LSU food-blogging twins Kaitlyn and Marigny Lanaux spend most of their time hopping around Baton Rouge and New Orleans, constantly searching for new fun foods to try.
When the Lanaux twins first launched their foodie Instagram account, @fork.with.us, in April 2019, they had no clue they would be creating content as viral multi-platform food bloggers. The duo now has thousands of followers on Instagram and a booming TikTok account with 14,400 followers and nearly 180,000 views on their most popular video.
“I think it’s really good we have two people running the account,” Marigny, who graduated from LSU last December, said. “When we first started, it was kind of hard to build momentum. It’s really easy to lose momentum and forget about your food account.”
Both sisters agreed that sharing the account helped them get it off the ground. If one sister is busy, the other can post something, so content is put out constantly. Without each other’s help, the busy life of a college student would have gotten in the way of their success. Working with each other has also allowed for easy communication when running their accounts.
“As twin sisters, I’ll just sometimes go up to her and say, ‘so are you gonna post today or what?’ It’s easy that way,” digital marketing senior Kaitlyn said.
The twins were inspired to start their content-creating journey after a high school group chat, where they would share pictures of all the new food they were trying, faded out of existence once they got to college. They continued to take photos of their food after the downfall of the group chat and felt discouraged when they had nowhere to share them. Social media became their saving grace.
“We were sitting in our dorm freshman year, and one of us just said, ‘Wanna make a food Instagram?’” Kaitlyn said.
It wasn’t easy at first, and running the account was often a full-time job that they sacrificed their social time for, but it was well worth it. The twins said they feel the account is finally at a place where it can become monetized.
“Monetizing an Instagram account definitely comes with time because you have to establish your audience so the brands you want to work with know you’re credible,” Kaitlyn said. “When we first started we were basically just going out to eat a lot and posting everything that we personally bought. Now we’re at the point where places have come and reached out to us and been like, ‘We can sponsor you.’”
In addition to being viral content creators, the twins are also “Yelp elites.” Being a Yelp elite secures them exclusive invites to local restaurant openings and promotional events, like the opening of Baton Rouge’s Crumbl Cookies location, where they got free treats. To become a Yelp Elite, one must be 21, post frequent Yelp reviews of restaurants with photos attached and then nominate oneself.
“I think it’s a really cool way for anyone in the journalism field or in media to boost your resume a little because it shows that you spend your own personal time putting your own experience somewhere in writing,” Marigny said.
Not only do these events allow them to enjoy some free food, but it also helps them to expand their circle of food blogger friends and network. The foodie community in Baton Rouge and New Orleans is tight-knit, and the twins have made many great friends and contacts, such as the New Orleans foodies Karen Phan and Lynn Wesley Coleman.
“The community is probably one of the greatest things about it because it is a way to market yourself for future jobs and networking,” Marigny said. “It’s the relatability that I think is cool. There’s not that many people that can relate to owning a food blog, so it’s fun to discuss our past experiences.”
Talking and relating with other creators about the sometimes embarrassing nature of their job has helped the twins feel better about doing things like taking flash pictures of their food in the dark at crowded restaurants. The awkwardness is also softened because they have each other instead of flying solo.
“One thing that is good is when we get invited somewhere, we always have someone to go with,” Kaitlyn said.
“When we get invited somewhere, the most awkward part is being like, ‘Hi, so ya’ll invited us here,’” Marigny added. “Usually the person that messaged us on Instagram is a social media manager, whereas the person at the restaurant is a hostess. So sometimes, almost always, they’re like, ‘Wait, what are you talking about?’ It’s the worst part because I feel bad, but I usually just pull out my phone and show them just so they don’t think we’re crazy.”
From invites to private events with a personal sushi chef to tours at a local Baton Rouge rum distillery, the Lanaux twins are building a foodie empire. Through persistence and dedication, they were able to translate their love of food and the community surrounding it into a profoundly unique passion project.
“The food community is definitely not something that I would have ever guessed I would have been a part of until we started getting invited places and meeting people,” Kaitlyn said. “It’s just so special because we go places now and everyone is happy to be there, we’re all going to enjoy the food we’re about to get, and we’re all so excited to be there.”
Follow @fork.with.us on Instagram and TikTok.
