The Flavor Profiles

The Flavor Profiles is a culinary storytelling platform founded by Michelle Kobernick, a chef and restaurant owner turned food journalist and creative founder. The platform lives at the intersection of food, culture, craft, and place, documenting the people and stories behind what we cook, grow, and share.

Michelle created The Flavor Profiles after years of being asked to review restaurants in a way that felt limiting and subjective. Her belief was simple but radical: there are very few “bad chefs.” More often, food is misunderstood, taken out of context, or simply not meant for everyone. What was missing wasn’t quality. It was story.

Backtalk strategized with Michelle to build The Flavor Profiles from the ground up, shaping a brand, digital presence, and content ecosystem that could hold her lived experience, values, and big-picture vision. The work focused on establishing long-term relevance rather than short-term performance, without flattening nuance or voice.

The Challenge
Michelle had a clear point of view and deep industry experience, but no existing brand system to support it. The challenge wasn’t generating ideas. It was creating structure around a layered, personal body of work while keeping it expansive, flexible, and true.
The platform needed to introduce Michelle’s credibility without centering ego, shift the conversation from restaurant reviews to chef-led storytelling, support multiple content formats and future partnerships, and grow audience and trust without rushing monetization. This required sequencing, not shortcuts.
The Strategy
We approached The Flavor Profiles as a world, not a single launch, with a phased strategy. First, establish Michelle as a chef first — through cooking videos, educational content, and process-driven storytelling. Then, expand Michelle’s role into that of industry insider and facilitator, using guest-focused content where chefs become the stars and Michelle becomes the connective tissue.
This sequencing allowed trust to be built before authority was leveraged, and ensured the platform signals generosity, credibility, and curiosity rather than commentary.
Brand Development
Brand development focused on defining The Flavor Profiles as a cultural platform rather than a personal brand or media outlet. Strategy established an editorial posture and visual identity grounded in respect for craft and context. The result is a brand system that allows Michelle’s work to evolve across formats, while maintaining a strong sense of authorship and purpose.
Digital Marketing
Digital marketing for The Flavor Profiles was designed to build trust before scale.
Rather than rushing into growth tactics, the strategy prioritized relationship-building, allowing the audience to understand Michelle’s perspective and values before expanding the platform’s reach.
At launch, content centered Michelle as a chef and educator. Cooking videos, process-driven storytelling, and educational moments established her authority while introducing the core philosophy of The Flavor Profiles: food is best understood through context, craft, and the people behind it.
As the platform transitions, digital strategy shifts from introduction to expansion. Michelle’s role evolves into that of an industry insider and connector, using guest-focused content to spotlight chefs and collaborators while maintaining a strong editorial through-line.

Social Media + Content Creation
We built a repeatable content system that allows the Flavor Profiles to show up consistently without compromising depth or quality. Content pacing is intentional, leaving room for nuance and conversation rather than volume for volume’s sake.
Content creation, in collaboration with Shelby Dubin Photography, ensures visuals, storytelling, and cadence align with the brand’s editorial voice and long-term goals.
Project Notes
This project reinforced that world-building is a strategic discipline, not an aesthetic exercise. The Flavor Profiles is not a product or a channel. It’s an ecosystem.
By honoring Michelle’s philosophy and sequencing growth intentionally, the brand feels expansive rather than extractive. Its growth becomes a natural extension of the work, not a forced outcome, and storytelling becomes a form of advocacy rather than critique.
www.theflavorprofiles.com