Today we’d like to introduce you to Maddie Humbert.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
BNA Best Bites started because I realized how much Nashville’s food scene had changed—and how hard it was to keep up. In 2021, new restaurants seemed to be opening constantly, but there wasn’t one place where I could consistently discover what was worth trying next. I decided to start documenting my own experiences, sharing honest recommendations and highlighting everything from neighborhood favorites to new openings.
What began as a creative hobby quickly grew into something much bigger. As I explored more of the city, I built relationships with restaurant owners, chefs, and fellow creators who introduced me to places I may have never found on my own. Every visit expanded my understanding of Nashville’s culinary community and reinforced how much passion and hard work goes into every local business.
Today, BNA Best Bites has become more than a food page—it’s a platform that helps people discover their next favorite meal while giving local businesses another way to tell their story. Watching the community grow has been incredibly rewarding, but what excites me most is that there’s always another restaurant to discover, another story to share, and another opportunity to showcase what makes Nashville’s food scene so special.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been a completely smooth road. One of the biggest challenges has been learning that growth isn’t just about saying “yes” to every opportunity—it’s about being intentional with the ones you choose. As BNA Best Bites has grown, so have the number of invitations, collaborations, and requests. Early on, I felt like I had to do everything, but I quickly realized that spreading myself too thin wasn’t sustainable.
I’ve learned that consistency is far more valuable than trying to be everywhere at once. Whether it’s visiting restaurants, editing videos, engaging with the community, or keeping up with the latest openings, there’s always more that could be done. Finding a rhythm that allows me to create content I’m genuinely proud of has been an ongoing process.
The biggest lesson has been trusting that authenticity matters more than volume. I’d rather recommend places I truly believe in and create content that reflects my real experiences than chase every trend. That mindset has helped me build a community that values honest recommendations, and I think that’s been one of the most rewarding parts of the journey.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
At its core, BNA Best Bites is about helping people discover where to eat, drink, and explore in and around Nashville. I create short-form video content that gives viewers an authentic look at restaurants, coffee shops, bars, bakeries, and local events so they can decide if a place is worth adding to their list. My goal is to make every recommendation feel like it’s coming from a trusted friend rather than an advertisement.
What I’m most proud of is the trust I’ve built with both my audience and the local business community. People regularly tell me they’ve tried a restaurant because of one of my videos, and restaurant owners share how new customers mention finding them through BNA Best Bites. Knowing that my content can help someone discover a new favorite spot while also supporting a local business is incredibly rewarding.
I think what sets me apart is that I prioritize storytelling over simply showcasing food. Every restaurant has a story—whether it’s the people behind it, the atmosphere they’ve created, or what makes their menu unique. I want viewers to experience more than just a beautiful dish; I want them to understand why a place is worth visiting. That focus on authenticity and context has helped me build a community that values recommendations they can genuinely trust.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I think timing has definitely played a role in my journey. When I launched BNA Best Bites in 2021, Nashville’s restaurant scene was booming, and there were far fewer dedicated local food creators than there are today. People were eager to rediscover the city after the pandemic, and there was a real appetite for trustworthy recommendations. Looking back, I recognize that I benefited from entering the space at a moment when there was room to grow and an audience looking for exactly the kind of content I was creating.
If I were starting today, it would probably be a much steeper climb. The creator landscape is far more crowded, and consumers have become understandably more skeptical of curated content and sponsored recommendations. Many people now place just as much value—if not more—on the opinion of a friend or everyday diner as they do an influencer. I actually think that’s a healthy shift because it pushes creators to be more transparent and authentic.
That said, I don’t want to attribute my journey solely to good luck. Timing may have opened the door, but it didn’t build the platform. The growth came from years of consistently visiting new places, creating content after long workdays, learning photography and video editing, adapting to changing algorithms, and building genuine relationships with local businesses and my audience. Luck may have created the opportunity, but hard work, consistency, and authenticity are what allowed me to make the most of it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/bnabestbites
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bnabestbites/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/61555627195694
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@bnabestbites
