When medical professionals—dietitians trained to identify malnutrition and disordered eating—start flooding social media with concerns about a food influencer with millions of followers who's about to release a "healthy eating" cookbook, we have to talk about it.

Tieghan Gerard built Half Baked Harvest into a multimillion-dollar empire with multiple NYT bestselling cookbooks and massive brand deals. But this episode isn't about her success—it's about the responsibility that comes with influence, and what happens when that responsibility gets ignored.

In this solo episode, Amanda examines years of accumulated concerns: readers who consistently report recipe failures (high-altitude baking issues that never get addressed), cultural appropriation accusations, a New York Times profile where Tieghan refused to cook for the reporter, and now medical professionals raising red flags about potential health issues while she promotes wellness content.

This isn't cancel culture. This is about asking: when do we stop staying silent to be nice? When does our silence become complicity?

In this conversation, you'll discover:

• Why successful food bloggers owe their audiences more than just pretty recipes
• The Netflix show Apple Cider Vinegar that changed perspectives on food influencer responsibility
• The difference between trolling and legitimate professional concern
• How to build a sustainable cookbook career without losing your integrity
• What responsibility actually means when you have influence
• Why staying silent isn't always the kind choice

Perfect for: Cookbook authors, food bloggers, content creators, anyone building a platform in food media who wants to do it responsibly

Amanda Polick is a cookbook and food-memoir coach with 20+ years of storytelling experience, guiding food writers as they shape the stories only they can tell. A former culinary producer whose work appeared across Cooking Light, Time, Southern Living, and Food & Wine, she's been an IACP Awards judge and frequent speaker at industry events like the inaugural M.F.K. Fisher Symposium for Les Dames d'Escoffier. Amanda lives in Nashville, Tennessee now, but a piece of her will be in California forever.

Show Notes: https://www.amandapolick.com/blog/half-baked-harvest-episode Newsletter: Weekly insights on cookbook writing and food media at amandapolick.com Connect: @amandapolick on Instagram