#MediaMonday – Bryan Soto

Happy #MediaMonday! Our latest feature spotlights Bryan Soto of Señor Foodie, a Phoenix-based content creator showcasing restaurants, chefs, dishes and more across Arizona’s food community.

Bryan, time to share!

How did you get your start in journalism? Tell us your story.

My passion for trying different restaurants started at a young age when my parents would take the whole family out to eat after Sunday mass. My dad couldn’t afford to take us on trips outside of Phoenix, so this was the best way for us to spend quality time together. I remember the excitement of visiting new spots and trying all these amazing flavors. As I got older, I wanted to keep that tradition going by trying spots out on my own. My interest grew even more by the time I attended Arizona State University and joined a multicultural fraternity. Several of my fraternity brothers introduced me to other cuisines and we would drive all over the valley to explore the food scene. It got to the point where I became the go-to guy for food recommendations. Back then there were only a handful of food influencers that existed, but I felt like none of them were highlighting the places that I grew up eating at. I’m talking about the hole-in-the-wall, tiny mom & pop shops, hidden gems located in some of the communities that don’t get a good rep. So that’s when the idea came up that I should create a social media page dedicated to sharing all my foodie experiences.

Señor Foodie was established in 2016, and it started off with just posting photos of dishes I loved. By 2021/2022 I started playing with videos and that’s when my brand took off. When I share these videos, I’m showing people what to expect as far as the ambiance. I’m also giving you good quality visuals of what the food looks like. I also share any facts on what makes this restaurant unique, and I like to do some story telling about the people behind the business.

What led you to your current role in the media?

The crazy thing is I don’t do social media full time. It’s mostly just a hobby of mine. I have a 9-5 career where I work in vehicle loans for a major bank. I think if my platform continues to grow and if I can secure long term sponsorships, I could definitely see myself taking a leap and doing social media full time. I can also see myself managing accounts for businesses that don’t have the skills to create quality content.

Where did you grow up?

I was born and raised in Phoenix. Specifically in East Phoenix, but I spent a lot of time on the West Valley because that’s where most of my family members lived.

Where do you live now? What’s your favorite thing about living in the Bay Area?

I still live in Phoenix, closer to downtown where I get to be close to all the action. The food scene here continues to grow rapidly so it’s important for me to capture content from all these new concepts. Plus, all my favorite local restaurants are located only a few minutes away from me.

Favorite type of music?

I grew up on hip hop and Latin music. Now I listen to pretty much everything, except country which is a genre I’m slowly growing into. Oldies and soul music always put me in a good mood.

Favorite color?

Any shade of Blue

List three things that readers would be surprised to learn about you.

• I love to spend time hiking outdoors. I’ve done a few intense backpacking trips throughout the Southwest, including the rim-to-rim hike at the Grand Canyon.
• I can be very shy. It’s easy for me to put myself out there on social media but ask me to speak in front of a large group and I will probably have a panic attack.
• My initial dream was to become a travel influencer and at one point I even started a blog that shared all my trips. It never took off, but thankfully my food reviews did.

Do you take pitches? If so, any guidelines?

I’m very selective on who I work with. People don’t realize I say no to a lot of businesses that want me to promote them. The client/brand has to align with my interests and values before I even consider working with them. No amount of money in the world can make me lie to my audience about a place that I don’t like. Authenticity is very important to me. That’s probably one of the reasons why I’ve created a strong community because my followers trust me.

What’s the best way to reach you?

You can follow me on Instagram or TikTok at @senor_foodie. If people want to collaborate, then they can just shoot me a message on either one of those platforms.