Today we’d like to introduce you to Marwin Brown.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I grew up with my grandparents who were both great cooks, particularly my grandfather. He made these incredible recipes from scratch but never wrote anything down. Over time, as a result of his influence, I became obsessed about food and flavor. One of my early jobs was working for Kraft Foods in the Chicago area. During that time I learned a lot about food manufacturing, food science, food photography, and recipe development. I had similar experience working for Quaker Foods and eventually left to do my own thing developing food content for other brands, recipe development for corporate digital content, and promotional culinary appearances/demonstrations.
Later I competed in a local Chicago Top Chef competition and won. This increased my profile and basically gave me more confidence and focus to make a go at a life in food.
As things were heating up on the food side I was balancing family life. Thinking back on my childhood and trying to envision the type of father I wanted to be I began reminiscing about my grandfather. This led to me trying to recreate his recipes based on memory as I wanted to document everything as save as an heirloom for my family and descendants. Eventually, this endeavor became a food blog, a catering business, and a food ministry to change people’s lives through food, as well as their perceptions about what constitutes soul food.
Has it been a smooth road?
Honestly, I’ve been so locked in, I never really thought about things in the context of “hard work” or struggles. It’s just been about the pursuit of my passion, so I’ve always been solution-oriented and focused on moving things forward. My challenges all center around the things that take me away from cooking and creating like social media (I’m horrible at it), technical glitches for the website, email, etc.
I’ve been very fortunate to have a strong network to lean on for guidance.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
Food Fidelity is an umbrella brand/name for all the different food-related ventures I’m involved in. It’s everything from the food and music blog I manage to catering events, speaking engagements, recipe development, cookbooks, meal planning, and at some point a restaurant or two.
The food blog is the foundational platform. At the core, it’s about providing solutions for foodies who are busy adulting. The recipes and ideas are mostly fast and fresh recipes grounded in foods across the African Diaspora. There is an emphasis on modern techniques, global flavors, and health trends.
I’m most proud of the fact that I’ve been able to develop a loyal following by delivering content and services of benefit.
Food Fidelity is different in that it blends food and music. The idea is that there is a song that is an ingredient in every recipe. Music sets your mood and gives you energy that you transfer into the dish when you’re cooking it. The recipes themselves are unique because though they are grounded in tradition and culture, they don’t always follow convention, It’s just about the authentic pursuit of optimizing a dish for flavor and making it weeknight proof for busy home cooks. You won’t find gimmicks, but you will find unique flavor combinations, kitchen hacks, and modern interpretations of comfort foods.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Dallas historically hasn’t been known for cultural diversity. However, in more recent years, we’ve seen things start to change as we’ve worked to be competitive with other major cities to attract more businesses. This has brought in many more non-native Dallasites. This has been great for neighborhoods like Deep Ellum and Bishop Arts, that have always been hidden gems but are now getting their full due. Food culture tells you a lot about a city and where things are headed. We’re starting to see more ethnic food offerings as the appetite for food beyond your usual Tex-Mex, BBQ, and steak grows.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.foodfidelity.com
- Email: marwin@foodfidelity.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/foodfidelity
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/foodfidelity
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/foodfidelity
Image Credit:
Marwin Brown
Benee Brown
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