Amber Mayfield Transcript
Kerry Diamond:
Hi everyone, you are listening to Radio Cherry Bombe, and I'm your host, Kerry Diamond coming to you from Newsstand Studios at Rockefeller Center in the heart of New York City. Each week, we feature interviews with the coolest culinary personalities around. Joining me today is Amber Mayfield, the founder of To Be Hosted, an event production company, and the founder of While Entertaining, a print and digital magazine. You know we love print magazines around here. Amber is a real doer, as you're about to learn. And when she sets her mind to something, she gets it done.
If you are a longtime listener, we really never talk about people's ages on Radio Cherry Bombe, because you could do cool things at every age, right? But Amber has done all of this and more, and she's not even 30 years old yet. Very impressive. We'll be checking in with this dynamo in just a minute. Today's show is presented by Wild Planet Foods. The company known for its sustainable tinned seafood. A lot of you out there are like me, in that you love to cook for yourself. You collect cookbooks, you're always checking out recipes, and you try to have a well-stocked pantry. One of my pantry staples is canned tuna.
Even though I care about sourcing and buy my fresh fish from sustainable sources, I surprisingly hadn't given any thought to my canned tuna. It turns out the fancy brand I was using had zero sourcing information on its packaging. That's just one of the reasons I love Wild Planet's Skipjack and Albacore Tuna. They are 100% sustainably pole and line caught. Everything you need to know is right there on the label. There's even more information on their website, wildplanetfoods.com. You can learn about their sustainable fishing practices, and how Wild Planet came to be. You can also snag their most popular recipes.
If you'd like to try Wild Planet for yourself, check out Cherry Bombe’s Instagram for our Wild Planet giveaway. One lucky listener could win a gift basket from Wild Planet featuring more than $100 worth of their sustainably sourced tinned seafood. Please note, this is for our U.S. friends only. With Wild Planet, you're choosing what's best for you, your loved ones and our oceans. Remember, there is only one Wild Planet.
A little housekeeping, early bird tickets for Jubilee 2023 are now on sale, and are almost sold out. Jubilee is our annual conference and it's become the biggest gathering of women in the world of food and drink in the US. Jubilee 2023 is taking place Saturday, April 15th at Center415, right here in Manhattan, and you can snag your ticket at cherrybombe.com. Each year. We have amazing speakers like Nigella Lawson and Ina Garten, and each year tickets do sell out. So don't miss your chance to snag one. I would love to see you there. Now, let's check in with today's guest.
Amber Mayfield, welcome to Radio Cherry Bombe.
Amber Mayfield:
Thank you for having me. I'm excited to be here.
Kerry Diamond:
I'm so excited. Your first time on the show. I hope it's the first of many times, and I want to officially welcome you back to Rockefeller Center. You know this place even better than I do.
Amber Mayfield:
Very well.
Kerry Diamond:
Because? Tell us why.
Amber Mayfield:
I was a Page. I was a Page of the NBC Universal program, to start my career.
Kerry Diamond:
Some folks might not know what being a Page means. So why don't you tell us?
Amber Mayfield:
So if you watch 30 Rock, you are likely familiar with the Page Program through Kenneth. He's the most popular, most well-known Page, but essentially I summarize it as TV grad school. So it's one of the entry-level jobs that you could take at NBC Universal, so you get to work in production and marketing and corporate and kind of rotate around to figure out what it is that you're going to do for the rest of your career.
Kerry Diamond:
What were some of the things you did as a Page?
Amber Mayfield:
When I was a Page, I had a few different assignments. So I worked at USA Network in the marketing department. I worked at the corporate events team, where I got my inkling that I wanted to do more in events. I did the Today Show, The Tonight Show, Late Night, Saturday Night Live, all audience services stuff, but it was a fun, interesting experience to have as an early grad.
Kerry Diamond:
I think we've all heard of some of those shows. What was your favorite?
Amber Mayfield:
I loved the Today Show. It was early, I would do Weekend Today, but I think the entertainment that surrounds the morning news and the energy that surrounded that crew was just so fun. So I always think back fondly to my Today Show assignment.
Kerry Diamond:
And how about Saturday Night Live?
Amber Mayfield:
That was a little bit later, but I think live television is always really interesting to watch how it all unfolds and watching how it would function from the rehearsal show. So they did a live dress rehearsal show, so they did the whole show plus some extra sketches. And then less than an hour later, they would then record the live show. So I was always interested to see what sketches did well enough to make it to the live show, because you've got to see some that didn't make it.
Kerry Diamond:
And that's a hot ticket, so the fact that you got to see several of those, did you have a favorite band that you got to see?
Amber Mayfield:
I don't know that I had a favorite band. I'm not as up on all of the bands. I was really into the logistics. And I remember this one sketch that they brought in a horse. It started to back up into the set for a different sketch. And just watching them try and figure that out was the thing that sticks out in my mind about live television and thinking on your feet when you have live animals on your live television show.
Kerry Diamond:
And that's great experience for an event planner, where you just have to make things happen.
Amber Mayfield:
You just have to respond when a horse is backing up on your table.
Kerry Diamond:
You mentioned to me that you love the prop closet.
Amber Mayfield:
Mm-hmm.
Kerry Diamond:
Tell us about the prop closet at Saturday Night Live.
Amber Mayfield:
Love sneaking in there, because it was just trinkets and things that you could never imagine needing, but you can find it. It was quite organized. And I love just sneaking in there to see like, "Have I seen this on a show? Will this make it into the show? What in the world do you have this particular item for?" So I always thought that if you can get back there, you've won.
Kerry Diamond:
Now, you liked this experience enough that you stayed and you became an assistant for a few different networks, right?
Amber Mayfield:
Yes. So I worked at Bravo and Oxygen, not in the production side at all. It was very much an office job. I was on the digital marketing team. And on the team when Snapchat was cool and interesting, so I would help run our Snapchat, which was really fun, but it definitely was an office job, which was very different. And I think I realized I didn't love that as much, even though it was a cool network.
Kerry Diamond:
You liked being where the action was.
Amber Mayfield:
I liked being where the action was. I needed just a little more excitement in my day, a little more problem solving, but to each their own.
Kerry Diamond:
So we completely skipped over your childhood, your education, all that. So let's jump back a little bit. Where did you grow up?
Amber Mayfield:
I grew up in Rockland County, New York. So it's about an hour north of the city in a real small town.
Kerry Diamond:
And your parents are school teachers, right?
Amber Mayfield:
They're both teachers. That's how they met.
Kerry Diamond:
Oh, that's sweet. What subjects?
Amber Mayfield:
So my mom is a third grade teacher in New Jersey, and then my dad, he actually recently retired, but he did high school physical education for many years and was also a basketball coach.
Kerry Diamond:
Did you think you would go into the teaching profession?
Amber Mayfield:
I did. I thought I was going to be an art teacher for a while because I loved art. I loved being creative.
Kerry Diamond:
Tell us about meal time at home. Who cooked? What did they cook?
Amber Mayfield:
My mom did most of the cooking. And me and my brother were both athletes, and we were very active kids. So we were always quick and healthy for dinner, and then moved on to homework and practice and games and all of those things. So I think it was interesting because my best memories of my mom around cooking and growing up at home were always around holidays, because that's when we had more time. Everyone was around, everyone could sit together and have a really good meal, but during the week we maybe didn't have as much of that time. So it was definitely an active household.
Kerry Diamond:
Right. Because when school was on vacation, your folks…
Amber Mayfield:
Were also on vacation.
Kerry Diamond:
What were the holidays that stand out to you still?
Amber Mayfield:
I loved Christmas. I still love Christmas, because everybody would come to our house. Our house was the gathering spot for all my aunts and uncles and cousins. And that's when my mom would actually have time to spend a few hours in the kitchen and make a big turkey and macaroni & cheese and sweet potatoes. And those are always my favorite meals. So I was like, "Ooh, that means people are coming over. It's a party."
Kerry Diamond:
Did you get to help out in the kitchen?
Amber Mayfield:
I did. I had very sous-chef-level task. Maybe even lower than that, because I got to peel the potatoes. I didn't get to do too much. Got to snap the string beans, but I was excited about that. I was ready to graduate, and then I eventually got to help with desserts.
Kerry Diamond:
What were the big desserts in the household?
Amber Mayfield:
We would do sweet potato pie. My grandma had a really good sweet potato pie recipe, but I really appreciated that she used store-bought crust so it made it quite easy to make.
Kerry Diamond:
And you said you were sporty. What sports did you do?
Amber Mayfield:
I played softball, basketball, and volleyball. And then by the time I graduated, I was just working on volleyball because I was better at those, but for middle school and most of high school I was doing all three.
Kerry Diamond:
Did you play in college?
Amber Mayfield:
I did not. I thought I wanted to, but I ultimately was not tall enough for…
Kerry Diamond:
Volleyball's a tall sport.
Amber Mayfield:
Very tall.
Kerry Diamond:
Yeah, yeah. One of my tallest girlfriends was a very good volleyball player. So, you go to the University of Maryland.
Amber Mayfield:
Mm-hmm.
Kerry Diamond:
Why did you pick that school?
Amber Mayfield:
Long story short, I really wanted a more diverse school experience, and I wanted a big school. My town was very small. We knew a lot of the same people for years and it wasn't very diverse. So when I was thinking about college, I was thinking about the TV experience, where it's like, the big football team, the big sports program, the big campus. Once Maryland was on my radar, and I took a visit. I knew that was the place.
Kerry Diamond:
What did you major in?
Amber Mayfield:
I majored in communications and I was on the public relations track within communication. I thought I wanted to be a publicist.
Kerry Diamond:
And did you have any other internships in addition to the Page program?
Amber Mayfield:
So, when I was in college, I worked at the alumni center at school. So they did a lot of events and marketing things there. And then I was an intern very briefly at the United Nations Foundation, which was so cool. And so I got to explore the nonprofit world for a little bit, that was like the one, because you could go to D.C. from Maryland from College Park. So I would get on the Metro and go there, so that was fun. But otherwise no, I just worked and had fun.
Kerry Diamond:
When you look back at that time, are there any dots that start to connect for you in terms of your leanings toward hospitality and entertaining?
Amber Mayfield:
At the time I had no idea, but I think looking back on it, working at the alumni center and being the events assistant there, I'm like, "Oh, I should have known all along that this is what I liked." I just apparently had to try a bunch of different things in between then to figure it out.
Kerry Diamond:
So after you're working at the different NBC networks, what is next?
Amber Mayfield:
While I was still at Bravo, I was noticing that all of the networking events were boring and dry. So I wanted to do something about that and have just a more interesting, diverse type of way to network. And so in my mind, I thought the solution to that was dinner parties. Because if you're at a dinner party, you really can't fake it. You are sitting next to that person for two hours.
You are either going to be best friends or business partners, or it's going to be awkward and terrible, and you'll never make eye contact with them ever again. So I was like, if I could start hosting these dinner parties for people to network and hang out and get to know people and have a really cool food experience that wasn't the traditional restaurant. I don't know, I just thought that would be better. So that's what I started doing on the side while I was still working at Bravo and Oxygen and I called it To Be Hosted.
Kerry Diamond:
That was very ambitious of you and forward-thinking because it wasn't the era of the pop-up.
Amber Mayfield:
Mm-mm.
Kerry Diamond:
Now everybody's doing pop-ups.
Amber Mayfield:
Yeah.
Kerry Diamond:
And there's a lot that you can look to and model yourself after. But back then, no.
Amber Mayfield:
No. And I noticed it really wasn't for an audience that looked like my... I was in my early 20s. So if they were doing these kind of pop-up dinner parties, they were $250 and up and only a certain type of person got to go to them. So I kind of felt like it was my underground supper club that was a lot of fun. And I learned how to really plan events on my own and come up with this thing that would later become my event company.
Kerry Diamond:
It was your underground supper club.
Amber Mayfield:
Yeah.
Kerry Diamond:
Where were you doing these dinners?
Amber Mayfield:
Oh, all over the city. I lived in Harlem at the time. I found brownstones that had a cool ground level floor that would let me host dinners there. Did a gallery after hours, a coffee shop after hours, anywhere that I could get that wasn't too expensive, but had enough of a sort of makeshift kitchen for the chefs. We'd bring in live music and cool artists and just have a dinner party.
Kerry Diamond:
And you would sell tickets to these, that's how you funded them?
Amber Mayfield:
Yes. So everybody actually had to apply online and they told me all of this information about them.
Kerry Diamond:
So this was also highly curated?
Amber Mayfield:
Yes, because I wanted to seek people in an interesting way that they would actually really find someone that they had something in common with. So yeah, everyone could eventually be invited, but you were kind of invited with a theme in mind.
Kerry Diamond:
You did dip your toes into restaurants. It wasn't the best experience.
Amber Mayfield:
For a very short time. I was an assistant at a restaurant group and I definitely learned a lot about what I wanted to do and perhaps not want to do in that environment.
Kerry Diamond:
And people forget sometimes that's what jobs are good for too, to help you learn what you don't want to do.
Amber Mayfield:
Yes. I had a crash course of what I didn't want to do or who I didn't want to become.
Kerry Diamond:
Just don't stay in those jobs too long.
Amber Mayfield:
Exactly.
Kerry Diamond:
That's the key.
Amber Mayfield:
It was kind of the thing that pushed me forward because I was at this job and I was young and excited to be there, but I didn't really fit in. They all knew how to pronounce wines correctly and would laugh at me when I tried. And so it was really discouraging. And I was like, "If I stay here, I'm going to be miserable." So I started making my exit plan. I'm like, "How can I make To Be Hosted a viable business? So I can pay my bills and still do really good work and get out of this place?" That's what I did. And it gave me the push that I needed. I wasn't there long. I was maybe there six months, and then I fully invested my time in To Be Hosted. And sure, I couldn't go to brunch every single weekend anymore, but those sacrifices ended up being worth it for my mental health, because I am a much better person out there.
Kerry Diamond:
I want to stay on the subject of this restaurant for a second because I would imagine that a lot of your experience there is what informed where you took To Be Hosted and why you started While Entertaining. You are an example of someone who a restaurant should die to have as an employee, yet they're making fun of you because you can't pronounce the name of a certain wine.
Amber Mayfield:
Yeah. I always felt that was so ironic because I came in saying, "I really want to learn." Took the most junior position on the office side of the work with this whole, "I don't have this in my background, but I really want to learn and I want to work." So I'm like, "Well, of course, I don't know. I'm here for you to teach me that." It's definitely a culture that I think people forget the privilege of information is almost, to some degree or at least right next to, the privilege to resources and finances. I think there's a big, "Okay. We have a financial gap that some people have access to capital and some don't," and that's a very big problem, but we also have this other thing that's happening where people don't have access to the same experiences and learning lessons and information. And that keeps them out as much as the money piece can keep them out. So if you don't create or cultivate a space where people can come in without the knowledge, but come in with a hunger and a desire and feel they can learn there and stick it out, well then what are we really solving?
Kerry Diamond:
It's interesting to me that that experience didn't scar you so much that you don't want to have your own restaurant one day because you do.
Amber Mayfield:
I do. And I would do it very differently. I think I have a very interesting model for how it would all come to life. But I think I can create spaces where nobody else has to have the same experience that I had. And I try to hold onto that. Because some people can get very jaded if they stay too long and they end up doing the things that upset them when they were the junior person, they end up doing that when they're the senior person. So I'm really committed to remembering that feeling and making sure nobody else has to have it.
Kerry Diamond:
Do you have a name for the restaurant yet?
Amber Mayfield:
So it's interesting. I always wanted to call it The House and that's where To Be Hosted kind of came from. I was like, "Okay, before I can have The House, let's do To Be Hosted and create this feeling around event planning and experience." So The House, I really wanted to feel like you were invited to someone's home to have a really intimate dinner party in a restaurant format.
Kerry Diamond:
Would you open it in New York City?
Amber Mayfield:
I'd like to. I mean, everything's expensive here.
Kerry Diamond:
Everything is expensive here. That is the truth. When did To Be Hosted become your full-time job?
Amber Mayfield:
I started it in 2017. So it was probably by 2018 that it was my full-time job. Because I left that other job very sharply and was like, "This is what I do now."
Kerry Diamond:
It was a big leap of faith.
Amber Mayfield:
It was a big leap of faith.
Kerry Diamond:
You're your own boss.
Amber Mayfield:
Yes.
Kerry Diamond:
You hadn't raised money for this business.
Amber Mayfield:
No, but I do like to add the caveat. I don't necessarily recommend that everybody quit their corporate job and do this because I do like to add the caveat of my aids. So I was 24 at the time, and I had the luxury of... well, I'm still on my parents' insurance. I've got two roommates in a high-rise paying $900 for rent. There were a lot of things that were on my side to make it not so scary. And the older you get, suddenly you think about all the elements of your life that would have to change in order to do this and live like this. So I don't like to suggest that. I did take a leap of faith, but I also had some very good circumstances to jump.
Kerry Diamond:
Did I read that you tried to get bank loans and grants?
Amber Mayfield:
Mm-hmm.
Kerry Diamond:
And who helped you ultimately? Your brother, perhaps?
Amber Mayfield:
Yeah. So when I started taking on bigger events, I really needed the line of credit because these corporations, they're very like, “You take care of everything and we'll pay you net 30, net 60, net 90.”
Kerry Diamond:
Net 90.
Amber Mayfield:
It's so wild.
Kerry Diamond:
All you people with your net 90 are killing us small businesses.
Amber Mayfield:
It's so wild. And I was like, "So where am I going to be able to house all this money and these expenses to take on this event?" But really, that kind of format of event agency work changes things for an event planner. So I knew I had to say yes to this and figure it out. So I would go to all these banks trying to get a loan as a person who recently just took out all these student loans to get a master's degree and trying to convince them like, "No, this is fine. I'm going to be able to pay it back in 90 days." And they don't really understand that event model. And they were all like, "No, no, no, no, no."
And so I was explaining it to my brother. And he kind of just looked at me and he was like, "So if I give you X amount of dollars, you're telling me that I'm going to get it back by this date." I was like, "Yeah, what do you want me to sign?" I swear, this is how it works. So yeah, he gave me the money that I needed to do all this event work. And then I was able to pay him back and that kind of set the model for To Be Hosted to be in a full-service event agency versus just being a siloed event planner.
Kerry Diamond:
Explain that a little bit more for folks because you'll do experiential activations for brands and you've got great brands. Shout out some of the folks who have hired you to do things.
Amber Mayfield:
Really good ones. I did events for Netflix, P&G is one of our returning clients, Moët Hennessy, Chandon, American Express, and Resy. We've worked with a lot of great ones. But yeah, the way that they work, I think most people think of an event planner as a single person, but there's this whole realm and experiential and event agencies that specifically work with businesses.
And so we take care of because again, these businesses don't want to go and contract the florist, the caterer, the AV [audio/video] person. That's too many people to upload it into their financial system. So we do it all for them. So they just deal with us and then we deal with everything else on their behalf. So it is a really dynamic way to do event business. And it sounds scary when you know all of the expenses you take on their behalf, but it is a much more sustainable model, I think, than just being an event planner that is more freelance.
Kerry Diamond:
Do you have employees?
Amber Mayfield:
I have contract workers. So hopefully one day I'll have employees. I'm trying to hire…
Kerry Diamond:
You are looking for employees. Yeah.
Amber Mayfield:
Yeah. I need a part-time assistant to start, but hopefully somebody that really wants to learn this end of events and food events specifically, so they can grow on and be one of the event producers for To Be Hosted. And then I work with four or five on a good rotation for the different clients that we bring in.
Kerry Diamond:
Tell us more specifics about each job because maybe there's someone listening who would want one of these jobs.
Amber Mayfield:
Yeah. They're both for event production. So if you are an event producer that's particularly interested in working with food and beverage brands and figuring out full creative concepts for these brands to produce their events, I am looking for you. I'm in need to grow my team because I think we're in such a season for more and more events and experiential and opportunities for us to gather.
Kerry Diamond:
Is this a full-time job or is this a contract position as well?
Amber Mayfield:
I think it'll start contract and go to full time.
Kerry Diamond:
Got it. How many years experience?
Amber Mayfield:
I'm flexible on that. Because I started as someone that had no experience. So I would love three years, but if you've only got one or two and a really, really good enthusiasm, we can still talk.
Kerry Diamond:
And in commuting distance from New York City?
Amber Mayfield:
Yes, you've got to be in New York, preferably.
Kerry Diamond:
Now how about your admin assistant? You're looking for someone for that job too, right?
Amber Mayfield:
Yes. That I don't think you need any experience. You just need to want to do something and be really organized and perhaps want to work in events long term. That could be a really cool way to learn. Because I started as an assistant and as a Page, and I didn't have any experience. So I had to start. You have to learn somewhere. It's part time. Also in New York, so that you can go to meetings in person, go to venues in person. And again, get that kind of behind-the-scenes look of what it takes to be an event planner, because it's a fun job on Instagram, but in reality, it is a lot of work.
Kerry Diamond:
And you said part-time, how many hours?
Amber Mayfield:
Like 10 to 12.
Kerry Diamond:
Okay. Do you have to have a college degree?
Amber Mayfield:
I don't think so. I mean maybe that's…
Kerry Diamond:
I'm like your HR director here. I'm asking you all the questions.
Amber Mayfield:
Yeah. Maybe that's a controversial response, but I think in event planning, it's nice, if you have had experience with Excel and Word documents, but it also is just being a nice and willing to learn person, what I think can take you farther in this particular area.
Kerry Diamond:
How can people apply for these positions?
Amber Mayfield:
They can send their resume to experience@tobehosted.com.
Kerry Diamond:
Are you a tough boss?
Amber Mayfield:
I don't think so. I think I'm quite fun, but I am very particular. So once I've shown someone how to do something, I think that you should repeat that thing or make it better and pay attention to detail, so I will call that out. But I think I have learned from experience how to call that out in a nicer way, in a teachable way as the daughter of two teachers.
Kerry Diamond:
Are you very organized?
Amber Mayfield:
Yes.
Kerry Diamond:
I read somewhere that by 9:00 A.M., you have already prayed, meditated, worked out, journaled, and set your three goals or intentions for the day. Is that true?
Amber Mayfield:
Yeah, yeah. You really did your research. Yes, it's really 8:00 A.M. now.
Kerry Diamond:
8:00 A.M.?
Amber Mayfield:
Slowly push myself earlier.
Kerry Diamond:
What time did you wake up?
Amber Mayfield:
So right now, 5:30.
Kerry Diamond:
Wow.
Amber Mayfield:
But I really want to be at the 5:00 A.M. club.
Kerry Diamond:
We're going to run the world one day.
Amber Mayfield:
I want to be there because there's just such a stillness during that time that I can... I haven't opened my laptop yet. So my brain isn't going to all of the things that I have to do. I can pray. I can read my Bible. I can work out for 30 minutes to an hour depending on the day and not be peeking at my phone or somebody's texting me or someone's calling me because they're not up. You can get your best thinking done between that 5:30 to 7:30, in my opinion.
Kerry Diamond:
How many hours of sleep do you need?
Amber Mayfield:
Seven.
Kerry Diamond:
Okay. It's still a fair amount. So you've got to get to bed at a decent hour.
Amber Mayfield:
Yeah.
Kerry Diamond:
Okay. I'm slowly becoming a morning person. It's very hard to run a business if you're not a morning person, that's what I've learned.
Amber Mayfield:
That's fair.
Kerry Diamond:
So now, at this stage of my life, Amber, I'm becoming a morning person.
Amber Mayfield:
I'm excited. Now I'm going to message you in the morning and see if I get a reply.
Kerry Diamond:
But actually I would love that. I would love that. It's good to hold your friends accountable, right?
Amber Mayfield:
Yeah.
Kerry Diamond:
So if you don't get a reply, you'll be like, "She's still asleep."
Amber Mayfield:
See what time I do get a reply.
Kerry Diamond:
Exactly. So the intention setting, I found that very interesting. You set intentions and goals. You’re big on goal setting, long-term, daily, all of those things. Did you set an intention for today?
Amber Mayfield:
Yes. No, it's interesting because I think that I intention-set because I can make a to-do list that is a mile and a half long. And if you do that to yourself, then you're just going to be anxious and wound up all day. And so I'll still make that list, but I'll go find the three things that if I can do those things, I will have had a good day. Everything else will happen kind of when it needs to happen.
So my three things for today, I have recently started doing the 6:00 A.M. weight-training shift instead of 8:00 A.M. So my goal was to make it to that on time and not speak about being tired. I was like, "I'm just going to smile through the whole thing," which I did. My second goal, of course, was to come here today and try this new experience because I've never really done this giant mic in my face.
Kerry Diamond:
We should give a shout out to Tiffani.
Amber Mayfield:
Yes.
Kerry Diamond:
Because you did... Rozier or you did Tiffani's Afros + Knives Podcast.
Amber Mayfield:
Yes, that was my first podcast experience.
Kerry Diamond:
That was on Zoom.
Amber Mayfield:
It was on Zoom. So it felt like a little more approachable. I could see her. It was cool. Well, I could see you too, but there's this giant mic and this very serious studio and a sound technician. So it's a little…
Kerry Diamond:
Joe. Shout out to Joe who runs Newsstand Studios. Thank you, Joe.
Amber Mayfield:
Shout out to Joe.
Kerry Diamond:
And we're in a lobby.
Amber Mayfield:
We're in a lobby.
Kerry Diamond:
At Rockefeller Center, yeah. Your old stomping ground.
Amber Mayfield:
And to come back and feel positive about being in this stomping ground. I added that to my list. Just take it in and look at the little things that before I used to be running into this office, but that's not the season I'm in now. So to kind of just take the long walk from the train and do some thinking. So not every goal has to feel like a big “I'm going to send 10 emails today.” Some of mine are just how I want my day to go.
Kerry Diamond:
I love that. We haven't even talked about your precious baby. And the reason I got to know you, you launched a print magazine.
Amber Mayfield:
Mm-hmm.
Kerry Diamond:
So you are part of our exclusive club of people who launched print magazines. You never worked at a magazine. Why did you start a magazine?
Amber Mayfield:
So I worked at a media company, which I think counts, but it's quite different…
Kerry Diamond:
Meaning NBC.
Amber Mayfield:
Yes, meaning NBC.
Kerry Diamond:
It sounds like a little media company. You worked at one of the world's biggest media companies.
Amber Mayfield:
Yes. And seeing how much they were thinking about formats that were digital and different. I even think back to being there in 2017 where Hulu was the exciting, everybody's trying to figure out the app that they're going to launch adjacent to that. And now seeing them all exists. But anyway, I always thought the digital era of media was interesting, but I felt like print was nostalgic and print was collectible. And to be able to make a magazine that people could hold onto, collect, I just thought that was really, really interesting.
I don't think that print is something that's going anywhere, especially when you do it as artfully as I think that we do it, as artfully as I think that Cherry Bombe does. There becomes this kind of culture and excitement and tangible thing that you can touch and say, "I was here, living, reading, collecting at this time," and to look back years and years later, it just feels a little different than watching a video from five years ago. But to hold a Vogue from five years ago is very different.
Kerry Diamond:
Or your Instagram from five years ago.
Amber Mayfield:
Yeah.
Kerry Diamond:
That would take you four years just to scroll back to.
Amber Mayfield:
I archive a lot.
Kerry Diamond:
Oh, I don't. I've never even done that.
Amber Mayfield:
Yes. No, I don't need you to see me five years ago.
Kerry Diamond:
Oh, okay. Tell us why the title While Entertaining.
Amber Mayfield:
Yes. So it really comes from wanting this to be a livable magazine. So if you were going to have a friend over or host a gathering, you need a recipe and you need some ideas. I wanted it to be the magazine that you reach for while you're entertaining. So it just really comes from that. It comes from, yes, you can read it and keep it on your coffee table, which you could also keep it in your kitchen and open it to a page and get a recipe and what you should serve it on and a playlist to go with it. And now it's kind of this thing that you're engaging with when you're doing this activity of hosting.
Kerry Diamond:
Why did you decide to focus on Black culinary creatives?
Amber Mayfield:
I guess I can sum it up to doing these dinner parties in the city and working with different chefs that didn't necessarily have a restaurant and wanting them to have a space that they could tell their story in our events. Our events are only going to reach 20 people in a night, and only however many times we can do them. But if I focused a magazine around their stories, it could hopefully tell them in a way that I wasn't seeing them told because they write them themselves.
So there's not a lot of changing of their words and shaping it to be this thing that feels timely. It really just is their story and it's their recipe, and how they want to present it to the world. And having this opportunity for them to not be on a listicle in February, but in something that's really, really beautiful. It didn't really exist, and I thought it deserved to.
Kerry Diamond:
Which issue are you up to?
Amber Mayfield:
So I've done three. The first one was digital, and then the most recent two were in print and we are annual. So our next one comes out in 2023, so that'll be volume four.
Kerry Diamond:
And what do you love about the process?
Amber Mayfield:
I like getting to know people and getting to know from an event planner, then I'm talking to the same sorts of people all the time. But if I'm not planning an event with you, I don't necessarily get to talk to you, unless I'm getting to read your story in a magazine and talk to you about why you want to share this recipe or what story inspired you to get to this point that you are. So I enjoy getting to know those weird facts about people and seeing how they work and how they communicate. And honestly, how they answer emails. I think it tells you so much about a person that writes you just those short, quick things with a little meme. I'm like, "Wow, I feel very special that you sent me this."
Kerry Diamond:
I'm going to need your help with email management, since you're the organized one in this party. Are you good at organizing your email?
Amber Mayfield:
Yes. Are you using folders?
Kerry Diamond:
Using them badly, yes, yes. But I also get too much email. How do you deal with that?
Amber Mayfield:
I have a touch-it-once policy.
Kerry Diamond:
Oh, right. I read about your touch-it-once policy. I laughed out loud. I thought that was such a funny name. Touch it once.
Amber Mayfield:
Yeah, because if you open it and read it and you're not in a place to respond to it, that's how you forget and you get behind. You've got all these things that then come on top of them. It's too much. Sit down and open your email when you're ready to respond to it or take action, and then put it in its folder.
Kerry Diamond:
So how do you deal when the answer's not yes, but it's not no?
Amber Mayfield:
I do have to get out of my email. So if it's something that it's like a pitch, for example, going with this, I usually do write back a quick response, "Thank you so much for your interest. We're going to sit with this and get back to you." And then I put it in a document that I know, "Okay. You're thinking about 2023. Remember that you have emails from," then I'll go find those people, and then reopen it and figure out if it fits or makes sense or how I revisit it. So I do have to get out of my email. I have to get an Excel sheet.
Kerry Diamond:
Do you have zero inbox?
Amber Mayfield:
No. No.
Kerry Diamond:
Oh, okay.
Amber Mayfield:
But I do grade my day based on how few emails are left in there.
Kerry Diamond:
You're such a school teacher's daughter to grade your day. I love it. Okay. Let's go back to While Entertaining. How can people get this magazine?
Amber Mayfield:
On our website, whileentertaining.com. We are in a few bookstores between New York and California. So if you go to Kitchen Arts & Letters, we are there. We are in a few others in California. I try to get us in as many bookstores as I can, but mostly online.
Kerry Diamond:
What has been the most rewarding thing about this experience?
Amber Mayfield:
I think that people like it and that's quite nice. People can get excited about it and want to see it exist and want to be in it. It's very flattering when people say yes to me, because some people still say no when I pitch them. So I'm always very grateful for the fact that people want to be in it, and the fact that people want to read it and share it with other people. That keeps me going.
Kerry Diamond:
What has been the most challenging?
Amber Mayfield:
Of course funding. It's a self-funded project. I remember launching a Kickstarter and nobody contributed to it, but I still believed it needed to exist. And so figuring out how to get it off the ground and get it into the world is something that people could see and be like, "Oh yeah, I get it now." I want one of those. So I think funding and finding people to kind of support the dream and the vision for the project while it's still small and not the biggest.
Kerry Diamond:
What's next for While Entertaining?
Amber Mayfield:
We're doing a recipe journal in the fall.
Kerry Diamond:
Oh yeah. Let's talk about that. Your book.
Amber Mayfield:
Yes.
Kerry Diamond:
You call it a recipe journal, but you self-published a book.
Amber Mayfield:
Yeah. When you say it like that, it sounds much more exciting, but I kind of just boil it down. It's part interviews and then part recipe journal, because I really wanted people to just... for the party enthusiast, the host enthusiast to have this central resource, it's called The Little Black Book of Entertaining. They can open it and find some interviews with some interesting people to help inspire them about how they're going to gather, but then also have a space to safely write down their recipes, and ideas, and contacts because always grew up watching my mom go into the junk drawer and pull out these very ripped and worn pieces of paper that had my grandmother's recipes on it. And I was like, "How? This is not okay. This is a historical document. It needs to go somewhere."
Kerry Diamond:
In your grandmother's handwriting.
Amber Mayfield:
No, it was hers.
Kerry Diamond:
It was your mom's handwriting, okay.
Amber Mayfield:
It was my mom sitting down and watching her and then taking very quick notes. And I'm like, "No, we need to put this somewhere." So that was the inspiration of when you're gathering, this is the little book you can grab.
Kerry Diamond:
How does one publish their own book?
Amber Mayfield:
The same way one publishes their own magazine, you know.
Kerry Diamond:
I do, but our listeners don't.
Amber Mayfield:
Yeah.
Kerry Diamond:
And a lot of people are interested in self-publishing.
Amber Mayfield:
Yes. So it starts with finding a really good printer, and a fair printer, which is hard to find. But we were lucky in finding one for While Entertaining that's also able to do the book. They've got the different types of binding and the different types of paper, but also finding someone that's willing to work with you. They'll charge you, not just for the color page, and the whole thing is... the whole book is in color. If you have a black and white page, they'll charge you just for the black and white page, and then a certain number for the color pages, and that's the things that makes it more attainable, I think.
So yeah, we're working with the same printer that we work with for the magazine to do the book. It's still a soft cover book, just smaller and pocket size.
Kerry Diamond:
You don’t let anything stand in your way. When you decide you want to do something, you do it.
Amber Mayfield:
Yeah. Yeah. I think the difference between most people is that most people can have the idea and depending on how big the idea is, that will deter them from doing it. But if you are very like... my mom's not going to like that I said this, but hell or high water about it.
Kerry Diamond:
Sorry, Mom.
Amber Mayfield:
If you have that mindset about it and you're bendable to the final product, maybe it's not the exact thing that you've dreamed up, but you've adapted along the way so that you can get from A to Z, then I think you should go for it.
Kerry Diamond:
Were you purposefully avoiding the big publishing companies?
Amber Mayfield:
No, I don't think so. I think that's a route that I would love to consider in the future, but I do think it takes a lot of time. And so I was like, "I have this idea and I would like for it to be out by November," and that's not usually something can do with a big publisher.
Kerry Diamond:
That's true. The turnaround is much longer.
Amber Mayfield:
It's like two years, if not more.
Kerry Diamond:
You do have an agent now, a literal agent.
Amber Mayfield:
Yes. Monica Odom, Odom Media Management. I'm very excited to be working with her so that I can hopefully bring to life a more detailed party planning book.
Kerry Diamond:
That's more you.
Amber Mayfield:
Yeah. Because right now, I have the luxury of, I get to interview really interesting people, just like you do. Not saying that I count as one of those people, but I mostly listen to other people talk and tell their stories, which is so fun. But the kind of stepping into the more writing, more talking of it all.
Kerry Diamond:
You have pretty much self-funded this entire journey that you've been on with the exception of your brother, kindly acting as your revolving loan for that one period.
Amber Mayfield:
Yeah.
Kerry Diamond:
Why haven't you raised money?
Amber Mayfield:
I think I just don't know where to start. And I think it goes back to that privilege of information that I mentioned. That's not a world that I've ever had access to understanding. So I didn't ever consider it as an option for me. I think a Kickstarter is something that everybody can go online and figure it out. And maybe it works for you, maybe it doesn't. But for me, I just always thought the only solution was to just work more, make a little more, save it to go towards the projects I wanted to do.
Kerry Diamond:
Do you want to raise money?
Amber Mayfield:
I think so. I'd like to have a venue for To Be Hosted one day.
Kerry Diamond:
And is that separate from the restaurant you were talking about?
Amber Mayfield:
I think they can live as one thing, perhaps. I don't know. I think I have to get funding first to figure out how I feel, but perhaps it could become one thing.
Kerry Diamond:
Aside from just not knowing where to start, what do you think are some of the other things preventing you from raising money?
Amber Mayfield:
Maybe time. I think it takes a lot of time. Once you how to do whatever the thing is, I think then it's a whole separate job to raise money in addition to the two jobs that I already do. So that's why I definitely want to grow my team, but they're kind of stuck to each other. I need to raise a little funding so I can grow my team or give a more competitive offer to the people I want on my team.
Kerry Diamond:
You've already built a diversified media organization. And I don't know, I think you're sitting on a multi-million dollar enterprise.
Amber Mayfield:
I appreciate you saying that.
Kerry Diamond:
Yeah, I do.
Amber Mayfield:
Very flattering.
Kerry Diamond:
I think you can go out tomorrow and raise a few million dollars. I really do. I really do. If anyone's listening… investors. Speaking of which, if someone's listening, who's an advertiser or a sponsor or wants to hire you to do an event, what's the best way for them to get in touch with you?
Amber Mayfield:
They can email experience@tobehosted. We check all our emails. We touch them all once. So I will definitely... if it's not me, it will be somebody on my team that will make sure I get it. So if you are looking for me, you can find me.
Kerry Diamond:
And do you have a price threshold for events, like “Don't email Amber if you've got $5,000?”
Amber Mayfield:
Yeah, I should add that to our list. We primarily do corporate events and marketing events. We don't do a lot of personal events, so personal are weddings and birthday parties. So right now that's my only threshold of difference.
Kerry Diamond:
Okay, good to know. I want you to tell us about CultureCon. It's an event that's happening here in New York City on Saturday, October 8th. What is CultureCon and what's your role with it?
Amber Mayfield:
Yes. CultureCon is a conference that a friend of mine, Imani Ellis started. She started it, I believe, back in 2017, and it's basically a conference. But it's a conference that has grown and multiplied over the years to really service the creative. And whether that means that you're a traditional creative, like a photographer, a writer, an actor, there's a place for you, but there's also a place for, if you have a nine-to-five or a corporate job, it really is about inspiring people to use their resources and tap their community and learn different things that can help take them to the next level in their career. So that was one of the first event contracts that I took after I left the restaurant group.
Imani called me and was like, "I'm working on this thing." And I was like, "I don't really do conferences," so I told her no. And then she called me back a few days later and she's like, "So when are you going to start working on this thing?" I was like, "Okay, let's just go for it and figure it out." But it really is working with a bunch of, who now feel like my friends and most of us have other jobs that we do during the day. And then this conference became this thing that we all love and hold dearly. This year, we went to Atlanta, LA, and now we're coming back to New York where it started down at Duggal Greenhouse, which is massive. And so there's two stages. There's a room full of activations and things to explore. So yeah, if you're in New York, I recommend it.
Kerry Diamond:
Very exciting. People always ask me for New York City restaurant recommendations. Tell us a place and a chef you love here and love to recommend.
Amber Mayfield:
I think it's new to my favorite list is going to be Cadence, which is with Chef Shenarri Greens.
Kerry Diamond:
Chef Shenarri, she's great.
Amber Mayfield:
Yeah. And I am not a person that is traditionally eating vegan food, but I quite enjoy that one. So I definitely recommend that. And then, I am also traditionally a pizza and wings, and burger girl. I'm not shy about that. So my favorite place to get pizza is Emily's in the West Village.
Kerry Diamond:
We haven’t done a speed-round in a while. We’re not going to a speed-round now; we’re running out of time. But, my favorite question from the speed-round is: if you had to be trapped on a desert island with one food celebrity, who would it be and why?
Amber Mayfield:
I'm going to go with Aretah Ettarh, who's the Chef de Cuisine at Gramercy Tavern. I think all of my food would be delicious and beautiful if she was there and she's great company. So I'd take her.
Kerry Diamond:
And you could turn it into a pop-up. And get people to the island to rescue you, right? That would be a fun pop-up.
Amber Mayfield:
Exactly. Mhm-hmm.
Kerry Diamond:
Who's a dream cover subject or interview subject for While Entertaining?
Amber Mayfield:
I want to be a collector's item of just having really beautiful art on each cover. So I'll tell you an artist. I think it could be cool to have Bisa Butler do an illustration for a cover. I just think the way all the colors are and just there's such an interesting format that Bisa is using that I'm just like... I'm attracted to everything that I see. And so I would want people to have that on their next coffee table. I feel like it would make other people be like, "Ooh, what's that?"
Kerry Diamond:
Dream subject.
Amber Mayfield:
I feel like everybody's dream, because I get very excited.
Kerry Diamond:
That's such a nice answer.
Amber Mayfield:
Dr. Jessica B. Harris.
Kerry Diamond:
Oh, you haven't interviewed her yet?
Amber Mayfield:
No, I haven't met her yet, but if she one day knows that my magazine exists, I'll pass out. So I think that would be really cool.
Kerry Diamond:
She's great. Have you read her memoir?
Amber Mayfield:
Mm-hmm.
Kerry Diamond:
It's a beautiful book.
Amber Mayfield:
It's beautiful.
Kerry Diamond:
Yeah. Highly recommend for those of you who love books out there. Well, Amber, we could talk all day.
Amber Mayfield:
It'd be really good. Thank you for having me.
Kerry Diamond:
Really good. I can't wait till you come back and we get to do some fun things together. I'm so proud of you. You have just accomplished so much in such a short time, and you're such a bright light in this industry. So thank you for everything you've done.
Amber Mayfield:
Thank you. That's so kind. I'm blushing. I'm warm. I'm sweating. I'm smiling from ear to ear. Just giving them the description because they can't see me.
Kerry Diamond:
And thank you for your time.
Amber Mayfield:
Thank you.
Kerry Diamond:
That's it for today's show. Thank you so much to Amber Mayfield for joining me. Visit whileentertaining.com to order a copy of Amber's magazine. If you'd like to hire Amber to produce an event, visit tobehosted.com. And stay tuned for news on our second annual Cooks and Books Festival taking place November 5th and 6th at Ace Hotel Brooklyn. Amber will be there and so will lots of other book lovers and authors. Make sure you're signed up for our newsletter to stay on top of all the details for Cooks and Books, our Jubilee Conference, and this podcast.
Thank you to Wild Planet for supporting today's show. Don't forget to check out our Instagram for the Wild Planet giveaway. If you enjoy today's pod, check out past Radio Cherry Bombe episodes with other hospitality pros, including chef Tommi Vincent and author Molly Baz. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Radio Cherry Bombe is a production of Cherry Bombe Magazine. Our theme song is by the band Tralala. Thanks to Joseph Hazan, studio engineer for Newsstand Studios at Rockefeller Center and to our assistant producer, Jenna Sadhu. And thanks to you for listening. You're the Bombe.