From the beginning, Skyler Bouchard ‘11 knew her passions: food and media. Bouchard still remembers her first vision of merging these two interests into a future career occurred in Archmere’s cafeteria as she was devouring her favorite dessert: a chipwich. Though her friends probably thought she was daydreaming or joking, Bouchard recalls confidently stating, “One day I’m going to eat and get paid for it!” Little did she know that dream would become her reality just a few years later. After starting a blog in college, creating a business, and branding herself on a plethora of social-networking platforms like Instagram and Youtube, Bouchard found herself gaining traction in the food industry.

After graduating from Archmere, Bouchard attended NYU to study Broadcast Journalism and Communications. With the knowledge she was gaining in the classroom, Bouchard took the leap to launch her own blog, “Food by Skyler”, as a medium to channel her creativity and passion for food. Then, Bouchard started her Instagram account in 2012, and with Instagram’s dramatic increase in popularity her account reached 10k followers by 2014. However, it wasn’t solely optimal timing that led Bouchard to achieve a substantial Instagram following; she claims her main asset was “having a unique vision and a unique brand.” 

Being a blogger in the food industry, Bouchard sets herself apart by her unique mission to “find fun, unique dining experiences and make cooking less intimidating.” By approaching the industry with this mindset, Bouchard’s instagram (@diningwithskyler) has racked up 177k followers to date. And that is only her instagram following; surely there are countless more foodies who follow her online blog, subscribe to her YouTube channel, or watch her on Amazon’s live digital platform, where she showcases kitchen items on deal. Bouchard captures engaging content and connects with her target audience by radiating her personality through the camera. Her content, which consists of original recipes, restaurant reviews, travel reflections, and lifestyle tips, all contribute to the personal brand she has defined for herself since the beginning of her blogging career. 

When asked how she scaled her audience, Bouchard reflected on how her platform evolved, stating, “In the beginning when I started my blog I was trying to be a New York Times writer and I was 20, I had no credibility, and I wasn’t growing because nobody cared. And then I started to use my own voice, and that’s what helped me start to gain traction. That’s still the strategy I have now.” 

In addition to being a blogger, Bouchard is an entrepreneur; she took the driver’s seat in creating a cake ball business which she maintained for a year and a half, which led her to work extraordinarily long hours blogging during the day and baking, packaging, and shipping her product during the late night hours and on weekends. Though she did not particularly enjoy the production sector of the food industry, Bouchard expressed the importance of her entrepreneurial endeavor, which lended her experience and credibility in the food industry. Her expert advice to students aspiring to become entrepreneurs is that, “If you ever start a business, the most important thing to do is research past models and build a new way for it for you.” 

For every course from breakfast to dessert, “Dining with Skyler” presents nearly 100 original recipes that cover cuisines from around the world and range savory to sweet, and everything in between. Bouchard explains her strategy of creating original recipes has evolved as she has gained more expertise; now, instead of falling into the black hole of Google, Bouchard attempts to recreate past dining experiences, with her own unique twist. Still, creating original recipes is quite the process. In Bouchard’s own words, “Recipe development is such a trial and error game. It’s a lot of failing and eating, and then just eating your feelings.” Despite the diligent, demanding process, Bouchard’s recipes inspire her followers to find comfort in cooking with bold flavors, while taking mindful healthy shortcuts.

Bouchard is a trailblazer in the food-media industry; she has opened the door for women to step out of the kitchen and explore the industry in innovative ways. In addition to the work she does on her personal platform, Bouchard also created a media company in which she helps restaurants and startups with branding, social media, and their creative strategy. Her career has taken off, but she certainly isn’t looking backwards. Her future goals are countless, as the industry could take her anywhere. However, a specific long-term goal Bouchard hopes to achieve is “to align with a network for TV or digital video where I can either cook or explore.” 

Bouchard credits her family, who is prominent in Delaware’s dining scene, for instilling in her a love of food, along with Archmere for shaping her into who she is today. “I really evolved during my time at Archmere… my freshman and sophomore years I wasn’t really even thinking about what I wanted to do. I was focused on sports and academics, but channeling energy into those things helped me realize exactly what I wanted to do, which was entertainment.” She attacked sports and academics with this creative mindset, treating the lacrosse field as a platform to express herself. 

In addition, Bouchard credits Archmere as a pivotal step in her self-development, stating, “[high school] was one of the most important times in my life where I got to learn the foundation of who I am and what my interests are, and a lot of that was figuring out what I didn’t want to do… that’s actually one of the most helpful things you can ever experience.” Though Archmere’s broad, demanding curriculum may seem daunting, Bouchard reassures students that enduring unfavorable subjects is actually a vital step to discovering passions. Basically, in simpler terms, she is advising us to trust the process.

When asked for the best advice she could give to students aspiring to begin a blog, Bouchard said, “Don’t start a blog if having a blog is the main goal… start a blog if there is something you are truly passionate about and you want to talk about it.” She expands, saying, “Once you figure out your passion and what you want to blog about, find your voice and find a way to make yourself different.” 

If she could give any advice to students, Bouchard wants to communicate the importance of finding comfort outside of your comfort zone. She says, “If anyone thinks your ideas are crazy and you are thinking outside of the box, you are doing the right thing… Being outside of the box is actually the most comfortable place to be, and I highly recommend it.” So, Bouchard is opening the door for us to not only dream, but to trust ourselves to chase that dream. Because who knows where it could lead; from eating a chipwich to having a successful, booming food-media career (aka her dream job), it worked out pretty darn well for Skyler.