Show notes
Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Cathy Yoder. As a busy mom of 8 kids, Cathy Yoder needed a way to put food on the table fast ... several times a day. This reluctant cook learned how to use an air fryer to make real food, real fast. Today, she's widely regarded as “The Air Fryer Queen” with over 741,000 YouTube subscribers, 6 million video views, and 35,000 cookbooks sold, having turned her aversion to cooking into a thriving online empire inspiring home cooks everywhere to use this versatile appliance for quick, healthy and more cost effective meals. Ironically, Cathy's reluctance to cook was an essential ingredient for building her business, which helps people just like her feel more confident in the kitchen. She has shown millions that air fryers can do much more than reheat leftovers! to prove that air fryers could do more than reheat frozen foods and leftovers. So, she documented the journey on YouTube. Now, just a couple of years later, her channel draws thousands of daily visitors, attracts sponsors, and nets significant affiliate revenue. More importantly, she empowers people to dust off their air fryers and start using them to make simple, delicious meals in minutes. In her own words: True Story. I don't like to cook. But as a busy mom of 8 kids, I needed a way to put food on the table fast--several times a day. I tried meal prep, delivery services, eating out (not good), and more. Nothing worked. Meal prep required too much time in the kitchen. And the other options were too pricey for my deal-seeking nature. That's when I started experimenting with an air fryer. (I may not like cooking, but I enjoy learning new technology.) Soon, I discovered I could make simple, delicious, and mostly nutritious meals in minutes. When my kids ate those first dinners without complaining, I had an "aha moment" that dramatically changed how I cook and the trajectory of my business. In 2020, with a house full of family members STILL needing to eat, I used my phone to record videos of the food I cooked in the air fryer. The kids tried and rated each recipe. Some even pitched in to help chop, mix, and measure. I posted the videos and recipes on YouTube, and here we are. I now have a family full of air fryer enthusiasts. The recipe portion of Fabulessly Frugal (my original business) has grown so much that we are spinning the cooking content into a site called Empowered Cooks. Pine & Pepper is a physical product line of cooking accessories launched earlier this year. Ironically, my reluctance to cook was an essential ingredient for building this thriving culinary business that helps people (like me) feel more confident in the kitchen. #STRAW #BEST #SHMSSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.