After finishing her undergraduate studies, Melissa “Missi” Erdelac returned to school in order to get her graduate degree, which later led to the acquisition of a teaching license. She and her husband both lived and worked in Colorado for some time, but they moved back to her hometown of Valparaiso after the birth of their first child.
For many years, Erdelac's life was immersed in the raising of her young children. At a certain point, though, instead of continuing to teach, her sister planted the idea in her head that she start her own food blog, and the rest truly is history. Erdelac has since used her family’s Italian heritage to her advantage, making cookbooks and keeping up with the blog itself, Mama Gourmand.
Prior to pursuing blogging, Erdelac had been doing some amateur photography and had always found joy in the act of writing, so her decision to switch over to becoming a full-time blogger wound up playing out swimmingly. Although maintaining the blog started off as an obstacle, this new endeavor quickly proved to be manageable even with having to tend to her growing family.
“It used to be a lot harder, but honestly, it's a lot easier. Now, I'm in more of a routine because my kids are all in school. I drop them off at school, and my workday is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. I really protect that time. I don't run errands during that time, nor do I do housework. I make sure I stay on a schedule and just try to squeeze in as much as I can in a short amount of time,” she said.
Erdelac’s interest in food has helped to drive her career forward. However, this whole passion has spawned out of and come with challenges. Nevertheless, her stellar perseverance has provided her with a way of discovering gold in the landscape of life’s dreariness.
“Thirteen years ago, I was diagnosed with a gluten allergy. I grew up in a very large Italian family where food was a crucial part of everything; we all enjoyed cooking. When I got diagnosed with this gluten allergy, it was just devastating for me because it isolated me from sharing with my family. I then focused the blog on gluten-free food, which is interesting because this thing that was such a horrible aspect of my life turned into my business,” she said.
There are two things about the food-blogging business that Erdelac never expected to be exposed to. For one thing, it’s connected her to foodies all over the world who are just as passionate as her. For another, her writing has evolved into something greater than what it was before, as it originally had to follow the conventions of usual blogging, such as the inclusion of storytelling elements and a laid-out roadmap of sorts.
“The world of blogging has changed since I started in 2016. It's very technical, focusing on keywords and on having the at-home cook make the recipe as well as possible for the first time. It’s the process of walking people through how to make the recipe everything it can be. I work on the website about 40 to 50 hours a week, and there's a tight-knit community of food bloggers that’s led me to meet those I now consider my best friends,” she said.
Erdelac’s job doesn’t require that she only write. On the contrary, it also requires that she do a bit of recipe testing, something which she reserves for the weekend, where she’s invited to try for herself the tasty things that make up the bulk of her prolific writings. It all even amounted to more than a blog since she’s published her own cookbook, “Frugal Gluten-Free Cooking: 60 Family Favorite Recipes That Won’t Break the Bank,” and has her own podcast.
Because there’s a thin line between her hobby and her job, much of what Erdelac does is keep up with everything happening in the world of food. Breaks are sometimes needed, so to clear her mind, she’ll go on a lot of walks. Her love of walking stems from her innate urge to challenge her personal limits. In fact, a couple of years ago, she went on a 20-mile trek with her friends through the Grand Canyon, experiencing vast differences in weather and taking 12 hours to complete the journey.
Erdelac makes a tremendous effort to balance work life and family life. When the family is spending time together, they do a lot of traveling, snowboarding and skiing along the way. Her love for being outdoors means many vacations, including trips in the family camper in the summers and hitting the slopes in the winters.
Being around Valparaiso since her high school days, Erdelac’s heart was stolen by the city long ago. Nowadays, it’s all a matter of enjoying the area with her family.
“We've found Valpo such a great place to raise our family. We live in the downtown area, and we really take advantage of it. I always tell people that Valpo is Indiana's best-kept secret because it’s right by Lake Michigan and close to Chicago. It's really just a great location,” she said.
If you’re looking to access Erdelac’s blog, it can be found at this link: mamagourmand.com. You’ll also be able to find her podcast there. Her book can be purchased online here.