Check Out Nancy Butler’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nancy Butler.

Hi Nancy, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I always dreamed of combing the main things that I care about – travel, food, writing, and helping others – into my life. When I was in high school, I started a food blog and food Instagram account (@the_basil_leaf) for fun and to see if this was a career/life path that I wanted to actually pursue. Then, I attended Rollins college from 2017-2021 and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in creative writing. I joined the organization Spoon University and was able to write and publish pieces on food while an undergraduate. While at Rollins, I studied abroad in Rome, Italy. Living there for five months solidified my love of travel, food, and also writing and inspired me to move back one day. Since living there, I have continued my study of the Italian language and continue to find ways to learn about cultural awareness and competency.

Also while I was in college, I landed two internships: one writing for Edible Orlando Magazine and one working with media and food management for East End Market. At East End, I met Chef Jes Tantalo, and she helped kindle my love of cooking. I began working with her for catering and events, meeting amazing people in the Orlando food community and learning nearly as much about cooking as I would have in culinary school. At Edible Orlando, I learned all about magazine publishing, and I eventually worked to become a paid employee. I also was granted multiple opportunities to travel for the magazine. Towards the end of my time in college, I was offered writing opportunities in the food and attractions section for Orlando Magazine and have continued with them as a freelance writer. I have continued my food Instagram all this while and still try to find small ways to combine all of my passions into everything I do. I am so grateful for all of these opportunities!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
While I am very fortunate for the opportunities I was granted, it was and still is difficult to enter and exist within a corporate world of people who are experts in what they do when I was young and inexperienced. It’s hard for people to trust you to write their stories, and that is something you have to build up over time. It is also difficult to learn to advocate for yourself, especially as a freelance writer when so much of our work naturally goes unnoticed and subsequently unappreciated.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I love writing about food and I am proud of what I write. I believe my work is special because I approach it from multiple backgrounds – while I might just be writing about food, I try to focus on helping the chef or farmer, bringing awareness to a sustainability issue, and especially bringing light to food justice issues. My job is so tell stories, and I love featuring people in our local community who are also experts in what they do. Because I have lived in another country for a short term, I also try to bring a cultural awareness to what I do. I also love my food Instagram account because it is a more casual, lighthearted, and interesting approach to Instagram and it also allows me to share and highlight the incredible places I visit and eat at. I do not do any ads or any partnerships; I just want to share some of the great places I find.

What matters most to you? Why?
Kindness towards others and our planet. Everyone deserves the chance to live a full and happy life on a planet that is healthy and thriving, and I want everything that I do to reflect this. It is difficult to imagine something as simple as kindness with all of the injustice and pain in our world, but I believe that kindness and respect to every living thing (plants included!) would solve nearly all of our problems. My family and friends, my experiences abroad, and my love of food have all contributed to why I believe and value kindness so highly.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @the_basil_leaf