and curiosity grew from there. I started filming recipes that I was working on, put them onto social media in 2020 (in the middle of the pandemic) and started a website late that year. It’s been 5 years, with some significant challenges along the way, but this is still my absolute favorite job yet and the future is bright!
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I give so much credit to my little ATCFoodieCommunity of followers that have been with me since 2020. When I finally made my way back after almost a 2 year hiatus from 2022 to 2024, they were waiting there excited with open arms to accept me right back. I couldn’t do this without the support of the people who enjoy what I work on and put out. The foodie community is truly an incredible one.
I obviously could also never ever, and I mean not one day, do this without my husband. He has been a driving force in my business since day 1, encouraging me to start the blog in the first place. He’s been with me as I’ve learned the ropes, spent the money, and made the mistakes. He’s sat up with me at night when I felt like everything I was doing wasn’t working and always encourages me to pivot, stay positive, and keep learning. I affectionately refer to him as my “Executive Producer”, and man have I really found the best team member for that role!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://atoastedcrumb.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atoastedcrumb/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/atoastedcrumb
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AToastedCrumb
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@atoastedcrumb
Image Credits
Both portfolio images may be credited to Callen Creative Photography.
Food images may be credited to Amber Bogardus, AToastedCrumb.com.
