Dear Martha Stewart… An Open Letter by an “Unprofessional” Blogger
Dear Martha,
I am a food blogger, a self-taught photographer, and a recipe developer. I am a social media guru, carb loving, and hungry-for-food-and-knowledge-full-time-job-working-blog-aholic. And I love what I do.
I am not what you call a “professional”. My job does not require a white chef’s coat. I am not a food photographer who works full time for a large corporation with a tangible, lick your fingers to flip to the next page magazine full of recipes I must try. I write on the internet in a small corner of the web that only a few hundred thousand people see in a month – where you have a few hundred thousand in a day visit you.
I recently viewed a clip of an interview that you gave that asked you about social media, and particularly bloggers. Though I agree with some points of your statement, that we are not all “professionals” per se, I disagree with you on almost every other point therein. And it breaks my heart.
Please, I implore you, don’t tell me that I am not a professional. Working for a large scale publication, having a television show, or having multitudes of published cookbooks is not the sole bar in which to mark a professional in the food industry.
I get up in the morning on my weekends at 6am after working a 40+ hour work week, to brew coffee, peruse the internet, respond directly to reader and company e-mails, and then jump into the kitchen to test out and photograph my latest carb laden brain child, all done in an effort to share my joy on my blog the next week and repeat this process the next weekend.
Please don’t tell me that I am not a professional who devotes all of her extra time – and let’s face it – time at my “real job” to do what I am fiercely passionate about – food blogging. You’re very fortunate to have entire departments available at your disposal to create, test, photograph, and market all of your wares, recipes, and trusted ideas. I? I do that all myself for a fraction of the cost – though my bank account may disagree. I am the complete professional package. I conduct myself professionally, and have a business, like a professional. So what did I miss to rise up to that level of “professional” we all hold in such high esteem?
Please don’t tell me that I don’t test my recipes and don’t rely on skills that I have accrued from trusted sources, including your publications, soaking up hours of reading, and my DVDs of America’s Test Kitchen played on repeat to the chagrin of my husband, and internet video’s of Jacque Pepin learning how to debone a chicken and how to temper eggs with melted butter to make the most divine, lemon scented hollandaise sauce known to man. Knowledge and learning is power – and I am viciously hungry for it.
For nearly four years I have worked tirelessly on this hobby, which has become my unwavering passion. I’ve tried to mold my own corner of the internet into something that I can be proud of, something I can show off and something that will last indefinitely. Perhaps you have lost some touch with those who read your publications – because when someone emails you to tell you that they have one of your recipes in the oven filling their home with a smell so wonderful it comes bursting out of their windows it makes your heart grow knowing that someone thought of you as a trusted source and welcomed you into their home, even for a brief while.
You have an army of infinitely talented people working for you, photographers who have spent years working on and honing their craft. Is it somehow less legitimate that I have picked up my Canon Rebel and created a photograph of the same caliber? Is it less worthy of praise or someone’s drool on their keyboard?
We have all come from different roots, background and skill sets. I believe your background did not start in the kitchens and working your way up through the ranks? Yet we all wish to rally people around a common theme of food, friends and family. I don’t see our missions as all that different – just the methods we use to get there. You have created an empire, one that is trusted by millions. Let me have my empire. I’m proud of it, no matter how small it may be. It’s all mine.
I have the upmost respect for you, your publications, the things you create and how you have diversified into products that are of high quality and great style. I have products of yours in my home that I adore! Though you seem to see us bloggers as having nothing original to provide to the ethos, and that there is nothing solely original to provide to the masses anymore, why do you continue with all of your hard work? What is the point of continuing on if not to inspire and be bountiful in spreading the knowledge that you have and sharing that with others who crave the same? I hope you will look past our, as you say, unoriginality and see that we are a community, a very tight one that lends itself to inspiration and rallying together provide support to one another, to teach one another new skills, and to tell one another there is nothing we can’t do and there is nothing we can’t create if we put our minds to it.
Thank you for being an inspiration to millions, and please continue to do so without airs and looking down upon us. We do try, so hard.
I have a crème brûlée to make and bourbon to go drink now. Perhaps I will pair them together. And photograph it, too. Of course.
Sincerely,
Megan Keno
Food Blogger
This is fantastic, Megan.
Amazingly well said!
Proud of this!!
Well said!
Tell ’em how it is, gurrrrrl!!! 🙂 Very, very well put!
This is fantastic – very well said, Megan!
Can i get an AMEN??? AMEN and well said!
Martha Stewart has always struck me as “greater than thou,” and her recent statements prove that. All of the recipes that I’ve taken and then adapted to be gluten-free are from blogs like yours — regular people baking and cooking with regular ingredients and typical kitchen supplies. Thanks for saying what so many of us are thinking.
Well stated. I am a Martha fan from way back. But I think that Martha needs to remember the way back…how she started with selling pies, catering small events, etc. She did not start as a professional foodie either. She built an empire from scratch, so to speak, and she needs to remember that. She did it without the internet but she shouldn’t be-grudge any for that. You were right to take her to task.
This is just awesome! I’m so shocked over this…messed up!
Well said – thank you for having the patience and eloquence to express what Martha needs to hear. Without readers/viewers/enthusiasts like you, she herself wouldn’t be where she is today. Unfortunately, I think she’s forgotten that.
Lets not forget that she has always had an open bank account before she was known. And she pays many to sit around and think up all her new ideas. Well said!
The irony of it is that this morning in my inbox was an email from none other than the Martha team PRing me on one of their upcoming projects…
Her comment was a little out of touch and disappointing in my opinion. Most bloggers I know are her biggest fans!
Great letter. 🙂
And I am one of hers, too! Which makes it all come full circle – it’s a biting the hand the feeds you. Or rather, her bank account.
This is aca-awesome and so are you!
You said this better than I ever could have. Mad props to you! So very well said, Megan!
Brava, Megan! So eloquently honest, and perfectly said. You speak for all of us here, and I, for one, am proud to stand besides you and this post. I DO consider myself a professional. This IS my job. When someone asks me what I do, I answer with “I’m a writer, photographer, and chef for my own website.” That. Is. My. Job. And that makes me professional. All of that, along with your points of conducting myself professionally and interacting with my readers and peers.
Beyond all of what you said to defend our little pieces of the Internet, you have also refreshed me. This move has been difficult, and I’ve had to temporarily let some things fall to the wayside. It’s been incredibly hard to pick all of my reigns back up, but you’ve invigorated me to get it together. Once I do, I’ll be on top of things again, and feeling refreshed.
Thank you for defending me. Because that’s what you’ve done; you’ve defended all of us passionate, creative, hard working foodoholics. And thank you for a breath of fresh air and boost of motivation.
Love you, girl!!
Completely agree. Well said.
Awesome job Megan! So well written, and perfectly on point!
Amen sister!!!
I agree with you and appreciate your hard work here. Your site is truly beautiful. I really don’t care about Martha’s opinion, I mean, she did go to prison after all.
Kudos to you! So nicely put 🙂
Bravo, friend!! Sometimes people need a little friendly reminder of where they’ve come from. And to mind their manners. #highfive #yougogirl
Bravo! Extremely well said. We do what we love and we happen to love sharing it with others. Why do you need to criticize that?
Excellent!!!!! Well said!
I wonder how many of her team sit and stare at “blogger” creations on Pinterest, and then adapt them for their own use and ideas. This is okay as inspiration comes from so many places everyday but without us bloggers doing what we do, a certain part of the internet would be very boring! We drive the gooey, the drip and the ooze…..
Awwww girl! I love how you write. Direct and well stated without being rude… just like a Cleaver should be. I hope Mrs. Stewart gets a chance to read this.
Love ya! M.
I’m glad you wrote this. 🙂
BEAUTIFULLY said. You are a wordsmith, and an amazing one at that. A.M.E.N.
I have to add just one thing. My great, great aunt (who was born in 1900 and lived to the ripe old age of 99) lived down the street from Martha Stewart at one time and used to tell our family, “She’s NOT a very good neighbour,” sourly.
Internet high-five!!
Love this letter to Martha! You go girl!
Megan, I believe you are as professional as they come in the food blogging world. I remember when we first became blogging buddies back in the day and I am so excited to see how your blog has grown. You are an inspiration to me and a dear friend! Keep up your hard work because it is appreciated by so many. Your work is beautiful and tasty! 🙂 xoxo
Looooooove.
Love you Megan! Your hard work shines through and you are a real inspiration, much more than Martha. You are the real deal and that is why readers connect with you. I admire you for laying it all out there and you said it so well!
I didn’t see her interview but love what you have said!
Amen, sista!! Could NOT have said it better myself. I’m just as shocked and offended as you that she would discount our hard work as bloggers claiming it to be a popularity contest. Wow… Proud of your words Megan and proud of this post! Loved it!
Sing it! Seriously, love this and love you. Well done.
Well done, but you are a lot nicer than I would have been. Frankly, it pissed me off and whether or not her PR or legal department make her apologize, I’m done with her and her products. I’ve never been a big fan anyway and always thought she was holier than thou, so I’m happy to tell the next PR pitch no thanks!
Amen! Well said. I firmly believe, had the internet been around when she started her cooking/baking, she would have blogged as well. So proud to call you a friend Megan 🙂
You go girl!!! Thank you for putting into words what so many of us feel. I’m like, don’t tell me I don’t test recipes! For goodness sake, I was in the Pillsbury Bake-Off 3 times and do you think I submitted recipes without testing them first? And, they were MY original recipe creations! All one has to do is look at my kitchen counter when I’m in the creative mode…as I’m sure other bloggers will agree! Bravo Megan…high five!
Thumbs up! Perhaps Ms. Stewart feels a tad threatened???
Wonderfully expressed, Megan. Thank you for taking the time to put into words what each of us feel.
Amen, sista.
Hi Megan, Your letter is amazing and I was so touched by how beautifully you expressed yourself. I truly am not a professional blogger but I absolutely love visiting food bloggers, trying the recipes, inspired by the beautiful photography and reading the post each of you work so hard to put together. I just want to send a personal Thank You! I can not express enough how much I appreciate you and other blogger such as yourself. When I try your recipes I always smile and wonder where is the mess on this bloggers post? My kitchen is a disaster, but the food delicious. 🙂
Rock on!! I 100% agree with your post 🙂 oh, and your photos are just as good if not better than ones I’ve seen in her cookbooks and magazines!
Word. Amen, sista friend. Spoken from the heart.
Love!
Amen!
Thank you for putting into words, so eloquently what many of us are thinking.
I agree whole-heartedly, Megan! Bloggera are a wonderful community – we create, fundraise, and build relationships because we want to. And because it’s important to us.
Boom. You nailed it, Megan!
Do people even care about her opinion any more? Seriously, who cares what ex-con-Martha has to say about anything? Condescending twit.
Sorry, but I couldn’t agree with Martha more! Bloggers are a dime a dozen and rarely have any credentials to make them worth reading.
Listen, I love a good Martha as much as the next girl. But that woman is a machine. I’d rather your writing and work any day than the corporate craftery she publishes.
Keep it up, you have a lot of fans.
Well said Megan! Martha’s helpers are legion but she certainly didn’t start out that way…she needs to remember that.
You. Are. Awesome.
Thank you. Her statement broke my heart a little bit yours is so far better, kinder, and resonates more than hers. You are awesome!
Outstanding and so very well written!
Take that M.A.R.T.H.A…Very well said!!
I just read about the whole Martha Stewart thing a couple of minutes ago, then opened my reader and saw your letter, amazing letter lady. Well said!
Damn girl! Well said!
If I knew how to do those clapping emoji things I so would, but I spend too much cooking and photographing and writing and emailing and working hard to do that!
Well said; thank you for writing this!
XOXOXOXO. right on Megan.
I’m very proud to follow you, and other “next-door-neighbor” food bloggers; I don’t follow ANY “big-wig” bloggers because I believe my “gal pal” bloggers (you!) provide MUCH more of a personal, down-to-earth, relatable blog, with recipes I’d make in my own kitchen, versus those I need a dictionary or a degree for!
Here! Here!
So nicely put. Please keep up the good work!
Your response to all of this mess is spot on. So well written.
Hear hear! Well said, Megan. Thank you for standing up for all of us!
I don’t think Martha will ever read this so other than get more of your followers riled up. don’t see the point
Fact: Martha Stewart sold out so long ago she forgot what it means to be invested in anything on a grass-roots level, let alone cutting edge. So she understands food blogging like a 92 yr. old understands the Internet. Really her comments are just exposing her ignorance….
Thank you for writing this. I’ve seriously had enough of so-called “professionals” treating us so-called “unprofessional” bloggers as if we have nothing to offer the world. It’s like that popular girl in high school who had the designer dress at prom & made fun of the totally original & beautiful handmade dress worn by the girl who didn’t have as much just because it wasn’t Prada. I’ve always loved and revered Martha but I’m glad you spoke up & told her to get off her high horse.
I just saw the video on bloomberg and I am shocked about what she said. Thank you for your answer
Great post Megan, well said!! For what it’s worth, I look at your blog far more often than I look at Martha Stewart’s site haha 😉
YES. I love this!! Martha needs to rethink what she said…she is just too good at putting her foot in her mouth!
Very well said Megan, I really couldn’t believe her remarks, it made me really sad! I’ve always thought Martha was great… Now not so much 🙁
Well said, Megan!
I won’t be renewing my subscription to her magazine now; that’s for sure! I’ve always founds it to be too upper-crust and inaccessible for my taste anyway. Most of her recipes are foods that I’d never consider making. Like you, our household LOVES Christopher Kimball and his teams! We have many America’s Test Kitchen cookbooks, and they are fabulous! Way to have good taste! I think I’ll go sign up for your emails now!
What a wonderful letter! I personally agree with you. I love to read and see what my favorite food bloggers are up to. To me you are all professionals. Keep doing what your doing!!
Spectacularly written, Megan!
Love this! All so true.
Oh my gosh! This is the first interview I’ve watched with Martha Stewart and I’m blown away! And I want to play, too. Dear Martha, How much did Ralph Lauren and Macys pay you to say all that stuff? I’d take you more seriously if there was less botox in your face. Don’t tell me my recipes aren’t tested…I tested them in my own kitchen, which is more than you can say about your recipes. P.S. You’re a crappy human being.
Seriously, Megan, I’m so glad you posted this…this is true evidence of the lack of integrity that goes on in the corporate world. Sure, her brand offers paid advertising on blogger’s sites and claims to support bloggers, but the actual spokesperson of the brand, MS herself, doesn’t support bloggers. LAME! Lame on all accounts! Ugh! I’m so mad! And I want to hug you!
I have read you open letter & I am really impressed by how well you have made your point. What you do motivated by your passion sharing your thoughts, creations & photos so that others may enjoy them is impressive & appreciated. I have not been a follower of your blog but definitely will be one henceforth. Keep up the good work & know that there are thousands of people that agree with what you said. Martha has lost a fair amount of support due to her superior attitude, you have gained new support because of her off the cuff remark that shows just how far she is from the average person.
love this so so much. you’re sooo well spoken. you rock girl!
THIS!
I just found and “Liked” you and look forward to perusing your site. Love your open letter to MS…I am SO over Martha!
Thank you Thank you Thank you….I could not have said it better!! Golly I hope she reads this and it maybe gets through to her…she has such a thick skull!!! I have to say, I used to love her, read every issue of her magazine, and I had all her cookbooks. She makes me literally puke now. How does she think she got where she is? I don’t even care what she says honestly I think she’s an idiot, and completely disconnected from her followers, unlike us. She does not deserve to be where she is. I believe treasures are not given to us here on earth and I’m thinking someday she will be one lonely lady with nothing to show for “all her hard work”. You can’t treat people poorly, it eventually comes back to bite you in the hiney! Thanks again….now I feel better too! xoxo love you~ you are awesome! Sheila
Megan, you always manage to make me smile. Well said.
I love you for this. Especially this part, “see that we are a community, a very tight one that lends itself to inspiration and rallying together provide support to one another, to teach one another new skills, and to tell one another there is nothing we can’t do and there is nothing we can’t create if we put our minds to it.” I trust this community more than any other empire, mainly because I know personally how much time, care, and love is put into every recipe and every post. Thanks for writing this!
Well said, Megan. I believe Martha began baking cookies or cakes @ home. She did not attend culinary school or have any formal training. She always acts like she accomplishes all of the stuff she does alone. Hardly! I always say, I could do that too if I had “staff” I say keep writing and keep spreading the love, one dish at a time.
I don’t know, I tend to think Martha is rather spot on in what she says. Granted there are good bloggers out there (yours being one of them), but there is a lot of crap too. Cooking something once and writing it down doesn’t make it a tested recipe. I have pulled recipes from blogs before and there seem to be ingredients missing or measurements are scaled wrong. There is no form of feedback at all, other than a comments section that usually has 80 some people commenting saying “Oh, I’m going to make this,” or “I’m allergic to dairy; I can’t have this,” and just one person that leaves a comment with a question in regards to the recipe itself, which rarely if ever gets answered. To some blogging is a career, but to 98% it’s something to do on a Tuesday night…copy down some recipe that they made once and thought was AMAZING and then take a crap picture in crap lighting. Don’t take Martha’s advice to heart if you’re a good blogger, take it to heart if you’re not and give up and go do something constructive like exercise (and please if you do, don’t blog about it and take a blurry camera phone picture at 8pm when the lighting isn’t good). People get all bent out of shape about her because she’s a successful, professional woman that really has taken her career to heart and made it an empire. Don’t bring someone down for doing well.
I completely agree with this. It’s a pretty broad brush to use to pain a large group of people. There are bad bloggers and there are bad lawyers. One of those groups gets paid a lot of money to do their job badly, the other is doing it for free (most of the time). I think it would be best if qualified her response a bit more. 🙂
You. Are. A. Rockstar!!!!!!
Everything you said is spot on! Martha needs to shut her mouth sometimes.
Love this. We’ll spoken, lady!
Well said, Megan. While I don’t doubt that her comments may have been true regarding a subset of bloggers, there is always a risk (and frankly it is almost always wrong) when you make a blanket statement to discuss a group as a whole.
I love Martha, but she did generalize here. I agree with her that not all bloggers are experts, and just because someone can start a blog doesn’t mean they know what they’re talking about. I have a nutrition-focused blog, and I’m constantly seeing bloggers making all sorts of false nutrition claims that are not based on science. It makes me sad because they’re spreading misinformation. However, this is not everyone! People like you – and other bloggers who share their love of a certain subject with readers – are a gift. Generalizations like the one Martha made are just a bad idea!
I agree with you 100%!! Thank you so much 🙂
Yes! and thank you! Very well said!
amen sista!
Way to go Megan you said it all, God bless you girl
BRAVO!!!!!
This is a cool article, but I would not be too up in arms about martha stewart. She’s not a professional chef either. Her credentials are that she has many viewers, which is not enough. She’s not an authority on cooking like she thinks she is.
Just fantastic, Megan. Great job and I couldn’t have said it better myself.
xo
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Amen!!!! Absolutely prize winning post and thank you so much for putting into words what so many of us were thinking!! ~Paula
Well. Said. Awesome sauce.
Ok Martha, don’t tell me the recipes I share with my readers that come from my great grandmother, my grandmother or are in my recipe notebooks for almost 30 years have never been tested. Thank you Megan, I could never have said it better.
LOVE THIS
Bravo Megan! So well said.
Do so without airs. <— Amen.
And yea, all of us bloggers who work 80 hour weeks on our little 'hobbies' that we're somehow less than, inferior to. That mentality is just so irksome! Thanks for this post!
Well said! I was listening to Martha and all I could hear was, “I feel threatened and therefore am unwilling to adapt.” I get that there are many things out there that aren’t quality, but the internet in a way is a self-regulating beast. Readers aren’t dumb, and can separate the trustworthy, good blogs from ones that aren’t.
Megan this is brilliant! Bravo!
Kudos! So well said Megan!
So darned proud to know you, Megan! Well said on every point. For someone who started as a humble caterer, she seems to have completely lost touch. It’s sad and shameful on her part. And you know what? I rarely go to Martha’s website, but I drop in on yours daily. You do it all by yourself; she has a team to make it happen. Bloggers such as yourself are my heroes.
You go girl. Not a Martha fan, but love your site very much.
Bravo Megan. Beautifully stated. This article is worthy of Martha’s attention.
I think your blog and your work puts Martha’s to shame. I’ve had a personal embargo against any and all of her products for years. I won’t buy a single product related to her (nothing to do with the stock mess- it was because of how her company instructed Michaels to treat customers related to her products).
Your recipes are superior and I feel like I could tackle even the most complicated recipe if I follow your steps.
I’d like to pretend I’m surprised by what she said but I’m not. Oh and me thinks she had to snark on food blogs because she knows how good they are.
I’m not normally this snarky but I have a strong dislike for Ms. Stewart
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Dear Megan
I am a begginner blogger in an Isareli (Hebrew language) online publication named http://www.saloona.com. My subject is fashion, and while I am taking my 1st steps as a blogger, I AM an expert, with the propper education and CV, in my field of blogging. I am slowly and happily making my way into the minds of a slowly growing crowd of Hebrew readers. I know many bloggers in my field who have made it their businees to teach themselves about fashion. I have the greatest respect for them, just as I do for ‘propper professionals’.
For the lack of time on my hands I hardly read foodie blogs, but I think I could have had one, just by taking the time to learn how-to and make some excellent recipes (I am quite good in the kitchen, but don’t blog about it). I could also have been a restaurant critic, a film critic, a book critic. We people are multi-faceted and, under the right circumstances, and given the passhion and the ability to research their subjects and write about them, could all be well (if self) taught professhionals inwhatever field we chosse to express ourselves. This, to me, is one of the beauties of current online media.
Well done on your heartfelt honest letter to Martha Stewart. I feel that she ows all of us bloggers a big apology.
Amen! Well put.
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All I have to say is AMEN!!!
Let me tell you something amazing, you are fantastic! I love that you wrote this. I have no desire to watch the interview and I don’t think I have to. Your passion alone in writing this speaks for the passionate hearts of millions of bloggers out there and we appreciate you for standing up for us and our little corners of the internet. I am so inspired by you and I will be sharing this post with the rest of my corner. Amen!
Great! Thank you Megan!
Thanks Megan!
You did great job…want to be here again and again.