The world of food content creation seems like quick snaps of delicious bites but it entails far more than what meets the eye. For almost three years, Tiana Chung has been building a brand entirely on the delights of food, its history and the culture associated with it. Birthed in 2019, the ‘Wonga Gyal’ brand encompasses food photography, food reviews and blogging and podcast curation.

During a four-month stay in Trinidad, Chung became exposed to different types of cuisine from what she had been used to in Jamaica despite the two islands sharing similar historical backgrounds. A trip to Cuba in the same year was also an eye-opening experience where she discovered that the palette of Cubans was much more meat-heavy and their desserts were more diverse.

The inspiration gained from travelling inspired her to use Wonga Gyal to encourage more conversations around the diversity of food that can be found in Jamaica and in the Caribbean.

“I find that a lot of times people tend to pigeonhole themselves into eating the same thing every day and having the same culinary experiences and I think there is so much more to explore,” Chung told OBSERVER ONLINE.

Chung has been exposed to different types of cuisine from a very young age, particularly through her Chinese Jamaican grandmother who loved to cook.

“My mother also loved to cook and experimented a lot so being around someone like that was really influential in developing such a wide palette,” explained Chung.

Having started Wonga Gyal on her phone, Chung has guided the business a long way towards becoming a success.

“Wonga Gyal was never something done to become an influencer. It literally was just that I had a collection of photos on my phone after a year of travelling and eating really good food then I decided to share it,” said Chung. As a committed content creator, she has upgraded her phone to take high-quality social media photos and purchased a DSLR camera. She has also bought a laptop, editing software and food props such as plates, glasses and cutlery.

Chung has also enrolled in master classes and subscribes to food photography mailing lists to hone her skill as a food photographer.

“If someone wants a photo of ice cream, for instance, I spend time thinking of how I am going to compose the picture. If the lighting does not come out right I sit on it for so long. With social media people think it’s just taking a photo but people do not realise that there is so much that actually goes into it,” explained Chung.

Wonga Gyal has also gained popularity from its podcast which takes a deep dive into the relationship between food, history and culture. With two seasons already out, the podcast has explored topics such as Jamaican street food, the relationship between food and body positivity, the significance of food during Easter, box food culture and more.

Chung has secured partnerships with Juici Patties, Café Blue, Candy Craze, Caribbean Passion, CB Foods, Likkle More Chocolate and the Recover Stronger Together Campaign. She has tested and photographed products for these brands which have helped to give her exposure and monetise her craft. When she is not engaged in food content creation, she works as a social media manager, copywriter and essay editor for college applications. With so many responsibilities, this forces her to be extremely organised as she works to grow her brand even more.

As she works towards building relationships with other brands in 2022, Chung has her sights set on establishing a website, making more content on TikTok, releasing season 3 of the podcast and elevating her food photography. Just recently she created branded T-shirts for the Christmas season and plans to launch the ‘Wonga Shop’.

“I want to go into offering products that help to broaden people’s exploration of local food products,” said Chung.

Chung’s ultimate dream for Wonga Gyal is to become the ‘Caribbean Food Buzz Feed.’

“I would love to be able to have Wonga Gyal be a platform where Jamaican chefs and home cooks can come and give their recipes a platform,” expressed Chung.

Although she is also interested in areas outside of the food industry such as event planning, she is certainly dedicated to becoming a renowned food influencer.