Meet Chris Simpkins of CritterSimpFood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Simpkins. 

Hi Chris, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
For a couple of years, prior to the pandemic, I had setup a food blog where I hosted pictures of my dishes and recipes, but it wasn’t something I put a lot of time into; it was a creative outlet that I enjoyed. 

I was inspired to start that blog because I had been hosting a weekly Thursday “family & friends” BBQ dinner for the past 15 years+ and I was asked about my recipes regularly. It only made sense to take some pictures and put the recipes together in one place – I’m also a bit of a show-off, so I enjoyed the attention, but the appreciation for my food was the main driving factor. 

Ultimately, I let the site go and stopped, as I didn’t find much success there; mostly because I had no idea what I was doing. 

Fast forward a few years to lockdown, during the pandemic: this is where things had changed…for everyone, really. I no longer could host my weekly get-togethers, but the desire to continue creating dishes and showcase them was bigger than ever. TikTok was an app that exploded so I became curious. After a few weeks of posting, I had a video go viral and it grew exponentially from there. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There has been nothing smooth about growing my online presence. In fact, I initially wanted to create music. I spent years playing in bands, doing solo shows, etc, as a singer and guitar player. I wanted to continue to share that with the world, but as the pandemic hit, I got a severe case of esophagitis which triggered chronic laryngitis. 

I was unable to speak for several months, let alone sing. I could whisper a few sentences a day, at best. The worst part was I couldn’t get it treated as it was non-life threatening and hospitals/doctors were only seeing patients with life-threatening conditions. I just had to suffer it. 

The condition ended up lasting for the better part of a year, which was a huge motivator to keep going with food and make that my online presence. I couldn’t narrate at first, because of my condition, but I did vocal exercises for several months, which led to my narration in my videos, and ultimately that practice and work is what helped restore my voice. 

It was a difficult period. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’ve been in sales and marketing my entire adult life. I initially sold health and life insurance for many years but ended up in the youth sports market, working in a family-run business. My experience as an insurance salesman aided me in setting up a sales and marketing process for the business. It has grown year after year and I’ve been happy to be a part of that. 

However, at this point in life, I’m so excited to feed this creative side of myself. I’ve been working with sponsors and creating advertisements for local businesses, grocery stores, etc, and it has been amazing! I’ve worked with the Ohio Pork Association, Kroger, etc, and I can’t see myself stopping. It’s upward and onward from here. 

What were you like growing up?
I was always an extrovert and created friends easily. I’ve always been interested in things that brought people together. That desire is why I have always loved being involved with music and food. What better excuse to get everyone at the same time and place than to enjoy some songs, share a laugh, and share a meal? 

I’ve always been outgoing and had many interests, but togetherness has always been most important. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tiktok.com/@crittersimpfood/
• Instagram: @crittersimpfood