Jamie Milne
#GirlBoss! ‘Everything Delish’ Instagrammer Jamie Milne Quit Her Job As A Teacher To Pursue Her Passion (EXCLUSIVE)
Working 9-5 isn’t exactly thrilling, which is why many millennials are ditching their boring office jobs for a more carefree lifestyle. One of those millennials? Jamie Milne. The former teacher quit her job at the age of 25 for a career in social media — and she’s quickly becoming a household name. As the creator of Everything Delish, Jamie is taking the world by storm, one tiny square at a time. In fact, she already boasts nearly 145,000 followers on Instagram. Not too shabby!
We had the chance to chat with the Toronto-native, and TBH, we’re seriously inspired. Keep reading to learn more about Jamie, and be sure to take notes! She’s got some tips for creating the perfect Insta-worthy pic.
Courtesy Jamie Milne
1. You left your dream job as a teacher at the age of 25 to pursue Everything Delish full-time. What led you to that decision?
My entire life I dreamt of being a teacher, and it was an extremely difficult decision to not pursue my “dream” career — something that I worked towards for almost seven years (5 years completing my Bachelor’s of Education and 1.5 years completing my Master’s of Education) — and take on Everything Delish full-time. When completing my Master’s Degree, I knew that my heart wasn’t in teaching anymore, as my time was consumed with attending events, answering emails, networking, and growing Everything Delish. However, it wasn’t until I started partnering in international campaigns with large brands/companies that I knew I could take on this job full-time. Although I received a lot of “slack” for not working in a job that fits within the norms of society, I am so happy with the decision that I made and have never looked back!
2. How did you get Everything Delish off the ground? I mean, you have nearly 145,000 followers! I gotta know the secret.
I believe that there are a few contributing factors that helped get Everything Delish off the ground! To date, I have curated over 10 “viral” videos that have over 1.5 million views (the highest video has almost 5 million views) and this definitely contributed to the growth. I also started to see the following grow once I started putting myself out there on Everything Delish. Once my followers saw the “person behind the camera” and realized that I was this young girl pursuing her passion and love for food and travel, I became extremely relatable to so many people. Now I always joke that I have 140,000 best friends who are always tuning into my routines and following along with my daily life, and I love it!
Courtesy Jamie Milne
3. Your Instagram posts make me so hungry! How do you create the perfect pic?
Believe it or not, I actually shoot a majority of my photos with my iPhone X! I always say I am not a professional photographer, rather I am a professional eater — and you don’t need to have an extremely fancy camera to take that awesome food shot! I believe that in order to create the perfect photo, you must have good lighting (LIGHTING IS KEY), a clean plate (don’t be afraid to take a napkin and clean off the edges of the plate if there’s some extra food there), and photograph food that excites you! Some of the editing apps that I use are Lightroom, VSCO, and Snapseed.
4. Do you take all the photos you post yourself?
Yes! I take all the photos myself. I believe that it is extremely important to curate your own content, and this is also something that brands look for and really like. However, I recently had an intern join the Everything Delish team who attends and takes photos of events/tastings on my behalf if I’m unable to go.
Um, do you need a second intern?!
5. It looks like you travel quite a bit! Where should Life & Style readers book their next vacation based on your own experiences?
I am so fortunate that travel has been something that I have been able to incorporate into Everything Delish, and my followers love it! I recently got back from a trip to Tel Aviv, Israel and it is definitely a place that I recommend for everyone to go visit! Not only is the food and culture absolutely amazing, but its history, land, and people are truly beautiful!
6. Is there somewhere you’re dying to go that you haven’t already been? Or perhaps a place you’d like to revisit?
I would love to travel to Southeast Asia! I have never been before, and this is one of the places that I get asked most about by my followers for food/travel/hotel guides.
7. Where are you originally from?
I was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, and am currently living here (and traveling all over)!
8. This is probably hard to narrow down, but tell me the most delicious dish you’ve ever had!
The most delicious dish that I have ever had is the Spicy Rigatoni from Carbone (it is all over my Instagram, too!) I am a very simple girl (believe it or not), and this pasta is unlike any that I have had before — it’s simple yet refined and perfectly cooked.
9. What’s one food on your bucket list that you just need to try?
Such a hard question to answer! I would have to say Chef Michael White’s fusilli with baby octopus and bone marrow from Marea!
10. What would you say is your biggest accomplishment so far? (Aside from being on LS, of course;))
Thank you! I am so fortunate to be able to share my story (especially to LS, of course) since it’s becoming extremely relatable to the millennial audience. I would say one of my biggest accomplishments was being featured on national television a few months ago to speak about the impact social media has on the restaurant industry! Also, I am going to be working with one of my dream publications next week for a special takeover — so make sure you stay tuned on Everything Delish!
11. Do you have any advice for millennials who feel stuck in their jobs and want a change of pace?
The one piece of advice that I have is to DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY! If I had a dollar for every time someone STILL said to me, “It’s so great that you have teaching to fall back on if Everything Delish doesn’t work out,” I would be rich! It’s outstanding how many negative people you will meet that will try and bring you down, but as long as you are pursuing and working towards something that you love, that is all that truly matters.
