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Meet Foodie and Former D1 College Athlete: Joy Caracciolo
- Joy's backstory: She is a local food influencer who lives in Durham.
- Joy began supporting local restaurants during COVID by getting takeout and blogging about the food, then sharing her content on social media.
- She is also a former NCAA women's basketball player for Boston College and the University of Delaware.
- Currently, she works in public relations for a global tech company.
- She has a son named Julius.
- Interview with Joy:
- Find out how Joy got her start in the social media food world.
- She discusses her initiative to support local and minority-owned businesses during the pandemic.
- She talks about the growth and expansion of her social media presence.
- Joy also discusses how she gained followers on Instagram vs. TikTok.
- She addresses the threshold for when one becomes an “influencer.”
- She explains the influence of hashtags and how they help influencers get noticed on social media platforms.
- Joy discusses her approach to posting genuine and authentic content on social media platforms.
- Joy talks about her college sports experience and offers advice to parents of potential college athletes.
Creators & Guests
Host
Host
What is Talk of the Triangle?
"Talk of the Triangle" introduces you to the people, places and events worth talking about. We are talking directly to you—our region's educated and successful residents and professionals—about what makes the Triangle one of the country's most exciting and enticing places to live—about what makes the people who work and live here tick. These are the stories we tell.
Hosts Adam Cave and Melissa Wistehuff will discuss the stories you have loved, and introduce you to the stories we have yet to tell. We can’t wait for you to come on this adventure with us!
[00:00:00]
[00:00:04] Melissa: Hey, guys. All right. So I just went to a ball game over the weekend.
[00:00:08] Adam: just went to the
[00:00:09] Melissa: Durham Bulls.
[00:00:10] Adam: Bulls, my favorite.
[00:00:11] Melissa: They've got great food at the Durham Bulls
[00:00:15] Adam: They've got
[00:00:15] Melissa: Stadium. so
[00:00:17] Adam: great
[00:00:18] food at the food at the stadium? Because I know when I get there, I'm tempted by everything, but I want to go watch the game. And then when I'm watching the game, I don't want to get up and go get more food. And it's, it's like a constant source of tension.
[00:00:31] Melissa: tension. Well, I am mostly there for the food.
[00:00:35] Adam: watching the
[00:00:36] Melissa: game is just a sidebar. So. I say, I don't want to sit there watching the game without snacking on something.
[00:00:44] Adam: Okay. So I, I'm gonna remember, I'm gonna remember that you said the game was a sidebar when we talking to our guests
[00:00:50] Melissa: Oh, yes.
[00:00:51] Adam: take issue with that, but well,
[00:00:53] we
[00:00:53] Melissa: also are talking to her about food, so I think she will also appreciate that I put my food first. But at if I'm at, you know, Durham Bowl's just a little bit different because there's so much food there. But if I'm at like a regular, smaller stadium or sporting event, I'm, I'd probably go for either the pretzel or the nachos and cheese.
[00:01:15] Adam: the pretzel or where the Hurricanes play PNC, but it wasn't a Hurricanes game. It was it was a concert
[00:01:23] Melissa: it
[00:01:23] Adam: but somehow they'd gotten some sort of VIP package or something.
[00:01:27] So we ended up in part of that. And, and, and my friend picked up the first round of drinks. Which was great. Thanks. You know, and we all had a
[00:01:34] Melissa: you a good time.
[00:01:35] Adam: Yeah. And then and then I said, I'll get the second round. I won't be doing that again. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[00:01:42] Melissa: Very expensive alcohol.
[00:01:46] And these places really have upped their game. I mean, I, I was, I was at P N C for a state basketball game last season and Buena Papa Fry Bar. Yeah. Is now there. Oh,
[00:01:57] O m G, Adam O m I mean, it's like I was in French fry
[00:02:03] Adam: I was in French Fry Heaven. Okay.
[00:02:04] Melissa: Slap your mama
[00:02:05] Adam: Okay, good. Alright, we'll go with that.
[00:02:08] Melissa: Okay. So today we are talking about food and
[00:02:11] Adam: Nice.
[00:02:12] Melissa: I have a question for you first.
[00:02:14] Adam: Okay.
[00:02:15] Melissa: How much does an influencer weigh?
[00:02:19] Adam: Is this like a, is this like a, a bad dad joke? How much does an influencer weigh?
[00:02:24] Melissa: And Instagram.
[00:02:28] Adam: I really didn't see that coming. And I should
[00:02:31] Melissa: , so today we have the honor of chatting with someone who is not only in one story in our September October issues of Midtown 5 West and Triangle Family Magazines. She is featured in two stories about two totally different subjects. That's how cool she is. She is a popular local food influencer from Durham who got started in the social media game during COVID as a way to support local restaurants and businesses.
[00:02:55] Before her social media career took off, she played NCAA women's basketball for Boston College and the University of Delaware. And since our issue of Triangle Family is about youth sports, we had to get her advice for young athletes who are hoping to play in college. I've got one of those. She's mom to Julian.
[00:03:14] And as if her influencer gig doesn't keep her busy enough, she's got a day job in public relations with a , global, .
[00:03:21] Tech company. I met Joy at a few different events around town and she's always so friendly and always has a smile on her face. So when I pitched a story on local influencers, I knew I wanted her to take part in part in it today.
[00:03:34] She is here to influence us. We could use some positive influence in our lives, Adam. So welcome Joy of Joy Eats World.
[00:03:42] Joy: Thank you so much for having us.
[00:04:11] Adam: Thank you here. Absolutely.
[00:04:13] Melissa: start out by having you tell us how and why you branched out into the social media foodie world.
[00:04:20] Joy: Yeah, definitely. So, as you mentioned, it started during the pandemic. I noticed that there were a lot of businesses reaching out on Facebook, Instagram, just letting people know that they are having a hard time keeping their doors open. Because, I mean, at the start of the pandemic, everyone was afraid.
[00:04:35] We didn't know much. We didn't know if it was even safe to get food for takeout. So they were really encouraging people to just come pick up food, maybe buy some gift cards, because nobody knew how long the pandemic would end up lasting. So I was like, I'm gonna, you know, I have nothing else to do.
[00:04:49] Let's just go try new places with me and Julius. We, we set out,
[00:04:54] Melissa: is it Julius or Julian?
[00:04:55] Joy: It's Julius.
[00:04:56] Melissa: I'm sorry about that.
[00:04:57] Joy: No worries. I'll have
[00:04:58] Melissa: I'll have to say that part over again, Joe
[00:05:00] Joy: to say that all the time.
[00:05:03] It's okay. But yeah, we, we set out to maybe two or three times a week go to shop at a local, usually minority owned business. And then I would post it on my personal page and I started to notice that all I was posting was food.
[00:05:16] So I was like, maybe I should branch out and make a separate page because I'm sure all of my followers. Don't want to see food all day, especially if they were like me and weren't trying to gain the pandemic 20 or whatever. They were calling it.
[00:05:28] Melissa: Yep.
[00:05:29] Joy: So I made a page. I had no idea that the foodie community here was so big.
[00:05:34] I just started posting pictures and using like hashtag Raleigh foodie hashtag and see foodie.
[00:05:41] Out of nowhere, out of the woodwork, I started, you know, following other foodies that were engaging with my posts and had reached out It's great to meet you, love your content, and I had no idea that it would expand into what it was, what it is now.
[00:05:54] Adam: So, so what is it today? Do you have a, do you, is there a number or account you kind of keep what's today's number?
[00:06:00] Joy: Today's number on Instagram is 31. 4 thousand followers. On TikTok, it is
[00:06:09] 34. 5 thousand followers. Oddly enough, I, I blew up on TikTok first.
[00:06:14] Adam: Wow.
[00:06:15] Melissa: Oh, TikTok was first?
[00:06:17] Joy: No, so Instagram was first and I caved and made a TikTok because I was like, maybe like I'll just try it. People kept sending me TikToks. People kept sending me links, and I was like, I should just get the app.
[00:06:29] At this point
[00:06:29] Adam: I'll just try
[00:06:30] Joy: this is embarrassing. So I tried my hand with TikTok, and for whatever reason, all it takes is like a couple viral videos on TikTok, and the follower count goes through the roof.
[00:06:40] Melissa: Oh,
[00:06:41] Joy: So that shot up
[00:06:42] Melissa: found like it was kind of easier to gain followers through TikTok than with, with Instagram.
[00:06:49] Joy: Definitely.
[00:06:50] Adam: Interesting. At what point in this journey did you sort of define yourself as an influencer? Cause I know I've thought of some of my social media wow, I've got 200 followers for something or something, you know, those are the kinds of numbers I get excited about, but those are a long way from being an influencer number.
[00:07:09] Is there sort of a, like a threshold?
[00:07:12] Joy: I was actually in denial for a very long time. My friends and co workers were like the first people to follow me because obviously they were just like, well, we'll support anything you do. And next thing you know, I think after 2000 followers, they're like, you're a full blown influencer.
[00:07:26] And I was like, Oh no, I'm not like, this is just for fun. This is just a hobby. I'm not an influencer. I think it was when I started getting added to like media lists and invitations to like. restaurant openings or collaborations where I was like, oh my gosh I might actually be an influencer. And that's, I mean, it doesn't take that many followers.
[00:07:44] There's, there are people that have 1, 500 to 3, 000, 5 5, 000 followers that get, get added to those lists. So it's
[00:07:52] Melissa: So how did the, how did those lists find you? Like how, how do these come? Do they just go with the, the hashtags that you use and then look at your account? How do you think that they know who to reach out
[00:08:04] Joy: Yeah, that is actually a brilliant question. But I don't know the answer to.
[00:08:08] Melissa: it's not the first time I've heard that.
[00:08:09] Adam: I know I should say it more. I should say it more. you're making me look bad. Joy.
[00:08:16] Joy: No, really, I have no idea how these people found me. I think it's through the hashtags. That's what I would assume
[00:08:21] Melissa: That's what I'm
[00:08:22] Joy: Searching the hashtags. But. Also, you can, you can play a game where you follow some of these agencies and engage with their content and reach out. I don't because my day job, I pitch enough in my regular day jobs, so I do not pitch myself on social, for social media, but I do know a lot of people who do that.
[00:08:40] Melissa: Well, and I, I think that's why I find your page just more organic. for lack of a better word. You don't seem to put on. You, you just show up, you take really good pictures you make really good videos and everything is high quality, but you don't seem fake, I guess, for a lack of a better word.
[00:09:02] And it's hard in the social media game because you don't know who is, who's a real, real soul out there. So to me you just seem like you're just a A real girl out there who likes food and you...
[00:09:17] Joy: exactly. It's a delicate balance and I do get that question a lot because people are like, how do you like everything? And I'm like, I don't like everything. I only post the stuff that I genuinely like.
[00:09:25] So that it's
[00:09:26] Melissa: do go to events sometimes and you don't love it so you just don't say anything? Correct. If you don't have anything nice to say, you don't say anything at
[00:09:33] Joy: Exactly. Or if it's like an event that they really put their all into, I can showcase the event and the items that I did because it's not, sometimes it's not all or nothing, right? There, there are some dishes that were good.
[00:09:44] There are some dishes that I would not suggest.
[00:09:47] Melissa: Or maybe you like the cocktails, but you don't love the food so you can focus on that instead, okay.
[00:09:52] Joy: But there are some places that I've been to in the past and they'll reach out and invite me and I will have to have an honest conversation with them. Again. I didn't really love the experience that
[00:10:01] Melissa: I'm like, the experience.
[00:10:02] Oh, so you do have to be honest sometimes with the, restauranteurs
[00:10:08] Joy: I just, I don't want to waste anybody's time. I don't want to come out there and, consume free food when I know that
[00:10:14] Melissa: Yeah. If, if you don't like it, you don't care if it's free or not
[00:10:17] Joy: Right, exactly. And and that goes for well, there's not that many foods that I don't just like I'm not a picky eater. But there, I know, I do know there are some content creators that will go to places and be like, I don't even, I don't like spicy food.
[00:10:29] So, but I can't really try this, but I will take pictures of it. And I'm like, well, how can you tell people that it's good if you
[00:10:35] Adam: take
[00:10:36] Joy: don't really try it?
[00:10:37] Adam: I'm like, well, how can you tell people that it's good you like, don't really try it?
[00:10:47] Yeah, I get a mix of both. There
[00:10:52] Joy: I get a mix of both. There are, and usually it's only the ones that have a lot of views and a lot of likes. The ones that are more popular tend to get the most comments of people, I guess, putting in their own review. Basically, using my video as their own review.
[00:11:08] Melissa: and it's ying and yang, too, because the more comments, the more people see
[00:11:12] Joy: Right.
[00:11:13] Melissa: Anyway, so, you know, it's not necessarily that they're commenting because it's popular.
[00:11:18] It's probably popular because people are commenting.
[00:11:21] Joy: Yeah.
[00:11:22] Adam: Yeah,
[00:11:22] well, I'm just, I'm thinking it through and, you know, just using the term influencer, right? You assume that people are actually paying attention to what you're saying and then going and trying it for themselves, not just looking at your posts and saying, oh, that's a great picture or that's a great video.
[00:11:37] There's, if they take the next step, you truly are influencing versus just providing cool
[00:11:43] Joy: next step, you truly are influencing them, versus just providing
[00:11:56] Adam: a little bit of research to make sure
[00:11:58] Melissa: They're knocking down the door. Yeah. Yeah.
[00:12:00] Joy: People will be in my comments. Like I went for lunch and they were closed. Well, you should have looked at their hours.
[00:12:04] I was
[00:12:04] Melissa: they were gonna be open. Yeah.
[00:12:06] Joy: like, didn't say that they were open all the time.
[00:12:07] Melissa: Just happened to be open when I was there, .
[00:12:09] Joy: Right.
[00:12:10] Adam: At midnight on a Tuesday,
[00:12:12] Melissa: Yeah, because even though we're, we're through the pandemic restaurants are still suffering in some ways because of lack of staffing. And so their hours are different than they used to be.
[00:12:24] Joy: there are a lot of places that are open from thursday through sunday.
[00:12:27] Melissa: Yes,
[00:12:28] Adam: Yeah, I've seen so much more of that. Even restaurants that I thought, God, that place is so successful, you know, that, why on earth? And sure enough, you know, they're taking multiple weekdays
[00:12:38] Melissa: I talked to a restaurant recently, a GM at a restaurant, and he said they think we're on an upswing of getting better at that. I don't know if you have found that that is the case or talk to anybody about that.
[00:12:52] Joy: From the business owners that I've talked to and it's usually like small business owners or like food truck owners It's still like really hard for them to to get good help to get reliable help the sentiment I've heard is that they're like a lot of college students just don't work anymore I'm like, Interesting.
[00:13:07] Adam: How are they pulling that off?
[00:13:11] Joy: weird. Yeah, they were like, we used to be able to hire teenagers and a lot of local college students because there's so many colleges in this area. And they were like, we just don't get that anymore. It's begging
[00:13:21] Adam: I'm wondering if some of that's related to the fact that wages in other areas have really increased pretty dramatically. I mean, I'm always kind of like, wow, you can get, you know, 15 an hour now for working in jobs that, you know, only a few years ago were eight or 9 an hour. And I'm just
[00:13:37] Melissa: Yeah, the normal Target and grocery stores or something, but whereas restaurants, they still work on mostly tips, right?
[00:13:44] Joy: Yeah. I'm sure Chick-fil-A doesn't have a problem hiring people 'cause their, their wages. I've seen their benefits and wages and I'm like, that's crazy.
[00:13:51] Adam: Yeah. Right.
[00:13:52] Joy: as a teenager I didn't find anything like that.
[00:13:54] It was like minimum
[00:13:54] wage
[00:13:55] Melissa: no, Yeah,
[00:13:56] My first job was 5 an hour. And and I thought that was really good. And my, I've, I've got a, one of my son's friends is, is 15, he's working at Chick fil A. And I was blown away when he told me how much he's making. I mean, well, but they are, to their credit, always very polite. They always say my pleasure and things like that.
[00:14:18] So it's worth it.
[00:14:19] Adam: Yep.
[00:14:21] So, let's let's swing back pre pandemic, pre job. Let's talk about your college basketball career a little bit. So, obviously you grew up playing ball.
[00:14:33] Are you from this area originally?
[00:14:35] Joy: No, I'm actually from Northern Virginia. The city, the city that no one ever recognizes it Bristow, Virginia, but I went to high school in Manassas, Virginia. So I always just say Northern Virginia just to keep it easier.
[00:14:48] Melissa: just to
[00:14:48] Adam: Where the traffic is just up there where the
[00:14:50] Joy: my God.
[00:14:51] Adam: Okay. Gotcha. So, but you ended up at Boston college. Was that on scholarship or was that a school you just really wanted to go to? okay.
[00:14:58] Joy: Yeah, it was definitely on scholarship. My, I came from a whole basketball family, so both of my parents played basketball at Howard university.
[00:15:05] I have an older sister that played at Virginia state university. And then there was me, the final, the final basketball player. So yeah, I, I had a lot of offers coming out of high school.
[00:15:17] I stood out, I was like all met all Virginia, all, all types of you know, accolades. So there were a lot of options and I was. I was set on going far away. Getting out of
[00:15:28] Adam: yeah,
[00:15:29] Melissa: to spread your wings.
[00:15:30] Joy: Absolutely. I didn't want to be, like, college is like Georgetown. I didn't want to be in D. C. My mom is from D.
[00:15:35] C., so I have lots of family there. I was like, I don't want to be anywhere near anybody. So I was like, I think my top two were Boston College, Cincinnati. Virginia Tech was on the list, but I wasn't really that interested in them. And I ended up going to Boston College because I really liked the coach.
[00:15:53] And I mean I really liked the visit. I had an official visit. I liked it at the time.
[00:15:57] Adam: Yeah.
[00:15:57] Melissa: What year was this? When are we talking? I don't want to age you or anything, but when are you, when are we talking?
[00:16:02] Joy: this was
[00:16:02] 2011 to 2012.
[00:16:03] Melissa: was 2011 to 2012. Okay, so it was pretty recently. Okay. Yeah,
[00:16:06] Well,
[00:16:06] I
[00:16:07] Adam: Yeah,
[00:16:08] Melissa: from my perspective as well. That was, you were a baby. Yeah,
[00:16:11] Adam: were faking
[00:16:12] Joy: Yeah, I guess you could say it was, was recently, but I was only there for one year. My coach had gotten really sick. She had a brain aneurysm, the head coach. So she resigned, and she actually ended up being assistant coach at UNC with Sylvia Hatchell?
[00:16:26] Melissa: Okay.
[00:16:27] Joy: But that was like later down the line.
[00:16:29] So she resigned, we got a new coach.
[00:16:32] Did not, a lot of us were just like, no, like he was giving drill sergeant vibes. I was also homesick. The girl that
[00:16:40] Melissa: Oh, yeah,
[00:16:41] Joy: that didn't want to stay
[00:16:42] Melissa: always the one that wants to go far away that ends up coming
[00:16:46] Adam: you got to try it to know, right? Yeah,
[00:16:48] Melissa: definitely. At least you tried it.
[00:16:50] Joy: Yeah super cold in Boston.
[00:16:52] Melissa: Yeah, see that's a deal breaker for me. It
[00:16:54] Adam: Yeah.
[00:16:55] Joy: and basketball season is just very long in college. You like start in October and don't finish, well if you're good, don't finish until around April.
[00:17:02] Melissa: Yeah, for Marked Madness, yeah.
[00:17:04] Adam: Yeah.
[00:17:05] Joy: So yeah, there's a whole like winter session where all of the other students get to go home and be with friends and family and not us.
[00:17:12] We're like, we're just in the gym
[00:17:14] Melissa: the holidays. You're, you're in the ball, in the, in the gym.
[00:17:17] Joy: Yeah, we get about two days for Christmas to go home and then they're like, come on back. You're in the middle of like your season.
[00:17:23] Adam: yeah. So
[00:17:24] Joy: you don't have that many days. So I ended up transferring to the University of Delaware and this was actually a good year for me to transfer there because this was like Elena Deladon's senior year.
[00:17:35] So I had to sit out. Once you, when you transfer, I don't know if the rules are the same now. There's, there's a lot that has changed since I,
[00:17:41] Melissa: So, I had to if the year have changed a lot, and I, I haven't been able to keep up with it all. But yeah, you're right. You used to, if you would transfer school, you'd have to sit out the next
[00:17:52] Joy: D1 to
[00:17:53] Melissa: yeah, as a transfer student.
[00:17:55] Joy: So
[00:17:55] I had to sit out a year, which you still practice. You just can't play. So I had the lovely pleasure of guarding Elena Deladon in
[00:18:03] Melissa: which was
[00:18:04] Adam: Wow. Which was
[00:18:04] Joy: was...
[00:18:06] I mean, she, no one can guard her to this day. No one can guard. She's in the WNBA, like still no one can guard her. So that was a failed mission every day.
[00:18:16] But yeah, we ended up going to the sweet 16 that year. It was a really exciting year. So I spent the rest of my years at university of Delaware and because I was, because I sat out that year when I transferred, you get a fifth year, but I did not take my fifth year.
[00:18:31] Melissa: but I did not take I could have stayed an extra year,
[00:18:33] Joy: I could have stayed an extra year, but my body was just tired. We were
[00:18:38] Melissa: I was able to graduate on time and I
[00:18:40] Joy: So I was able to graduate on time, and I was like, And that is when I came to North Carolina. My parents moved to North Carolina while I was in college. And they actually ended up splitting up my senior year of college.
[00:18:51] So, I came down here and stayed with my mom. I was like, well, you have a house. It's just you.
[00:18:57] Adam: That's so funny, because my parents moved to North Carolina, much along, much further back than your parents, but my parents moved to North Carolina during my freshman year in college.
[00:19:08] And so, I had not grown up here, I didn't have any friends here, but I started coming back here for summers during college, and just, you know, that's the reason I ended up here, pretty much, you know. Just, so very random, so, very cool. .
[00:20:04] Melissa: We're here with our editor, Beth Shug, and we want to share with you guys what our Midtown 5 West, Triangle Family, , September October issues are all about.
[00:20:15] Beth: Hey, guys, I am calling in because I'm literally pushing buttons to upload pages for the September, October final pages . Just looking at the great content we have in all three of our magazines getting ready to come out probably right before Labor Day weekend and after.
[00:20:33] So just start looking for it around that time. We have some great content in each magazine. Some of it is unique. Some of it we have in both or all three issues. And the main story for Midtown and 5 West is our Triangle Trendsetters featuring Joy, who you just. She's one of our six influencers and Melissa wrote this story. It's a wonderful story about, yeah, I, I just, I loved meeting these people and getting to know them and we have some great photos and it's just going to be a really fun story for everyone in the area to read.
[00:21:09] Melissa: I came up with this story because I did not realize that Artie from the Food Network she lives in Raleigh now with
[00:21:15] Adam: her. Yeah, I saw that. That's cool.
[00:21:17] Melissa: Yeah, so I reached out to Artie and she was so generous and so kind to, to do this story with us and it made me think, you know, I'm going to reach out to some other local influencers and we've got so many in this area.
[00:21:29] So it was hard to choose but we got some good ones. Especially joy. We love talking to joy.
[00:21:34] Adam: That's right.
[00:21:35] Beth: So Joy and Artie, you know, and then you'll have to pick up the next issue to find out who else is in
[00:21:40] Adam: Exactly.
[00:21:42] Beth: That's
[00:21:42] Adam: What else we got in there?
[00:21:44] Beth: we've also got a really cool story called Mystic Mission, and it is about a bourbon maker, Mystic Farm and Distillery in Durham, and they are actually making a bourbon that they are going to send into space for one year. So we talk about how that's going to work and we got to go out to the distillery and have a bourbon tasting. It was so much fun. So we have a story about that.
[00:22:09] Adam: Is the bourbon gonna go to space by itself or is it going to space with astronauts?
[00:22:14] Beth: It's going on an orbiter that is being made in a company by a company in Germany. And we have a picture of the orbiter and the story as well.
[00:22:24] Melissa: Nice. We should have talked. We should have talked to our more head planetarium guy about this.
[00:22:28] Adam: We the bourbon in space?
[00:22:30] Beth: think we found out about it after the fact, or else that would have been a great thing to ask him
[00:22:35] Melissa: Yeah, definitely.
[00:22:37] Beth: But wait till you find out how much they're selling each bottle of bourbon for. You'll have to pick up the story to read that too.
[00:22:42] Melissa: Ooh, yikes. Out of my budget, I'm sure. And then Triangle Family, , I'm excited about this one.
[00:22:48] Beth: Yeah, this is our youth sports issue and we focus on everything parents need to know if they are raising a youth athlete, whether they want to just play in a rec league or go all the way to be a D1 athlete. We've got great advice from former D1 athletes. We've got advice from experts. to parents for how they can make it a positive experience for their child.
[00:23:12] And then we just have some wonderful athletes featured in this issue, including our cover girl. She is going to be playing volleyball for UCLA. Her name is Kiki Horn and she is a beautiful volleyball player who will be gracing our cover. You'll get to meet her in a story that Kurt Duster Berg wrote about her, and it's just a wonderful collection of advice and real life experiences of the youth athletes in the area.
[00:23:42] Very inspiring issue for all of you parents out there who are hoping to have a D one athlete someday, or just want to make it a positive experience for your child.
[00:23:51] Adam: Oh, that sounds great.
[00:23:53] Melissa: I think I, I think I say this every issue, but this is my favorite issue so
[00:23:57] Adam: Family, um, but this one's really nice.
[00:23:58] Melissa: I, I've loved all the issues of Triangle Family, um, but this one's really nice. I like it.
[00:24:03] Beth: it's a, yeah, it's a really great issue. Beautiful photography, lots of colorful images, and um, just some really great content for parents out there.
[00:24:13] Adam: Now, were you into food as a college kid, on the kind of, or were you exploring food?
[00:25:29] Did you have an interest in food beyond just
[00:25:31] Joy: I
[00:25:32] Adam: the cafeteria? I feel like
[00:25:33] Joy: feel like I've always been just like super passionate about food. I'm always the friend that's what are we going to eat? Like, where are we going to eat at?
[00:25:39] Adam: eat at?
[00:25:40] Melissa: opinionated? Have you always had strong opinions about food and
[00:25:45] Freely express it? I've
[00:25:46] Joy: I I've been trying to figure out where this comes from. And I think it comes from Being raised in a family of people that can cook well and going out to eat places where it's wow, this isn't like my mom can make a better Mac, way better Mac and cheese than this. I think that is where it like stemmed from.
[00:26:03] Yes. Cause I
[00:26:04] Adam: a, that's fascinating. I, I think that's a great observation because you have a point of comparison and so you don't take everything, you know, a lot of people you go out to eat and you're like, Oh, I'm going out to eat. Must be good if they're charging money for it.
[00:26:19] And you're like, well, not really, you know.
[00:26:22] Joy: it's just
[00:26:22] Melissa: not necessarily,
[00:26:23] Joy: this is incredibly bland. That's so disappointing. So yeah, I feel like it came from that. So I, I have kind of always been vocal. Obviously at college, the dining hall food isn't gonna be the best every day. So yeah, it's, I didn't go explore as much in Delaware.
[00:26:39] I will say when we got our refund checks for, because we, when you live off campus, they just give you money for food and rent. We definitely spend a lot of time at the Cheesecake
[00:26:48] Factory.
[00:26:49] which I haven't, I couldn't tell you the last time I've been to the Cheesecake Factory, but that
[00:26:52] Melissa: their menu is so big you could go every day and try something new.
[00:26:57] Joy: was talking about it with my friend and I'm still really close with him where I was like, we were like at the Cheesecake Factory on a random Wednesday night getting way too much, like just spending way too much
[00:27:08] Melissa: Yeah, yeah.
[00:27:09] You can visit the whole world in one night at Cheesecake Factory.
[00:27:12] Joy: Everything was, we, we made it simple in college just because like after practicing you don't really want to have to think too hard. . So we went to the Cheesecake Factory, Chipotle and Buffalo Wild Wings, like That's, those were the staples.
[00:27:27] Adam: So we went out of seven nights a week. You got covered. You don't have to worry about those three nights. Exactly. Yes.
[00:27:32] Joy: it was like clockwork actually. It never got sick of it.
[00:27:35] It's probably why I don't eat there now.
[00:27:37] Melissa: To
[00:27:37] Adam: clockwork. Probably went
[00:27:39] Melissa: go back to those
[00:27:39] Joy: no, I'm, I'm sick of it. There's just some things that I've had way too much of Subway,
[00:27:44] Melissa: Mm hmm.
[00:27:45] Joy: the subs and stuff that we used to get on the road.
[00:27:47] I was like, I
[00:27:48] Melissa: You're fine to never see a sub
[00:27:50] Adam: Do you, do you find that with food like that? And this is not to, I mean, there's certainly plenty of things. I'm sure I will eat at a cheesecake factory again in my life. But do you find that with food that are from these kind of big franchise chains that there's just sort of a, there's a quality about it that just is, there's something missing.
[00:28:08] That's just sort of like, it's I don't know if it's what they bring in, you know, that gets trucked in or like Subway has the worst bread. It's just the worst bread. I mean,
[00:28:18] Melissa: are gonna get cancelled
[00:28:19] for
[00:28:19] Adam: I'm going to get canceled, but
[00:28:21] Melissa: go to
[00:28:21] Adam: but if you go to any other, like local sandwich shop, you're going to get the same, roughly the same sandwich, but the bread is going to be so much better, you know, just something as simple as that.
[00:28:30] Joy: you said, I think you don't know what you're missing out on until you have better, and then you're like, wow, this was like extremely mediocre. Yeah,
[00:28:39] Melissa: Yeah. Yeah. Why did I waste all my time on that? Well, and you, because you are of a younger generation you were in college with social media. So were you a part of social media back then?
[00:28:52] Joy: When
[00:28:53] Melissa: when did you really get involved with even just being on, not necessarily being a foodie?
[00:28:59] Joy: necessarily being a foodie?
[00:29:07] Melissa: Oh,
[00:29:10] Instagram iPhones I didn't realize that. Okay.
[00:29:12] Joy: so I could not go on it. And I was just like, wow, this sucks. I have an Android. So of
[00:29:17] Adam: was just like, wow, this looks better
[00:29:18] Joy: I asked for an iPhone for Christmas and got on the Instagram and took ridiculous pictures. But I didn't, I mean, I wasn't doing anything photography wise. It was like selfies and pictures of me and
[00:29:28] Melissa: The regular college stuff, yes.
[00:29:31] Joy: absolute trash.
[00:29:32] Yeah, that's, that's what it
[00:29:34] Adam: But it's out there forever now. So don't worry about that.
[00:29:36] Joy: Well, tried my best to delete
[00:29:38] Melissa: delete as much as possible.
[00:29:41] Joy: much as
[00:29:41] Melissa: As soon as you see your, your numbers go up on your Joy Eats World page, you start deleting from the, from your
[00:29:48] Adam: I don't want them to know about
[00:29:50] Melissa: Yeah, no, no
[00:29:51] Joy: possible. I tried my as you I was playing basketball and our coaches would be like,
[00:29:56] what are
[00:29:56] Melissa: what are you, what are you doing? Yeah.
[00:29:57] Joy: Well
[00:29:58] Adam: right,
[00:29:58] Melissa: Well that's one question that I do have. So, for our youth sports issue of Triangle Family, you were kind enough to make a list of advice and tips for Youth athletes who are hoping to play in college, but one thing that I was thinking about is how Social media for these kids plays a huge role right now.
[00:30:20] I have to tell my son all the time I mean, he's he's different. I think it's different for boys different for girls but even when he posts anything I have to say be very mindful about what you put out there because What if a coach that you really want to play for one day sees it and you have either a bad word or even bad grammar.
[00:30:39] I mean, I'm a writer, so I look at some of these kids and what they, what they post. I'm like, Oh my gosh, this is cringy. So you have to be mindful about what you put out there because you really are showing who you are as a person. It might not seem like a big deal because it doesn't seem like a big deal to kids.
[00:30:57] But colleges, you know, coaches might look at it and say, that's not really who I want representing my, my program.
[00:31:04] Joy: know, coaches might look at it and say, that's not really who I mean, even the recent example of the NBA star John Morant,
[00:31:09] Melissa: Absolutely.
[00:31:09] Joy: With the videos and guns in the videos, his life, I mean, he's lost his endorsements. He's fighting to even stay in the league. And I'm just like, that should be example enough that you have to be mindful of how you're presenting yourself to
[00:31:22] Melissa: And granted his was super, super dumb but was super dumb for somebody that is at the top of his game and it still took him several notches down.
[00:31:34] So it is, it is a big lesson.
[00:31:36] Joy: it you post it and you're like, Oh, it was only up for six hours. You deleted it. People can
[00:31:42] Adam: screenshot
[00:31:43] Joy: not gone.
[00:31:44] Melissa: last forever. Right. Mm hmm.
[00:31:47] Joy: Yeah, so it's, it's really important to be mindful of how you're presenting yourself.
[00:31:51] Especially if you're trying to play at the collegiate level.
[00:31:53] Melissa: Yeah, yeah. What about your son?
[00:31:56] Does he like to play basketball or any other sport?
[00:31:58] Joy: Yeah, so he, right now, he, his motivation to play sports is like solely like social. He really, if his friend is playing, if he's going to have a friend on the team, he's all about it.
[00:32:10] Adam: And how old is your son?
[00:32:11] Joy: so he's seven. He just turned seven in July. We've put him in basketball and soccer, like league wise, and we put him in like a baseball clinic. Baseball is not his thing, which I, I mean. Fair enough. He's just, there's just too much standing around. He's very busy, and he's this is just boring
[00:32:29] Melissa: it's important at his age though to try a little bit of everything to see what he does like.
[00:32:34] Joy: little bit of everything to see what he does
[00:32:39] Adam: we will see how
[00:32:40] Joy: around with that one. And he does chasing loves to chase people, so I'm like, maybe.
[00:32:44] Adam: to chase people.
[00:32:46] Joy: catching wise, we're still working on that, cause. Lord help him. But yeah, he is going to naturally be tall, obviously.
[00:32:52] Melissa: Mm-hmm.
[00:32:53] Joy: I'm tall. His dad's tall. My father is six eight, so I'm like, he could
[00:32:57] Melissa: I was
[00:32:58] Joy: be like a
[00:32:58] Adam: I'm like, he
[00:32:59] Melissa: I was wondering how tall your parents are. 'cause how tall are you?
[00:33:02] Joy: I am, well, it depends on what shoes I'm wearing, but my roster height was six two. Okay. Yeah. Which they, they like to give you a little boost, but
[00:33:09] Melissa: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[00:33:09] Six
[00:33:09] Joy: one.
[00:33:10] Melissa: RO roster heights are with shoes and with hair. So my son has poofy hair.
[00:33:17] Adam: Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. This is official? Hair is included?
[00:33:20] Melissa: yes.
[00:33:22] I'm making it official right now. That is the, the poofier bigger hair you have is the, is better because they're gonna count that They're not gonna push it down and then get to your scalp
[00:33:33] Adam: no one really cares how tall you are. It's just how tall you are on,
[00:33:35] Melissa: It's how tall you want to be.
[00:33:37] Adam: It's how tall you want your opponents to think you
[00:33:39] Melissa: you are. Yes.
[00:33:40] Adam: right. So this is all intimidation tactics. Which
[00:33:43] Melissa: I think it's smarter to, to estimate down because then your opponents think you're smaller and they get out in the court and they're like, Whoa, wait, You said you were 55 and you're 66.
[00:33:56] Adam: Well...
[00:33:57] Joy: You would think, but people aren't honest with themselves about how, and I don't think girls so much, but I feel like guys really give themselves a
[00:34:03] Adam: Oh, let me tell you, I'm 5'11 and a half. That
[00:34:07] Melissa: count that half.
[00:34:08] Adam: That sucks. I'm sorry. I just, what a half an inch.
[00:34:12] Melissa: half though.
[00:34:13] Usually.
[00:34:14] Joy: I'm
[00:34:14] Adam: usually I'm like, if somebody asks, I'm like, I'm six
[00:34:18] And then I sort of have to cross my
[00:34:20] Melissa: Oh,
[00:34:20] Joy: I know guys
[00:34:21] Melissa: stand up extra tall. Stack your spine.
[00:34:24] Joy: I know guys that are 5'10 that round up to six foot. I'm just like, so when you stand next to someone that's actually six foot, what do you
[00:34:30] Adam: Yeah,
[00:34:30] Melissa: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Do they just look over at you like, or look down at you?
[00:34:35] Adam: You just have shame written all over your face. Yeah, it's just awkward.
[00:34:39] Melissa: So, I want to get back to food because like I said, food is my jam.
[00:34:44] Are there any types of restaurants in the triangle that you feel like We're missing a, a certain type of food because by the way, you, you have told me for the story that you came up with the Joy Eats world name because you like all different types of food from everywhere in the world. So are we missing a certain type of food here?
[00:35:03] I kind of feel like we've got it covered or
[00:35:06] Joy: covered. So, we have it covered a lot more than other areas do, I will say that. And this is just like very super specific because I, my dad is from Trinidad, so I am Trinidadian. We have a lot of Jamaican restaurants. So I think when people see the Jamaican restaurants, they're like, Oh, we have tons of Caribbean restaurants here.
[00:35:24] Not Caribbean. We have a lot of Jamaican restaurants, which there are a lot of different countries whose dishes are similar, like they're the basic oxtail, curry chicken, stew chicken, all that is the same. But there are like specific, like I told you when I went to Toronto, there are specific Trinidadian dishes like rotis and doubles.
[00:35:44] Things that you can't get at Jamaican restaurants that I cannot find in this area, and I Have been very vocal about it.
[00:35:51] Melissa: at Jamaican So, it's
[00:35:53] Joy: So, it's, it's pretty, I mean, it's pretty much the same flavor wise. Roti and doubles are basically just they're kind of like chickpea based. I want to say it's almost it's like a tortilla, but, Caribbean form.
[00:36:08] And they have mashed up chickpeas in the in the middle of it. I don't know how to explain it I will show you a picture
[00:36:13] Melissa: I would definitely
[00:36:14] Joy: I Think the closest that we have here is like in Fayetteville and it's called like Dan's Trinidadian food It's like a food truck But I know they have some in Charlotte because I do follow a lot of Charlotte foodies that have have highlighted it But I think that Specifically, which I know a lot of people aren't looking for Trinidadian food.
[00:36:32] So I'm like, I get it. I get that gap. But it would be nice to have one.
[00:36:36] Adam: Well, you mentioned
[00:36:37] Melissa: trucks. I think that that has filled in a lot of gaps with different types of food as well. So not the brick and mortars, but you know, I see all sorts of
[00:36:47] Adam: opportunity Yeah. For chefs who, you know, can't handle the overhead to sort of get their food out there.
[00:36:52] Melissa: Definitely. Yeah. There's a, there's a Philippine food truck around town. I can't remember the name, but it's, it's amazing. My, my husband's family lives in the Philippines. So, that one always catches my eye, but yeah, there's, there's a lot of different stuff.
[00:37:08] Joy: of like sub... There's subsects of different food. Cause, saying Asian food to me is just so crazy. Cause I'm like, there are so many different types of Asian food. I'm like, what are we talking about? Vietnamese, Japanese what are we talking about? Korean food, there's just so many different types that I'm like...
[00:37:24] Melissa: my favorite one is the Laotian. I love Bida
[00:37:28] Adam: just not just that, but I mean, even within some of these countries, I was, I was in India last year and I was in Northern India and all the Northern Indians wanted to eat Southern Indian food.
[00:37:37] That
[00:37:38] Melissa: Oh, wow. Really?
[00:37:39] Adam: So that was like a big deal. It would be like us wanting to eat Tex Mex, right? I mean, it was like, Oh, I want that food. That's not Southern, right? I want something different, you know? And I think that's the other thing we miss is that everyone, every one of these countries, particularly.
[00:37:53] Has multiple cuisines within its borders, you know, so we have an idea. Oh indian food. It's this it's no I know it's it's all these
[00:38:01] Melissa: for Italian, I guess. It's, you know, the Sicilian food versus, you
[00:38:05] Adam: italian food very different. Yeah. Yeah.
[00:38:08] Melissa: take any of those as well.
[00:38:09] Adam: But I'm thinking when you talk about the Caribbean and Trinidad which obviously is particularly, you know Important to you, but I'm I'm guessing that we also don't have any of the other islands traditions You know and are there are there very distinctive food cultures from each island that that could rate a restaurant of their own
[00:38:28] Joy: Right, Bahamian food, they have this specific fish called conch,
[00:38:33] Melissa: Yeah, conch fritters. Mm
[00:38:35] Joy: They have a lot of dishes that are specific to them Guyana there's another one Yes, so every island has their own just
[00:38:42] Adam: their own thing. Yeah.
[00:38:43] Joy: food, and I'm like, I know they probably feel the same way that I do about not having Trinidadian
[00:38:48] Adam: Yeah, and you're all angry at the Jamaicans.
[00:38:51] Joy: And there's a million Jamaican spots, so we're like,
[00:38:54] Melissa: enough. Okay.
[00:38:56] Joy: And yeah, I've gone, well there is one on Capitol Boulevard, I think it's Golden Crest. Now, there's a lot of Golden Crest around, but they're all owned, they're like franchises. So the one in Garner and the one off Capitol Boulevard are owned by the same owner.
[00:39:09] they do have roti. Like they will make that there. So I appreciate that. I was like, thank you for at least trying.
[00:39:16] Adam: that. Thank
[00:39:17] you
[00:39:17] Joy: Right.
[00:39:18] Adam: trying.
[00:39:19] Joy: But the one in Durham does not they're owned by someone different. So,
[00:39:22] Adam: So, so
[00:39:23] Melissa: they're owned It is insane.
[00:39:24] Adam: Yeah.
[00:39:25] Joy: it's crazy. It is insane. Like I, almost
[00:39:28] can't keep up. And I've tried to limit myself to going to two places per week, just because. I have a full time job. I have a son like I'm just like I I don't want to burn myself out I don't want this to feel like
[00:39:41] Adam: Another job.
[00:39:41] Joy: right? Yeah, I'm like I want this to still be fun and health wise like I do
[00:39:46] Melissa: Yeah, that's
[00:39:46] Joy: go to the gym on the regular basis But I'm like you can't like out eat a bad diet not to say that this stuff is terrible for you But some of it is
[00:39:53] Adam: is. Yeah,
[00:39:54] Melissa: Everything in moderation. I need to keep reminding
[00:39:57] Joy: have a smash burger every day
[00:39:59] Adam: Yeah,
[00:40:00] Melissa: Yeah, very good point. So do you have a favorite in Durham that you and your son like to go to?
[00:40:05] Joy: So do you and your son like to go to? And that's where we did your photo shoot was
[00:40:12] Melissa: Mezcalito we did your photo shoot was Mezcalito. We went to the Durham location and I mean you can't ask for a prettier restaurant to do a photo shoot. Everything is so colorful and a lot of greenery.
[00:40:24] Joy: The drinks are great.
[00:40:25] Melissa: The drink, oh gosh, the drinks are amazing. But they're also huge.
[00:40:30] Joy: Yeah.
[00:40:31] Melissa: You,
[00:40:31] Adam: drink,
[00:40:32] Melissa: the drink.
[00:40:33] Joy: the drink, right. Yeah. I was like, you
[00:40:34] Adam: there's no, there's no plural.
[00:40:36] Melissa: No, you can't. They're huge and they're very strong.
[00:40:39] Joy: Yes. Yes. Correct.
[00:40:40] Adam: What's maybe been the biggest like surprise meal or surprise restaurant where you're like, wow, that I wasn't expecting at all.
[00:40:48] Joy: I want to say, I feel like just recently this summer, I have noticed Mexican restaurants doing sushi, which I'm like, what in the world would make you guys like I get I'm all for a fusion dish. But I'm like, how did you guys Come up with this and I'm almost scared to try
[00:41:09] Adam: it
[00:41:10] Is
[00:41:10] Melissa: a Mexican version?
[00:41:12] Joy: No, and that's the thing
[00:41:13] Melissa: rice, it's crushed up tortilla chips or something?
[00:41:16] Joy: no,
[00:41:17] it it was basically it was like regular sushi they have their own spin to I mean it was a little spicy so I guess you can say they added a Mexican flair to it, but It was actually really good. I had it at, oh, I don't want to butcher this name,
[00:41:31] Carillo's,
[00:41:31] Melissa: I don't think I've been to that one.
[00:41:34] Joy: Carillo's no, I think it's in Raleigh.
[00:41:37] They have two locations but they are like a, I don't know what the, what you call it, but they're like a chain, they're not a chain, similar to Giorgio's, how they, there's the same owner of all different types of restaurants.
[00:41:50] Melissa: have Monterey's,
[00:41:50] Adam: right,
[00:41:51] Joy: have Monterey's, Carrillo's.
[00:41:54] Melissa: So one brand owns these different singular restaurants,
[00:41:58] Joy: Right, right, right. That's what I'm trying. I was like, they're not a chain, but they're like a restaurant conglomerate here.
[00:42:04] Melissa: that's that's big now nowadays
[00:42:07] Joy: Yeah, there's a lot. And I, sometimes I just stumble on that information. I'm like, oh, I had no
[00:42:13] Adam: Yeah, it's so funny because we sort of hope that we have this funny rule when my wife and I go out, they sometimes will be at an Irish pub or something, and they'll have fish tacos on the menu. And I'm like, no. You don't eat fish tacos at an Irish pub. I mean, I just don't, I don't expect, I don't expect that to be the highlight of my day is eating a fish taco at an Irish pub.
[00:42:34] Like I'll get the, you know, I'll get the, the Irish dishes. Sure. That's what I'm expecting them to do a good job with. But do I really want to go for the fish taco? And then I asked myself, why is it even on the menu? Like who, who, who's the audience for this?
[00:42:48] Melissa: for this?
[00:42:49] Adam: I hate Irish food. That's why I'm at an Irish pub.
[00:42:52] Melissa: Well, I mean, it's different. If you go with kids and you kind of want the restaurant to have chicken tenders and french fries, you know, but yeah, in that case, the fish
[00:43:02] Adam: the
[00:43:03] Melissa: out of, out of left field for sure.
[00:43:06] Joy: That is weird. Yeah, no, I don't, yeah, there's, there, there are a fusion. A lot of, I think restaurants more are doing fusion things just to make things,
[00:43:15] I don't even want to say Americanize them, but to try and make it more enticing for people that aren't from this cultural background to try. But yeah, the, the Mexican sushi was crazy in my mind and I almost didn't try it just out of You know, the, the, the
[00:43:32] Melissa: a it's a mind. Yeah, it messes with your mind. Yeah huh?
[00:43:37] Joy: but I'm a sucker for seafood and it was like, it had like lumps of lobster on top of it.
[00:43:43] It was also like warm. Yeah, there was a lot. It was a
[00:43:46] Melissa: All right. I mean, I'm okay. I'm okay
[00:43:49] Adam: sushi rice or like Mexican rice?
[00:43:51] Joy: It was sushi rice. It was like a white sticky rice. So that's why it was like very strange. That's what I'm
[00:43:57] Melissa: trip. We're going to try the
[00:43:58] Joy: I have a picture if you need the proof, but it was actually really good. But that was the most shocking thing I've come across this summer by
[00:44:06] Melissa: thing I've come across. I mean, Mexican sushi with Mexican rice? That could be
[00:44:11] Joy: alote in it, that would
[00:44:12] Adam: Well, wrapped in a tortilla instead of seaweed. I mean, now you've got a burrito.
[00:44:17] Melissa: Yeah, yeah. Now you've
[00:44:17] Adam: mean, basically,
[00:44:19] Melissa: burrito. Inside
[00:44:20] Joy: out burrito
[00:44:21] Adam: Yeah, an inside out burrito.
[00:44:23] Melissa: So
[00:44:23] you mentioned your love for seafood. You have talked about a restaurant in Cary named Is it try seafood? I have not been there yet. I live nearby and I need to
[00:44:34] Adam: where is it located?
[00:44:35] Melissa: is in the Harris Teeter shopping center on the corner of Tryon and Walnut.
[00:44:40] Adam: Oh, yeah, yeah,
[00:44:41] Melissa: And it's kind of tucked in the side there. One of my favorite takeout places is over there. Yoho Asian Bistro. I love
[00:44:47] Adam: Yeah. And there's a, there's a pub barish place over there called something. Crafthouse. Yeah.
[00:44:54] Melissa: House still there? Is it? Okay, I guess I haven't been there in a while.
[00:44:57] Adam: yeah, we've,
[00:44:58] Melissa: Over on the other
[00:44:59] Adam: yeah, we've eaten there a bunch.
[00:45:00] Melissa: But try Seafood. All their pictures look absolutely amazing.
[00:45:04] Joy: Their food is incredible, and they don't just have seafood there.
[00:45:07] They'll have some type, some Sunday specials where it's like smothered turkey wings and lamb chops, and so They'll, I think I got like lamb chops with cheese grits, and it was Everything that I've ever had from there was amazing, and they just got a food truck, so they are on the road now. They won't have the same stuff that they have in the restaurant, it's like a condensed menu, but I had them at my Juneteenth food truck pop up event, and they were a hit.
[00:45:32] Everybody loved them, they were great.
[00:45:34] Melissa: Okay, speaking of Juneteenth food truck events, tell us how you got started hosting this type of event and do you host any more events like it throughout the year?
[00:45:45] Joy: Yeah, the Juneteenth event, I've done it three years in a row, and it's funny because all three events have looked completely different I haven't settled on what I want to do permanently, although I really did like the food truck thing that I did this year.
[00:45:58] The first year, it was like, more of a potluck, and I only invited certain foodie friends. It was just like, just bring a dish from a black owned restaurant. And we'll all just be able to have, you know, try out a whole bunch of different black owned restaurants, highlight them. And that was good, except it was so hot.
[00:46:16] So we had it,
[00:46:17] Adam: we had
[00:46:17] Joy: had it in Durham this business doesn't exist anymore, but it was Big C's Chicken and Waffles. He had a pavilion off of Highway 55, and we were under that, but it was just, it's just, it was just incredibly hot. And it's Because we had 15 people, it's kind of expensive for people to bring that much food for everybody, so I was like, okay I liked it, it was successful, but let's try something different.
[00:46:39] But then the next year, we had it at Boxyard which was, like, a huge success, and at the time, I know they they've had some vendor turnover recently, but at the time, there were, I want to say, three black owned businesses that were there, and I also bought cupcakes from a black owned business for everybody.
[00:46:58] So that was where we celebrated Juneteenth. They had a DJ. They, there's just always great vibes at Boxyard, right? They have plenty of parking. There's there's fans. It was still hot,
[00:47:07] Melissa: I was about to say, it's still hot. Yeah.
[00:47:09] Joy: It was still hot. But it was also a really fun time. This year, I partnered with Durham Bottling Company which I've had, my mom had her birthday party there.
[00:47:18] I was able to meet the owner and he was like, I would love. For you to like host an event here. And that's when the food truck idea popped up. We didn't know that it was going to be a torrential downpour
[00:47:28] Melissa: didn't
[00:47:28] Joy: Juneteenth. So it was raining. I'm still like shocked at how many people came out in the rain.
[00:47:34] Because I was like, I don't think that I would have came if it wasn't my event.
[00:47:38] Adam: get anything but
[00:47:39] Joy: Just being completely honest. But I had three food trucks. We had the indoor space of Durham Bottling Company. So it wasn't super hot because we had the indoor space with the DJ. We had melanated wine there doing drinks and it was just a great time outside of the rain.
[00:47:55] Obviously, I was, my jeans were soaked. But yeah, I, I really like that model and I think I might stick with that just so that we can have somewhere inside to not be like, eating and sweating and have some place to put the food, so.
[00:48:07] Melissa: And get out of the rain in case that happens again.
[00:48:10] Adam: Well, and I think the food truck opportunity, obviously that allows those owners to kind of make direct connections with all the people as opposed to maybe just meeting one person who's bringing, you know, bring
[00:48:21] Joy: Exactly. Yeah, it's better for content, too, because there's a lot of content creators there, and then you can actually show the food truck. It's important to see, you know, the food truck, just so that if you're driving on the road and you look over and you're like, Oh my God, that's that.
[00:48:34] Melissa: that one,
[00:48:34] Adam: So, I, I have a pet peeve about food trucks, and I'm going to share it.
[00:48:39] Joy: happy to hear
[00:48:40] Adam: So, I actually have, well I shouldn't say, I have two pet peeves about food trucks. My first pet peeve is, these events like these food truck rodeos and things, the big ones that Raleigh has, or even one like yours with, with three trucks. I always feel like I, I show up and I'm, I'm super excited about everything I'm seeing and I want to sample everything, but everybody's serving a meal and it's if I go to this one, that's, that's it. I mean, I'm not going to have room to eat. From here, here, here, and I've just been really curious why there isn't more focus on maybe trying to create like Almost like an appetizer culture So like you could just go there and for a buck or two you could sample a little something go here get a buck or Two because I want to try everybody's food and I'm always feeling like compelled to choose
[00:49:26] Joy: I
[00:49:27] will do you one better. I went to an event earlier this summer. What was it called?
[00:49:32] Bubbles and brisket?
[00:49:33] Melissa: brisket?
[00:49:34] Joy: It was in downtown Raleigh. Yes, it was. It sounds exactly.
[00:49:38] Melissa: I'm gonna be there next
[00:49:40] Adam: if my wife is listening, she's gonna be there next
[00:49:42] Melissa: Yeah, we'll
[00:49:43] Joy: pay a flat rate just to get in. But you get to sample like Various, I think there was like 10 different barbecue vendors and they were giving you like whole pieces of brisket with with the side, like mac and cheese a number of different things. And there were also like champagne and wine distributors there.
[00:50:02] So you also got like a glass and they had a necklace that your glass could rest in so that you could have your hands free.
[00:50:08] Adam: free.
[00:50:09] Oh, okay.
[00:50:09] Joy: It's it was actually, I think it's sponsored by,
[00:50:11] Melissa: name it after me. It just sounds
[00:50:14] Adam: Melissa's
[00:50:14] Joy: I think it was, and Andia's ice cream was there. It
[00:50:17] Melissa: yeah.
[00:50:18] Joy: basically you don't have to worry about paying at all these different places because you pay that flat fee and you can just pig out. Yeah. NC Eat'n Play has this similar concept at Phillips Farm. She'll have What is it called? I think she calls it the
[00:50:34] Melissa: Hootenanny. Yep, yep. Fall Hootenanny, Spring Hootenanny, yes.
[00:50:37] So
[00:50:37] Joy: you basically just pay the ticket fee and they have all these vendors you're able to sample for free and you get to try a whole bunch of different
[00:50:44] Adam: Yeah, see that, that's more my, I think that's what I need to be looking for.
[00:50:47] Joy: Yeah, I was gonna say keep an eye out for those, but there's not, to your point, there's not that many of them. So that is, that's a fair point.
[00:50:53] Adam: But the other thing that bugs, has always bugged me about food trucks is that you'll, you'll, you'll go and here's, here's a, a chef who's got a creative concept for food. They're making something really awesome.
[00:51:06] And
[00:51:06] then you get it on a paper plate and you have to go sit on the curb somewhere and eat it with a plastic fork. And I feel like there's a whole experience of eating it that's just terrible. Like I really want to enjoy it, which means I want to sit at a table and I want to relax and I just want to enjoy my food.
[00:51:24] And I just always feel like once I get it, I don't know what to do with it. Cause there's no place to. Sit down. And
[00:51:30] that,
[00:51:30] Melissa: what you need is
[00:51:31] Adam: restaurant.
[00:51:32] Melissa: restaurant Yes. to be served at a restaurant. Yes. No, I'm, I'm with you
[00:51:37] Adam: want to learn
[00:51:38] Joy: that
[00:51:38] Melissa: No, I get it though. You're, you're exactly right. I mean, if you're lucky, there might be a picnic table around, or a bench somewhere.
[00:51:45] Adam: Right. Right.
[00:51:46] Melissa: Or you're sitting in your car. yeah,
[00:51:48] Joy: yeah, yeah. It, yeah.
[00:51:49] Melissa: it does kind of take away
[00:51:50] Joy: it's like getting it and taking it to my car and driving home.
[00:51:54] Melissa: Yeah.
[00:51:55] Joy: But it is nice when they're at a brewery or Zink house winery is amazing at scheduling food trucks on the weekend.
[00:52:02] And it's not just like Zink house is a new, well, new ish. I think it opened last year in like December, but they are a winery in Durham. Like honestly, in the middle of nowhere, it's not like in the city, Durham, you have to drive. I think it's off of 98. You have to drive through the woods and gravel a little bit as most wineries are.
[00:52:21] But they have usually four food trucks at a time at their venue over the weekend and they have tons of outdoor seating. They have like decks and porches and they have some indoor seating, but it's not, they don't really want people sitting inside that much because there's probably like three tables in there, but perfect place.
[00:52:37] It's kid friendly. There's so much land. The kids like run down the hill and play. And so, yeah, I was like, if you're looking for food trucks and somewhere to sit and drink, then Cal's Winery is definitely a good one.
[00:52:49] Adam: I'm going to add
[00:52:50] Melissa: I've, yeah, I've added a bunch of things to my list today.
[00:52:54] Adam: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
[00:52:56] Melissa: truck. Yes, huh.
[00:52:58] Adam: right.
[00:52:59] Joy: Yeah, I've added a bunch of things to my list today. Yeah, but speaking of lineup, you go to the
[00:53:02] Adam: they usually have
[00:53:03] Joy: mile long line. So you're
[00:53:04] Adam: they have a pretty good lineup.
[00:53:05] Melissa: Yeah, but speaking of lineup, you go, go to the brewery one and they have one food truck and then there's a mile long line.
[00:53:11] Adam: Right.
[00:53:12] Melissa: So you're waiting for a long time.
[00:53:14] Joy: a long time.
[00:53:15] Melissa: I like the multiple food truck idea.
[00:53:18] Joy: Exactly. So
[00:53:18] Melissa: I also like Adam's idea of having a sample at each one so you can try all of them.
[00:53:24] Adam: So you're waiting for a sample I think if they, if they all just, maybe, I mean, I don't know. That's just me.
[00:53:28] Joy: try all about the sample. Yeah. I to have. I need to put that in some of the food truck vendors ear. Yeah. I'm like, just sell tickets
[00:53:35] Melissa: tickets and
[00:53:36] Joy: out
[00:53:37] Adam: just give Yeah. Yeah.
[00:53:40] Joy: I just they would need the venue. But I know Durham Central Park has food truck rodeos all the time, but nothing ever like that.
[00:53:46] Like nothing sample wise. That would be really cool.
[00:53:49] Adam: Yeah, I mean, I can understand why they don't want to, I mean, they'd rather sell you a meal. I didn't get that, right? That makes sense. So figuring out how it doesn't compete with that, right? So you know, but I don't know.
[00:54:02] Melissa: Or just do it for Adam and me. And that's it.
[00:54:05] Adam: That's, I like that
[00:54:06] idea a lot. Everybody else. Yeah, just
[00:54:09] Joy: Yeah, I was, selfishly I was sitting here thinking, I was like, well they have events like that, but it's usually like media events. They'll have a media night, like Discover Durham will do like a media night where they bring a whole bunch of different vendors and you get to sample stuff for free.
[00:54:23] But I'm like, that's
[00:54:24] Melissa: Oh, I haven't been invited to that
[00:54:26] Joy: available to
[00:54:27] Melissa: Nice.
[00:54:28] Adam: getting more invitations now as this podcast gets bigger. I've
[00:54:31] Melissa: man, we're blowing up
[00:54:32] Adam: our emails are
[00:54:34] Melissa: Get our autograph while you
[00:54:35] Joy: you guys. Our emails
[00:54:36] Adam: Our, our emails are starting to fill up with with, with the press stuff.
[00:54:39] Melissa: But I'm with you on the fact that you really do have to be choosy of where you go because I've got kids as well and, and you don't want to fill up your entire week with events. So there, there are things that stick out and I will make a point to try my best to go to
[00:54:55] Joy: a point to try my best to go to those. Then the time comes and you're like, I am worn out. I'm
[00:55:02] Melissa: Or I've got basketball practice or dance
[00:55:05] Adam: got basketball practice, or
[00:55:06] Melissa: chaperoning and carpooling and taxiing.
[00:55:09] Joy: some are just more convenient. Like I live in Durham, but I live in the part that's like really close to Briar Creek. So some events I'm just like, I'm not coming out to Fuquay
[00:55:18] Melissa: hmm.
[00:55:20] Adam: Right.
[00:55:20] Joy: I'm just like, this just isn't plausible for me. But I'm like, thank you for inviting me.
[00:55:25] I would love to come another day, but I'm like, there's just no
[00:55:28] Adam: Do you network with other influencers? And maybe when you can't make something that you're excited about, but you're genuinely excited about it, maybe you slide that tip to someone else in the network? Make sure somebody covers it?
[00:55:40] Joy: So it's a little harder than that, because you do have to be, like, on their list. So I will reach out and be like, hey, especially if I'm, like, on the fence should I even attempt to make this event? Reach out to some of my foodie friends hey, are you guys going to this? And some of them... It's awkward though if some people aren't invited, they're like, Oh, I wasn't invited to that.
[00:55:56] It just depends on the situation. There are some media agencies where I'm like, Oh, like I can easily tell them to add you to the list that this wouldn't be hard. Or if they weren't invited and I'm like, you should really go to this, that will be the decision maker for me to be like, I will go, you will be my plus one.
[00:56:11] So you usually get a plus. I mean, in most
[00:56:13] Melissa: will to be Joy's plus one.
[00:56:15] Adam: mean, they're not usually
[00:56:16] Melissa: Plus two.
[00:56:16] Adam: strict sometimes because one will be late or
[00:56:18] Joy: was gonna say, they're not usually too strict. Sometimes, because oftentimes my plus one will be late or you know, get there at a different time and they're just like, it's fine. Just say your joys plus one. And they're like, we
[00:56:29] Melissa: Well, and especially plus they're already there and they're going to give you content in some way and share the experience. So it's a win win.
[00:56:37] Joy: share the experience.
[00:56:38] Exactly.
[00:56:38] Adam: That's awesome.
[00:56:39] Melissa: Okay, so tell everybody where to find you and to follow you.
[00:56:43] Joy: Yes you can find me on Instagram at joyeatsworld22, and on TikTok at joyeatsworld. I have a Facebook page, it's just regular joyeatsworld, but honestly I don't post as much on Facebook.
[00:56:55] Melissa: Facebook is what, mostly the, the moms? Like me?
[00:57:00] Joy: I'm on Facebook, I...
[00:57:01] Adam: You know, my Facebook account is, is just ads now. It's just ads and movie trailers and just go, I don't know, it just, I don't see much anymore. I, I, I probably got to tweak it,
[00:57:14] Melissa: But for me it's safer to post things on Facebook because the kiddos don't see it They're all on Instagram and tick tock. It's not safe there
[00:57:24] Adam: so before we let you go though, looking at those two.
[00:57:27] I didn't know if you had an opinion. I know there's been a lot of debate about TikTok and if you had a, a, a, a opinion on all of that in terms of whether or not it should be regulated more, and this and that, or shut down, blah, blah, blah, TikTok
[00:57:41] Joy: I mean, I don't think it should be regulated more. TikTok is
[00:57:44] almost like the Wild West for me, just because they... No, regardless of how many followers I have, I have no idea how any of my videos are going to perform. Weirdly enough, my followers sometimes don't even see my videos. The algorithm is just insane.
[00:57:59] I can't figure it out. I've talked to other people. They can't figure it out. Some videos go crazy. Others, like... 30 people have seen it and it, and there's no rhyme or reason. I'm like, how do I have 34, 000 followers and 30
[00:58:13] Melissa: Yeah.
[00:58:14] Adam: Right. TikTok.
[00:58:15] Melissa: something's not
[00:58:16] Joy: right. So I'm like, I have, I wouldn't say I've given up cause I still post on Tik TOK, but I'm like, I do not.
[00:58:21] Melissa: TikTok, just don't
[00:58:22] Joy: Performance wise. I'm just like, honestly, whatever happens, happens.
[00:58:26] Melissa: Throw it to the wind. Yeah. Mm-hmm.
[00:58:28] Joy: Yeah. That's what I have to do with that. So I'm like, I do prefer Instagram just because I kind of know more what I'm going to get. Also, people are really mean on Tik TOK for whatever reason. People feel like they can be, I think it's not for whatever reason.
[00:58:41] I think on Instagram, people actually use their Instagram so you can see that they're a real person. You can kind of like dig and be like, Oh, if you're going to be a jerk, like I can expose
[00:58:51] Melissa: Are you talking with a mouth like that? Yeah. Does your mama know you talk like that?
[00:58:54] Adam: Oh, and here's your mama.
[00:58:55] Melissa: You're
[00:58:56] Joy: Yeah, I'm like, Oh, I have all
[00:58:57] Adam: one of your followers.
[00:58:59] Joy: We're on tick tock. It's just like a random.
[00:59:01] It's like user 1357.
[00:59:04] Adam: yeah, yeah, yeah.
[00:59:05] Joy: They've never made a tick tock in their life. So they're
[00:59:07] Melissa: can hide behind their mean
[00:59:08] Joy: right. Exactly.
[00:59:10] Adam: that's, that's, I think that's, that's valuable for people to be thinking about. Yeah, absolutely. What I've liked about Instagram is I think because it's primarily focused on the visual. video and pictures being the kind of primary content.
[00:59:24] It's for the most part, at least in my feed, it's most part, it's stayed away from the kind of political fray. You know, the Twitter is so big on and even Facebook is, you know, a lot of, actually a lot of politics on Facebook. And it's just kind of a nice to be able to go to a place where, you know, if you want that, you can go find it.
[00:59:41] But if you don't, if you just don't feel like dealing with that energy, it's nice to focus on other stuff.
[00:59:57] Joy: link to a specific business's shop and get commissions from it. So now everyone is kind of just like talking about their favorite products and being like, the link is here.
[01:00:08] I'm tired of being talked into
[01:00:11] Melissa: Everything's an
[01:00:12] Joy: Right. Yeah, I'm just like,
[01:00:13] Melissa: just trying to make it seem like it's not an ad, but it is an ad.
[01:00:16] Joy: an ad. It's user generated, but it's still an ad.
[01:00:19] And I'm like, I'm tired of being talked into
[01:00:22] Adam: like, I'm tired
[01:00:22] Joy: water bottle. I'm over it.
[01:00:25] Adam: I think we're running out of ways to advertise anything. You know, I mean, we're all getting savvy enough that it's, it's pretty see through most of the time.
[01:00:32] Melissa: it's still in it. and that's, to circle back around, that's why I like Joy's page so much. It's just, it is, you get what you, what you see. Is that the saying?
[01:00:40] You don't, that's not the saying. You get what you see. No, I'm here for the motivational quotes
[01:00:49] Adam: get what you
[01:00:50] Melissa: Get what you see. Yes, I'm very deep
[01:00:52] Adam: You get what you get
[01:00:53] Melissa: yeah, but yeah, and you see it too. But no, you're not, you're not being sold something. You're just sharing your experiences and, and a nice, positive, uplifting way.
[01:01:02] And I think it's refreshing.
[01:01:03] Adam: Yeah,
[01:01:04] Joy: you, I appreciate it. There are, I mean, I've, I've done some paid partnerships, and I am candid about that. I will, you know, put the ad thing. I will put paid partnership because I don't want people.
[01:01:14] To think that especially when they tell me I have to say certain things. I'm like, obviously this is not my words It's an ad like it's an
[01:01:22] Adam: I would never say finger licking
[01:01:24] Joy: Right.
[01:01:25] Melissa: Well, actually, you've been working with McDonald's, right? You have a partnership with
[01:01:29] Joy: So McDonald's of North Carolina, they've been great and they're one of the easier ones I don't have to send them my content for review before I post it.
[01:01:35] There are some that are very strict. It's rough. There's like revisions and they make you work for that money.
[01:01:42] Adam: Yeah. Yeah.
[01:01:42] Joy: And with, with me having a wedding coming up, I will be open to more paid partnerships, but not ones that don't make sense and not ones of brands that I don't, you know, actually because yeah, no, I don't want to be that person.
[01:01:56] That's just. taking it for the money and knowing that it's a terrible product. I don't want to lead people down that
[01:02:04] Melissa: So how are you going to choose the food for your wedding? How do you go about handling this?
[01:02:09] Joy: Listen, that
[01:02:10] Melissa: picking her favorite child. You have to figure
[01:02:13] Adam: Food trucks.
[01:02:14] Joy: a million dollar question. And honestly, we just picked a venue. And that was hard because a lot of venues require you to use their preferred vendor list. And I don't want to do that. I want good food,
[01:02:26] Melissa: Yeah.
[01:02:26] Joy: Not to, not to say that none of these catering companies don't
[01:02:29] Melissa: But you want to be able to choose what you
[01:02:31] Joy: Right. I think catered food errs on the side of blandness because...
[01:02:36] Everybody
[01:02:37] Adam: they know their audience.
[01:02:38] Melissa: it. They're being
[01:02:38] Joy: I'm like so that's why I'm like, I would like the option to choose who I want to have. With that being said, haven't chosen yet. We'll be going on tastings because I don't want to like blindly choose and that's going to be probably like the hardest decision of the whole wedding.
[01:02:52] Melissa: thing. Well, I think Adam has given you the best option. It's get everybody to come and just give out samples.
[01:02:57] Adam: Samples.
[01:02:58] Yep.
[01:02:58] Melissa: I'm going to
[01:02:59] Joy: I'm going to escort everybody at the reception. Please walk outside to the parking lot and go to every food truck
[01:03:05] Melissa: grab a plate. A little tiny plate of sample appetizers. Yeah. Everyone will be able to dance. Everyone
[01:03:10] Joy: no one will be able to dance. Everyone will just be full.
[01:03:13] Melissa: That's fine. Nobody needs to dance.
[01:03:17] Adam: I mean, I, she's thinking this through.
[01:03:19] Yeah. Yeah. You're, you do.
[01:03:22] Joy: it'll be a tough decision. It will. It
[01:03:26] Adam: good luck with that. And with everything you're doing, this is fantastic. And it's been really a lot of fun to talk to you today.
[01:03:31] Joy: I really appreciate you guys. Appreciate you guys having me. This was
[01:03:35] Melissa: And thank you for taking part in our, our physical copies of, of Midtown and 5 West and Triangle Family and, and all that you did for us this month.
[01:03:43] Joy: course. I can't wait to see it. It feels like that was a long time ago, but time has flown
[01:03:47] Melissa: And time does fly, yes, especially in the summertime.
[01:03:51] Adam: all that you
[01:03:52] Melissa: Yes, but thank you so much for coming.
[01:03:54] Joy: Thank you.
[01:03:56]