Smitten Kitchen

Since she began, I have watched Deb Perelman, the woman behind Smitten Kitchen. Like everyone else in 2006, it started with a blog. I was watching the food industry change. Then in 2009, I invested in Food 52, and they would have an annual best food blog event. I don’t recall who won, but I remember Deb Perelman being there. She was a self-taught cook, and probably a bit overwhelmed and enamored to be at this event. Being in her kitchen seemed to be her comfort zone. She created an impressive business around herself. Watching her evolve over the years has been noted. She just launched a third cookbook, and her website is a source of knowledge and commerce. How she built her audience up to today is a cultural phenomenon. She is a business. One woman way ahead of the curve.

How many others grew as unique independent businesses in different verticals out of Web 2.0? The data around who has succeeded like Deb with social technology is worthy. I am not talking about influencers because that is a category I am still grappling with. I am talking about next-gen Mom and Pop businesses that have used the tools of Web 2.0 to build something significant.

Technology has changed the workplace and careers. Has anyone else noticed the empty offices? Yes, some companies still have offices but remember, many were tied into a long-term lease during Covid. People are not going in five days a week. How we want to live is how we live, and technology allows that.

It was not that long ago that all these changes started. Technology is just picking up speed. The changes from Web 1.0, beginning in 1996 and onward, should be explored. I hope it is. There is plenty to learn from those early days and to see what has stuck.

As we enter Web 3.0, I hope that this decentralized and open web will be more relevant to how we want to live, how we want to engage with the community, and how everyone will play some role in the community. Only time will tell.