Today we’d like to introduce you to Trina Vu
Hi Trina, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Hi! My name is Trina and I am a digital content creator, focused on creating content related to Minnesota restaurants and events.
I grew up in Arizona and New Mexico as a 2nd generation Vietnamese American (both of my parents are Viet immigrants). Exploring culture through food was always a part of my upbringing- whether it was reconnecting with Viet culture through traditional dishes, learning to make American food at home (sometimes with a Vietnamese twist), exploring the Mexican and New Mexican cuisines that our friends and neighbors shared or just trying something new that we saw on TV (or as we got older, from the internet).
When I moved to Minnesota, my love for exploring new cuisines expanded. Aside from trying Midwest dishes that were new to me (no, I never had a cheese curd until my first Minnesota State Fair in 2014 and my first tator tot hot dish was at the dining hall at the University of Minnesota), I had exposure to Hmong food, Somali food, Middle Eastern food and so much more.
My love of making food content stemmed from my love of taking pictures. As a kid, it started with taking pictures of everything I came across- people, plants, food, you name it. Then it manifested on Instagram in high school where I documented my final years in New Mexico and my first few years living in Minnesota as a college student. Over time, I started posting more pictures of the food I ate and places I visited until one day, I decided to create an Instagram page solely for my food pictures, which was how @foodiesalibi was born.
What began as a personal food diary for my close friends to follow eventually became a project as I started creating reels. My goal is to not only highlight restaurants and events that I enjoyed, but also to highlight the different local restaurants and cuisines that the Twin Cities area has to offer.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Content creation certainly has its ups and downs. On the the one hand, you have to be flexible since the algorithm can change so quickly on you (and each platform has it’s own algorithm that you have to figure out), but also, it’s a hobby for me so I have to figure out how to balance my hobby with my full time job and responsibilities in life. It’s can be a lot of fun, but can also be stressful when all my worlds are clashing. Learning to prioritize my time is definitely a skill that I’ve developed.
Even though content creation is not my main “job”, it’s important for me, whether I’m collaborator or just as a customer, that I highlight the restaurants and events in a way that is respectful, and hopefully in a way that allows potential new customers to learn more about what the restaurant or event has to offer and make their own decisions to visit.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m currently a Business Systems Analyst in a corporate environment. I also formerly worked in human resources, retail sales and logistics and love opportunities to connect with others in any role that I’ve worked in.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
If you’re interested in working with me or collaborating, please message me on Instagram (@foodiesalibi) or send me an email at foodiesalibi@gmail.com!
I try to answer as quickly as I can.
Contact Info:
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- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foodiesalibi
