This is How I Roll

Hi!  I'm Stefani Hope Pollack.  I live in St. Louis, Missouri and I've mostly kicked the NY accent from my Long Island youth (just don't ask me to say "horrible").  When I began this blog in 2007, I was a full-time technical trainer.  I did not consider myself a baker, nor did I consider myself a writer (although I wrote lots of corporate training materials). 

Today, answering the question of what I do for a living is a bit more complicated.  Let me explain...

...this is how I roll:


I have five jobs!

I'm a stay-at-home mom who is married to a stay-at-home dad.  I could use the popular new term work-at-home but that would imply that either of us gets much work done while playing with our little guy.

I'm a cupcake blogger who is now making real money from her blog.  Thanks for reading!  I'm not making as much as I was in the corporate world, so blogging is clearly about the love and not the money.  However, I'm making enough now that I do consider it one of my jobs and not just a hobby.

That's me after my TV appearance talking
about my People magazine appearance.

I am the S. in J. Pollack Photography - which is to say that it's my husband's business, but I do a lot of work behind the scenes. We truly believe the motto that everything is more fun when you do it together.  Jonathan is involved with this blog (taking photos, editing my posts, and taste-tasting - of course), and I am involved in his business (scheduling, second shooting, and doing a first pass review of every wedding and family shoot).  That's just how we roll.

Here I am behind the scenes (literally) trying to capture the expression on
the little girl's face. She is clearly not looking forward at Jonathan's camera.

I'm a freelance writer and recipe developer.  I write monthly for Paula Deen's website, periodically for FEAST magazine, and develop recipes and posts for food brands.

My son and me making pumpkin ravioli together for a FEAST magazine story.
Yes, that's the same son from the photo above (I only have one). He just has lots of curls now!

I'm a conference planner.  Food Media Forum has become a major event for those interested in all aspects of food media: blogging, freelance writing, cookbook authorship, staff writing positions, and food photography and video.  It takes nine months of prep to successfully pull it off.  

The Food Media Forum crew: Stacy, me, Steph, Laura, Kimberly

I no longer answer to the Stef from 2007 who could never imagine being a stay-at-home mom, blogger, photographer, freelancer, and conference planner and who wouldn't quite understand why I wasn't "working" (meaning going to an office).  This is my life and I love it!

Let's also not forget that in 2007, I couldn't keep a hula hoop around my waist - and now I'm a hooper!  Take that, corporate Stef. 

Then, there are the things that never change:

I like cupcakes, but I LOVE sweet potatoes.  At the end of the shirt photoshoot, Jonathan snapped this one of me eating a sweet potato for dinner.