Video Interviews — Capture Your Flag

Cathy Erway

Cathy Erway is an author, food writer, freelance copywriter, radio show host and teacher focused on healthy food advocacy. Her second book, "The Food of Taiwan: Recipes From the Beautiful Island" is a cookbook featuring Taiwanese recipes ranging from homestyle dishes to street food favorites. Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York". Erway earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College.

All Video Interviews

Cathy Erway on Learning Passions From Role Model Grandparents

In Chapter 1 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "What Were Your Grandparents Like and How Did They Influence Your Development?" Erway shares how one grandfather shared his appreciation for music and writing poetry with his grandchildren, influencing their artistic education path. Her other grandfather showed Erway an appreciation for having a passion for cooking and gardening.

Cathy Erway is an author, food writer, freelance copywriter, radio show host and teacher focused on healthy food advocacy. Her second book, "The Food of Taiwan: Recipes From the Beautiful Island" is a cookbook featuring Taiwanese recipes ranging from homestyle dishes to street food favorites. Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  Erway earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College. 

Cathy Erway on How Fourth of July BBQs Build Family Traditions

In Chapter 2 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "What Childhood Experiences Have Been Most Fundamental in Shaping Who You Are Today?" Erway shares how every Fourth of July her family and neighbors would come together for a barbeque to make large meals together. She shares how each year had a different theme and how Fourth of July BBQ food would be more than hamburgers and hot dogs.

Cathy Erway is an author, food writer, freelance copywriter, radio show host and teacher focused on healthy food advocacy. Her second book, "The Food of Taiwan: Recipes From the Beautiful Island" is a cookbook featuring Taiwanese recipes ranging from homestyle dishes to street food favorites. Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  Erway earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College. 

Cathy Erway on Writing a Cookbook About The Food of Taiwan

In Chapter 3 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "Since We Spoke a Year Ago, What Has Been the Most Exciting Thing to Happen in Your Life?" Erway shares how she has been working on a new cookbook about the food of Taiwan. She shares how the book will introduce American audiences to Taiwanese cooking and build awareness about the unique and flavorful dishes of Taiwan.

Cathy Erway is an author, food writer, freelance copywriter, radio show host and teacher focused on healthy food advocacy. Her second book, "The Food of Taiwan: Recipes From the Beautiful Island" is a cookbook featuring Taiwanese recipes ranging from homestyle dishes to street food favorites. Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  Erway earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College. 

Cathy Erway on What a Cookbook Writer Does After Recipes are Written

In Chapter 4 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "How Has Writing a Cookbook Compared and Contrasted to What You Expected It Would Be Like?" Erway shares what it has been like writing a full-color, photo-heavy cookbook and how it contrasts to writing her first book, a memoir. Erway's cookbook demands she cast a creative vision and also play a project manager role to complement the team of assistants, designers, editors, food stylists, and food photographers.

Cathy Erway is an author, food writer, freelance copywriter, radio show host and teacher focused on healthy food advocacy. Her second book, "The Food of Taiwan: Recipes From the Beautiful Island" is a cookbook featuring Taiwanese recipes ranging from homestyle dishes to street food favorites. Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  Erway earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College. 

Cathy Erway on Developing a Recipe Writing Style

In Chapter 5 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "When Did You First Become Interested in Writing Recipes?" As a food blogger, Erway learns to appreciate how her viewers like recipes for her food blog posts. Over time, she develops a layered recipe writing style to find her voice in the words and images she uses to showcase her dishes.

Cathy Erway is an author, food writer, freelance copywriter, radio show host and teacher focused on healthy food advocacy. Her second book, "The Food of Taiwan: Recipes From the Beautiful Island" is a cookbook featuring Taiwanese recipes ranging from homestyle dishes to street food favorites. Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  Erway earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College. 

Cathy Erway on Testing Cookbook Recipes by Hosting Dinner Parties

In Chapter 6 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "What Process Did You Use to Develop and Test the Recipes for Your Cookbook?" Erway shares how she added fun into the trial and error equation developing her cookbook recipes. She hosts a series of ten dinners, cooking ten dishes per dinner to cover the 100 recipe options for her cookbook. Erway gets feedback from dinner party attendees she uses to practice, refine and edit recipes.

Cathy Erway is an author, food writer, freelance copywriter, radio show host and teacher focused on healthy food advocacy. Her second book, "The Food of Taiwan: Recipes From the Beautiful Island" is a cookbook featuring Taiwanese recipes ranging from homestyle dishes to street food favorites. Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  Erway earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College. 

Cathy Erway on Photographing Food Recipes For a Cookbook

In Chapter 7 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "As Someone Passionate About Photography and Food Photography, What Was It Like to Go Through the Process of Photographing Your Food Recipes for Your Cookbook?" Erway shares how she navigates creative ownership of the food photography between her vision and that of her food photograper. She shares how she collaborated on food photography arranging dishes while photographing the recipes for her cookbook.

Cathy Erway is an author, food writer, freelance copywriter, radio show host and teacher focused on healthy food advocacy. Her second book, "The Food of Taiwan: Recipes From the Beautiful Island" is a cookbook featuring Taiwanese recipes ranging from homestyle dishes to street food favorites. Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  Erway earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College. 

Cathy Erway on Getting More Comfortable in Front of the Camera

In Chapter 8 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "How Have You Learned to Be More Comfortable in Uncomfortable Situations?" Erway shares how she has dealt with uncomfortable situations, namely being on camera. She shares how scripted television segments can be difficult given the time constraints and production needs. Erway finds unscripted media, especially radio, preferable to on-camera, as she gets a more liberating feel from the spontaneity of the shows. As she prepares for a new round of television appearances for her cookbook, she embraces the challenge by focusing on the Taiwanese food and cultural stories she plans to share with audiences.

Cathy Erway is an author, food writer, freelance copywriter, radio show host and teacher focused on healthy food advocacy. Her second book, "The Food of Taiwan: Recipes From the Beautiful Island" is a cookbook featuring Taiwanese recipes ranging from homestyle dishes to street food favorites. Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  Erway earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College. 

Cathy Erway on Building a Personal Brand of Not Eating Out

In Chapter 9 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "How Has Building Your Personal Brand Opened New Opportunities in Your Career?" Erway shares how since starting her blog, she has embraced and expanded on her brand of being the "not eating out" girl. She immerses herself in new food causes such as community supported agriculture (CSAs), farmers markets, urban gardens, chicken raising, and conscious awareness and consumption of food.

Cathy Erway is an author, food writer, freelance copywriter, radio show host and teacher focused on healthy food advocacy. Her second book, "The Food of Taiwan: Recipes From the Beautiful Island" is a cookbook featuring Taiwanese recipes ranging from homestyle dishes to street food favorites. Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  Erway earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College. 

Cathy Erway on Being Confident by Standing Behind What You Write

In Chapter 10 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "What Role Does Confidence Play in the Work That You Do?" Erway shares how being confident as a writer means publishing your own words and standing behind what you write. As an experienced freelance writer, Erway learns to be confident about writing knowing that once something is published it cannot be taken down like a blog entry.

Cathy Erway is an author, food writer, freelance copywriter, radio show host and teacher focused on healthy food advocacy. Her second book, "The Food of Taiwan: Recipes From the Beautiful Island" is a cookbook featuring Taiwanese recipes ranging from homestyle dishes to street food favorites. Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  Erway earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College. 

Cathy Erway on Why It Helps to Sometimes Be Hard on Yourself

In Chapter 11 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "What Role Does Living Up to the Expectations of Others Play into the Way You Live?" Erway shares how she uses self-discipline to stay motivated and hold herself accountable to her goals. She prefers being hard on herself to get things done and finish projects rather than relying on pressure from others.

Cathy Erway is an author, food writer, freelance copywriter, radio show host and teacher focused on healthy food advocacy. Her second book, "The Food of Taiwan: Recipes From the Beautiful Island" is a cookbook featuring Taiwanese recipes ranging from homestyle dishes to street food favorites. Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  Erway earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College. 

Cathy Erway on What It's Like to Work as an Advertising Copywriter

In Chapter 12 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "What Is It Like to Work as a Copywriter at an Advertising Agency?" Erway shares how she has worked in editorial advertising copywriting jobs since after graduating college. Working on product writing - product descriptions and web copy - provides her freelance creative writing work to complement food writing and freelance journalism pursuits.

Cathy Erway is an author, food writer, freelance copywriter, radio show host and teacher focused on healthy food advocacy. Her second book, "The Food of Taiwan: Recipes From the Beautiful Island" is a cookbook featuring Taiwanese recipes ranging from homestyle dishes to street food favorites. Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  Erway earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College. 

Cathy Erway on Feeling Part of a Group Working on Volunteer Projects

In Chapter 13 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "How Has Volunteering Impacted Your Learning and Development?" Erway shares how nonprofit volunteering allows her to commit to causes and feel part of a group working to make a difference. She notes how the nonprofit volunteer work is a nice complement to shorter-term freelance writing projects she takes on in her career.

Cathy Erway is an author, food writer, freelance copywriter, radio show host and teacher focused on healthy food advocacy. Her second book, "The Food of Taiwan: Recipes From the Beautiful Island" is a cookbook featuring Taiwanese recipes ranging from homestyle dishes to street food favorites. Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  Erway earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College. 

Cathy Erway on Making a Difference by Networking Food Professionals

In Chapter 14 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "What Skills Are You Using More As Your Career Advances?" Erway finds advancing in her writing career - both in advertising copywriting and food journalism - has allowed her to build stronger networking skills that become more and more useful over time. She shares how getting to know people in the food movement has allowed her to be more helpful making connections and leveraging the breadth and depth of her Rolodex to help others.

Cathy Erway is an author, food writer, freelance copywriter, radio show host and teacher focused on healthy food advocacy. Her second book, "The Food of Taiwan: Recipes From the Beautiful Island" is a cookbook featuring Taiwanese recipes ranging from homestyle dishes to street food favorites. Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  Erway earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College. 

Cathy Erway on How to Manage Serving Others and Serving Yourself

In Chapter 15 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "How Are You Learning to Better Manage Serving Others and Serving Yourself in How You Live Your Life?" Erway shares how service is an important topic to keep in mind. She notes how where you choose to serve often depends on where you are in life. In her case, as a single woman with no dependents, she focuses her energy on serving others by doing things that demonstrate her caring and appreciation for the relationships.

Cathy Erway is an author, food writer, freelance copywriter, radio show host and teacher focused on healthy food advocacy. Her second book, "The Food of Taiwan: Recipes From the Beautiful Island" is a cookbook featuring Taiwanese recipes ranging from homestyle dishes to street food favorites. Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  Erway earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College. 

Cathy Erway on How to Measure Quality of Relationships in Life

In Chapter 16 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "How Do You Measure the Quality of Relationships in Your Life?" For Erway, measuring quality of relationships at work and in her personal life comes down to having mutual respect for one another. With respect comes ways to appreciate, enjoy and love each other and spend more fun and rewarding time together.

Cathy Erway is an author, food writer, freelance copywriter, radio show host and teacher focused on healthy food advocacy. Her second book, "The Food of Taiwan: Recipes From the Beautiful Island" is a cookbook featuring Taiwanese recipes ranging from homestyle dishes to street food favorites. Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  Erway earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College. 

Cathy Erway on Resisting Temptation When Asked for Advice

In Chapter 17 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "How Have You Learned to Give Better Advice When People Ask You for Help?" Erway shares how it is important to resist temptation to give advice on topics where you may have a personal agenda. Instead, she finds it better to be patient and try to filter away personal or selfish bias to focus on the person asking for advice.

Cathy Erway is an author, food writer, freelance copywriter, radio show host and teacher focused on healthy food advocacy. Her second book, "The Food of Taiwan: Recipes From the Beautiful Island" is a cookbook featuring Taiwanese recipes ranging from homestyle dishes to street food favorites. Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  Erway earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College. 

Cathy Erway on Why to Question and Confront Status Quo Thinking

In Chapter 18 of 20 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "What Has Experience Taught You About How to Better Manage Confrontation?" Erway shares how confronting another person on a point of view is too often seen as a negative and should also be viewed as a positive. She shares why it is good to challenge and confront conventional thinking and how a resulting debate can be healthy. She shares an exaple of writing a blog about not eating out and challenging conventional thinking around dinners, dating, birthdays and weddings.

Cathy Erway is an author, food writer, freelance copywriter, radio show host and teacher focused on healthy food advocacy. Her second book, "The Food of Taiwan: Recipes From the Beautiful Island" is a cookbook featuring Taiwanese recipes ranging from homestyle dishes to street food favorites. Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  Erway earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College.