Lifestyle

Tim Cheung Builds a Food Blogger Community

Published

5 years ago

August 5, 2020

In the era of technology, social media has allowed people to connect with those who share the same interests and passions. Some share tweets or posts they know their followers will enjoy. Others review products or restaurants to let their followers in on the hottest trends. But there is a special group of people who have connected and created friendships and professional relationships to help each other design the appropriate content to fit their brand’s aesthetic. These people have created an extremely supportive community.

When Tim Cheung began his food blogging journey five years ago, he realized not a lot of people were talking about the local food scene. As he started sharing his experiences and visiting minority-owned spots, he gained more Instagram followers on his Bay Area Foodies account and received messages thanking him for the inspiration to become food bloggers themselves. Because of this, he was able to connect with people who were as passionate as him about food. Therefore, building a collaborative and strong food blogger community in the Bay Area.

For Cheung, it is important to create consistent yet fun content in order to make his work fun. If he starts seeing food blogging as a chore, he knows he is more than likely to stop enjoying it. He says “the best way to be consistent is to constantly find ways to make this hobby fun for yourself. I have met a lot of people that have eventually given up because they started seeing food blogging like a chore.” This is why he has surrounded himself with a community that motivates him to continue outdoing himself. It was by connecting with these other food bloggers that he realized food tastes better when it is being shared.

How did this foodie who is crazy for all the newest food hypes connect with people like him? Social media was the key. Once he established a connection with other food bloggers who were interested in helping get the word out on all the amazing mom and pop restaurants in the Bay Area, Tim organized collaborative food crawls once or twice a week. Before COVID-19 hit and lockdown was set in place, these food bloggers would visit several spots together in one day. Thus, allowing to motivate each other and help create captivating content for their respective accounts.

“Following a posting schedule is important in keeping your audience interested and definitely helps in growing your following,” says Cheung. Creating this special community helps hold one another accountable. It is easier and more enjoyable for food bloggers to drive everywhere together to try the most exciting and newest foods to later blog about them and keep their followers interested. This support group also serves as a great source of inspiration when it comes to editing photos or videos in a more appealing manner and thinking of catchy captions for every post.

Tim Cheung has always been passionate about food and was able to successfully turn that into a career by utilizing his digital marketing and social media marketing experience. Since the beginning, his goal has been to bring attention to minority-owned businesses that were not getting the recognition they deserved. As he embarked in this delicious venture, he connected with other professional food photographers who shared his interests. It was then Cheung was able to build a food blogger community in the Bay Area that inspired him to keep his journey fun and his content consistently captivating.

Lifestyle

The Future of Social Dancing: How Latin Dance is Adapting to a New Generation

Published

6 days ago

August 21, 2025

Michelle Langton

Latin dance thrives on connection. The music, the partner, and the crowd all feed one another.

Today, that connection is shaped by a younger, digitally fluent generation, and few understand the shift better than Damian Guzman, founder of Bachata Sensual America (BSA). From prize-winning festivals to late-night socials, Guzman and BSA show how the scene is evolving without losing its roots.

Streaming steps, viral beats

A decade ago, beginners to Latin dance hunted for grainy DVD tutorials; now they unlock entire combinations on their phones. TikTok loops, YouTube shorts, and Instagram reels have compressed learning into snack-sized bursts.

Many of the artists signed on with Bachata Sensual America meet dancers where they scroll, posting slow-motion breakdowns and “follow-along” drills that rack up thousands of views. This approach addresses two key Gen Z demands: instant access and a clear path from screen to floor.

By allowing newcomers to practice at home before facing a packed room, the online channel lowers the fear barrier while seeding a desire for in-person connection.

Festivals as entry points, not finish lines

Digital discovery is only the first act. For many people, their real baptism happens at multi-day events where practice hours blur into sunrise socials.

BSA’s flagship Houston Bachata Sensual Festival returned on May 2^nd, 2025, with a follow-up week slated for Bachata Sensual Festival Chicago, September 4^th-9^th, 2025. Both weekends pair technique labs with mental-wellness talks and DJs specializing in bachata, mirroring the playlists in dancers’ earbuds.

That balance of skills and community is why independent reviewers named BSA one of the “Top Latin Dance Festivals in the United States” for 2025. Yet, for Damian, awards matter less than the message: a festival can feel world-class without pricing out college students. He keeps passes tiered, encourages volunteer shifts that offset costs, and prepares bootcamps for absolute beginners, ensuring the dance floor reflects the same diversity he sees online.

Teaching culture, not just choreography

Bachata’s recent boom owes much to its European reinvention. Damian experienced that surge firsthand while earning one of the first U.S. instructor certifications in the Bachata Sensual style. He returned determined to give American dancers the same blend of precision and musicality he had experienced abroad.

BSA classes devote equal time to connection cues, body mechanics, and the genre’s Dominican roots. That trifecta resonates with younger students who want authenticity, not just a viral dip.

“In class I tell people, ‘Technique is how you respect your partner; musicality is how you respect the song,’” Guzman said during a recent podcast. The line distills his mission: elevate standards while keeping the dance welcoming.

Building inclusive, mindful spaces

Generation Z brings new expectations around consent, identity, and mental health. BSA’s code of conduct spells out everything from appropriate touch to gender-neutral role selection. Security staff mediate conflicts quickly, and workshop leaders open sessions with grounding exercises to calm nerves. These actions might sound small, yet they remove friction that once pushed many newcomers away.

Damian argues that such policies go beyond ethics; they future-proof the scene. Normalizing role fluidity in Latin dance widens its talent pool and invites richer musical interpretations. By acknowledging anxiety and overstimulation — common concerns for digital natives — events can retain dancers who might otherwise retreat after their first crowded social.

Latin dance has never stood still, and its next evolution is already spinning under disco lights from Houston to Helsinki. With a phone in every pocket and a festival on every calendar, the gap between discovery and mastery keeps shrinking.

Damian Guzman and Bachata Sensual America illustrate what happens when tradition listens, adapts, and leads with purpose. The result is a scene ready for whatever beat the next generation drops — and a future where social dancing feels more connected, inclusive, and alive than ever.