Friends of Tabletop: Meet Meghan Grant from Im Fixin' To!
Friends of Tabletop is a place where we share who we love working with. This can range from a client, influencer/blogger, or special someone who simply means a lot to the Tabletop Team. Colleagues and friends who we’ve met throughout our journey with Tabletop Media Group make us apart of who we are.
This month, we’re featuring blogger Meghan Grant of Im Fixin’ To!
Photo credit: Meghan Grant
Tell us about Im Fixin’ To.
Hi, y’all! I’m Meghan and I live with my husband, David, and my dogs, Winston & Gizmo, right outside of Raleigh in Willow Spring. I was born and raised in northeastern North Carolina in a small town, Roanoke Rapids. I moved to Greenville to attend East Carolina University, and after graduating from undergrad, moved to Raleigh, where I’ved lived for the last 11 years. I started writing a blog in 2010 as a means to keep up with a dear friend who had moved from North Carolina to California. This space slowly transitioned to being a space to share my favorite things about my home state and all that it has to offer! I rebranded to I’m Fixin’ To in 2016, with the encouragement of my dad, who has always teased me for my use of this Southern phrase.
Why do you write about food + Triangle area happenings?
I started writing about my experiences in the Triangle around 2012, and honestly, there wasn’t much of an “influencer” culture yet. I was writing to share what I was learning and loving about the area and was really excited to see more and more small businesses popping up. Where I grew up, there weren’t many locally owned restaurants and I didn’t know what I didn’t know about food. I’ve always enjoyed trying new things, whether it’s a new food, a new drink, or just a new experience, and that was really what drove my passion for writing. I still find this to be why I enjoy sharing my experiences on my blog and social media channels. Nothing brings me more joy than hearing from friends and readers alike that they tried a recommendation from I’m Fixin’ To and how they enjoyed it.
What are you currently reading?
I just finished The Maidens by Alex Michaelides this morning and could not put it down once I started it! I will start reading The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave this week.
I am also reading High on the Hog by Jessica B. Harris and I highly recommend watching the Netflix documentary series based on this book.
Photo credit: Meghan Grant
What's your favorite ice cream flavor?
Chocolate Peanut Butter or Butter Pecan (pronounced pee-can).
Photo credit: Meghan Grant
What is your least favorite food?
Hot dogs and bananas. I haven’t eaten a hot dog since I was in third grade. Not a fan of the smell or flavor of a banana.
What about favorite food?
While I’m not good at a lot, I’m very good at eating so it’s hard to pick one favorite. With that, I’ll just list out things that are my go-to orders. I love eastern North Carolina BBQ with fried okra and a sweet tea. If I’m at a restaurant and a shrimp burger is on the menu, best believe I will order it. I’m also a big fan of soft shell crab when it’s in season and I haven’t met an oyster I haven’t liked yet. I also enjoy a black bean burger and truffle fries. In the summer, you’ll find me eating a BLT on sourdough with Duke’s mayo and a slice of pepperjack cheese for lunch. And I will never turn down an everything bagel with bacon, a fried egg, and cheese for breakfast.
Photo credit: Meghan Grant
Bar order? If you don't drink, what's your coffee order?
If I’m ordering a cocktail, a French 75, otherwise, a glass of Cava or Pinot Grigio.
Photo credit: Meghan Grant
What's your most unpopular opinion about food?
I’m really particular about how my eggs are cooked these days. I wish I could like a runny egg, but it’s not for me. I prefer a fried egg or egg whites.
If you could redo one thing in regards to your blogging / social influencer career what would it be?
There was a time prior to transitioning to I’m Fixin’ To that I felt like I was trying to fit in with how blogging was evolving. And it did not work for me. I felt uncomfortable and unsure of my direction. Rebranding and really focusing on what my passions are and why I spend time creating and writing for this space was almost therapeutic for me.
What's the most useful lesson you've learned from being a blogger?
Be yourself! The best thing I found was identifying my niche and knowing that this is an evolving process. Everyone’s journey is different. There isn’t a magic wand or secret to this other than creating an authentic space and being consistent. I learned a long time ago that the content that I thought was going to be the post that would go viral, never got the numbers I expected it would. But the posts that I created, that showcased my personal experiences and were authentic in their delivery, have done great. A specific example was our trip to NYC where I had no intentions of writing about it, but did and it is still one of my most popular posts to date. With that in mind, creating evergreen content has been what has helped maintain my focus and my niche while evolving with me over time. I spend a lot of time updating existing posts now instead of always creating new content and that has helped grow my page views, especially in 2021.