Take a Bite Out of Boca 2024: Food, Wine, Wellness, Fashion, Fitness And Beauty!
In the ever-evolving landscape of food, lifestyle, and social media, few voices resonate as authentically and influential as Shaina Wizov. As the creative force behind Take A Bite Out of Boca & Beyond, Shaina has curated a digital haven where locals and travelers alike converge to explore the finest offerings in food, drink, wellness, fashion, beauty, and travel. With a decade of dedication to showcasing the essence of South Florida's vibrant culture, Take A Bite out of Boca stands as a testament to Shaina's passion for storytelling and her unwavering commitment to providing her audience with genuine, insightful content. I had the privilege of sitting down with Shaina to delve into her journey as a food/lifestyle blogger, social media influencer, and freelance writer. As we delved into her beginnings, she shared how Take A Bite out of Boca emerged as not just a platform, but a community—a place where her love for local treasures and global adventures seamlessly intertwine. In Delivery Rank’s exclusive interview, we delve into Shaina's journey, exploring the inspirations behind her culinary escapades, her creative process, and the secrets to her success.
What inspired you to start Take A Bite Out of Boca & Beyond, and how has your blog evolved over the past decade?
When I moved to Florida in 2011, it just sort of came naturally as something to do for fun and to keep up my writing. I have my degree in Journalism and Media Studies from Rutgers University, so I have always used writing as an outlet. In high school and college, I focused a lot on TV production, both in front of and behind the camera. When I graduated college, social media was starting to really pick up so I was lucky to be able to catch on to it in the beginning. My background pretty much has all the necessary components for becoming a blogger/influencer.
I moved here without much of a plan, other than I knew I wanted to get out of New Jersey and start something new. My mother’s family lives in Boca Raton, and I had been visiting the area since I was very little, so that is what inspired my move to Boca. I moved in with my Bubby (grandmother) and lived with her before finding my own place. She has a lot to do with why I decided to focus on food and restaurants. Ever since I was a little girl, my fondest memories of coming to visit Bubby are of her amazing cooking and all of the great restaurants she has taken me to. I had one rule: I never wanted to go to chain restaurants or anywhere that I could go back home. My love of supporting locally owned places started early!
When I lived with her, we were either cooking dinners together at home or going out to eat. I would share recipes coupled with stories about my family and experiences in South Florida, and reviews about the places she took me. That was just the beginning…
Then, I began to go places on my own or with friends, and would review those as well. Eventually my name and blog were becoming more recognizable and I started to get invited to restaurants and food events in the area, so I would cover those on the blog and my social media as well.
Over time — especially over the last decade — Take A Bite Out of Boca took a shift from solely being about food and restaurants and evolved into more of a lifestyle brand, mainly focused on local South Florida businesses, but I do work with national brands and businesses too when it makes sense. At one point, I decided to rebrand as Take A Bite Out of Boca & Beyond so I could comfortably include coverage in other cities that I travel to, and expand into non-food related categories such as wellness and fashion. In May 2023, I expanded the brand even further and started a podcast, Take A Bite Out of South Florida, that highlights different chefs, restaurants and food-related events in South Florida. The podcast is available on all major platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and the videos can also be found on my YouTube channel, Take A Bite Out of South Florida.
How do you maintain authenticity and credibility in your content while integrating sponsored posts or partnerships with brands?
This is incredibly important to me. I have actually been told by some brands and publicists that they prefer working with me or chose to reach out to me because of how authentic they feel my content is. I just like to keep things real. I talk to the camera the way I speak in conversation; I never want to sound too fake or “salesy.” I think a lot of that stems from the fact that I have had a lot of on-camera training and experience, so I am really comfortable in that position.
When it comes to working with brands, if the partnership doesn’t feel right, I won’t pursue it. Some brands just aren’t the right fit, and I will never force content just for the sake of compensation or exposure. I also make sure there is a healthy mix of sponsored vs. non-sponsored content. I like to showcase my real life…friends, family, travels, random things… Posting a ton of sponsored content one after the other after the other starts to feel too contrived, and that just isn’t my vibe.
South Florida is known for its vibrant culinary scene. How do you stay ahead of trends and ensure your content reflects the latest and greatest offerings in the area?
I’m blessed to have a lot of friends and connections in the industry — chefs, restaurateurs, publicists, marketing managers, mixologists, other creators/influencers, etc. — and that helps me stay up to date with things going on. But it can still be hard to keep up! The culinary scene in South Florida is forever evolving. Restaurants come and go. Chefs move around all the time. There’s always some kind of food and wine festival or event at all times throughout the year… It can be exhausting, but I love being involved and I do my best to stay on top of it as much as I can. I am definitely more involved and aware of things going on in Palm Beach County, especially Boca Raton and Delray Beach, than anywhere else in South Florida.
Can you share some insights into the process of creating engaging and visually appealing content for your blog and social media platforms?
I shoot all of my content with my iPhone. I edit videos in CapCut and photos with very basic tools in Lightroom and FaceTune. Nothing fancy at all. I like to keep things simple and allow the subject of the post to shine, whether that be food, drinks, a restaurant, an experience, a product or whatever else I’m posting about.
When there is a specific concept for a post, I’ll outline a basic script or a storyboard to get my ideas down on paper and ensure I stay on track, but for the most part — especially with video — I am much better at speaking on the fly, without following a script. I’ll follow some of the viral social media trends occasionally, if they align with my brand and it feels organic.
Blog posts are a little more strategic in that there is a lot of SEO that needs to go on in the background. Keyword research, certain writing techniques, and other behind-the-scenes website things that I have a web management & design team that handles when need be. Keeping my website and blog up to date and in good standing is really important for my business. It’s critical to remember that as a blogger, I own my domain…I do not own my social media accounts. What if Instagram or Facebook shut down and I lost all of those posts? My website would still be there.
With ten years of experience in the industry, what advice do you have for aspiring food and lifestyle bloggers looking to establish their own presence and build a loyal audience?
Don’t compare yourself to other bloggers, influencers and creators. Everyone has their own style of content, skill and comfort level. It’s very easy to go down a rabbit hole watching other creators’ Reels and TikToks, reading other blogs and following the non-stop roller coaster of social media trends, and feel as though you have to do all of the same thing to be successful. Sure, you can absolutely use it as inspiration but stay true to yourself and your brand. Do what you do best. It might take a while to find what exactly that is, and you might fail at things along the way, but trust the process.
If you would like to find out more about Take a Bite Out of Boca, visit https://takeabiteoutofboca.com/
