Phenomenal Fuel: An Interview With Deandra

A friend of mine from high school has been sharing some delicious food via her Instagram page. Her name is Deandra Goodman and I've know her for years. I've been following her from the very beginning because well, it's food and I'm always down for some good recipes. I even remember taking a high school cooking class with her many years ago. She describes her food as "usually good for you, feel good food" and it always looks downright amazing. I mean, check out this yummy tofu over quinoa below. I'm definitely going to be trying to make this!

I'm a huge fan of cooking and I was so excited to find out she was launching a website full of video tutorials and details about her food. I decided to do a fun little interview with her to get to know her brand and share with you guys an awesome new place to go to for new recipes. So check out the interview below to find more out about Phenomenal Fuel and get some food inspiration.

Just tell me a little bit about yourself!

"I’m 22 years old. My mom is full German, from Hildesheim, Germany and my dad is black, from Clinton, NC. As a previous Army brat, I spent several years of my childhood in Germany, but I’ve lived in North Carolina since 2005. I graduated this Spring from East Carolina University (GO PIRATES!) with a B.S. in Interior Design. I’m currently interviewing for jobs in the triangle and I’m hoping to get my career started in the design field. Cooking is my second passion next to interior design and I plan to eventually design and own my own restaurants all over the country and the world."

What sparked your initial interest in cooking?

"All the women in my family are brilliant cooks. I grew up watching my grandma and oma in the kitchen, always making the most amazing meals to feed the entire family. My mom and older sister taught me quite a bit, but the rest I learned by trial and error. I took a few culinary arts classes in high school and fell in love with the art of cooking. I watch the Food Network all the time and I would love to have a popular cooking show like that one day."

Where do you get your inspiration for your recipes?

"Pinterest is my best friend. I spend hours browsing through Pinterest looking for recipes that I’ve never tried before, so that’s where I get most of my inspiration. I’ll take the recipes that I find and put my own spin on it. Other than that, I watch Bizarre Foods and BF: Delicious Destinations, Chopped and Master Chef all the time. When I see authentic dishes being made from places all over the world, I fall in love and have to try my hand at it as well."

How did you come up with the name Phenomenal Fuel?

"That’s a funny question, actually. I may or may not have had a little crush on one of my high school history teachers, Mr. Long. We used to tease him for referring to everything as “phenomenal.” It’s not a word that people use every day, so when I was thinking of a way to describe my food, that was the first thing that came to mind. However, I didn’t just want it to be called “Phenomenal Food”. I wanted to offer healthy recipes that fuel your body instead of simply satisfying your hunger. On top of that, I hoped to offer lifestyle tips to help you grow as a person as well. Thus, Phenomenal Fuel was born.'

What’s your go-to recipe/s right now?

"I’m pretty obsessed with soups and salads right now. Back in high school we had a chef visit from one of the local community colleges and he taught us how to make this insanely delicious white bean chicken chili. I recently perfected it with my own twist. I make it for my friends and family and it’s always a hit. Now that summer time has rolled around, I love making fresh salads, so naturally I had to start my first video tutorial with a salad recipe."

What ingredients are your favorite to incorporate into a recipe?

"Garlic, red pepper flakes, and creole seasoning. I can pretty much guarantee you that any remotely savory dish that I make will have creole seasoning in it. It’s the perfect blend of spices and elevates the taste, no matter what you’re making. Fresh garlic is always a must, especially in my homemade mashed potatoes. I’m a heat freak as well, so I give most dishes a hefty shake of red pepper flakes just to kick it up a notch."

What inspired you to pursue the Phenomenal Fuel website and start making videos?

"I knew from the very beginning that I wanted to create an actual website to host everything on one platform. But once I started posting my food on Instagram, my followers began to request the recipes for them. I’ve been cooking for so long that nearly everything I make, I make purely based on feeling. When I know how something is prepared and how the finished product should look, I just wing it. However, I wanted other people to be able to make the same dishes as well. Therefore, I decided I could show them better than I could tell them. With social media and technology continuing to grow, it only made sense to start filming video tutorials and take the time to write out each recipe along with the instructions for my followers."

What’s was the hardest part of creating and launching your website?

"I started designing my website in the middle of my senior year of college, so the most challenging part in the beginning was actually finding the time to put everything together. Once my final semester ended, I had a great deal of free time and finally started getting everything together. I had no idea what went into starting a blog site, let alone filming, editing, and uploading each video. I did a bit of research and took notes from some of my favorite YouTubers and decided what look I wanted to go for. I wanted everything to look as clean and user-friendly as possible and I’m pretty happy with the way things turned out."

What do you hope for the future of your website?

"I’m excited to start collaborating with some of my friends who are blogging and filming YouTube videos already, whether it be cooking or beauty and style (for my Feel Good section). I have tons of friends who are great cooks as well and I would love to feature them in my videos. Two heads are better than one so it would be my pleasure to start collaborating. More importantly, I truly hope that I can continue to build my followers and grow the Phenomenal Fuel family."

// Visit the Phenomenal Fuel website by clicking here! //

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Deandra's interview marks the beginning of a new section on Marish. The new Interview page will host various conversations or encounters with people I come across. Get ready for some awesome features and great people. If you have an interesting product, website, lifestyle or talent I'd love to collaborate with you! Simple send me an email to officialmarish@gmail.com.