Today we’d like to introduce you to Felicia Trujillo.
Hi Felicia, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started Food Seen in 2014, shortly after moving to Raleigh from Los Angeles. At the time, social media was still in its early stages, and I saw a unique opportunity to blend my background in photography and marketing to help restaurants tell their stories visually and connect more deeply with their audiences. What began as photographing local restaurants quickly expanded into working with the brands behind them – tableware, consumer packaged goods, and eventually national and international food, beverage, and hospitality clients.
Over the past decade, the business has evolved alongside the industry. We’ve weathered major shifts, from the rise of influencer culture to the pandemic, and adapted by expanding our services into PR, content creation, and brand strategy. But in early 2025, after years of growth and constant motion, I made the intentional decision to simplify. I scaled back the team and refined our offerings to focus on what I love most: creative strategy, storytelling, and building authentic connections between brands and their audiences.
Today, Food Seen feels closer to its roots – nimble, intentional, and personal. It’s less about growing bigger and more about creating meaningful, lasting impact for the clients we serve.
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?
No, it has not been a smooth road. It’s been very hard. That, paired with challenges in my personal life and juggling being a mom and a wife, made it even harder.
My first major obstacle came in 2018, about four years into the business. I had serious growing pains. I had more work and higher-value clients than ever before, but I struggled to deliver at the level I expected of myself. I was overwhelmed, making mistakes, and I came very close to selling or closing the business altogether. But then, almost by fate, I hired an incredible employee who brought stability, structure, and new energy — and because of that, we were able to take on new, healthy projects and clients that completely changed the trajectory of the business.
The next big challenge was COVID, which, surprisingly, resulted in our strongest years in both revenue and productivity. We were able to quickly adapt to our clients’ changing needs, and that adaptability paid off. But with that growth came the need for a stronger foundation to handle the workload. We grew our team, refreshed our branding and website, and invested back into the company to support the momentum.
The biggest challenge, though, came later. From 2022 through 2024, many of our clients began to struggle in the post-COVID economy. Marketing budgets were slashed, importing costs skyrocketed, and some businesses closed or filed for bankruptcy. We weathered all of that alongside our clients, but the infrastructure I had built to support a larger agency became too heavy to sustain. By the end of 2024, I had run out of road, out of steam, out of resources, and I had to make the difficult decision to scale back.
By the end of 2024, I had simply run out of gas. Around the same time, my marriage ended. I hired a bankruptcy attorney, contemplated closing my business, laid off my team, and let go of clients. I was dealing with a former client’s bankruptcy trustee and outstanding invoices. It all felt completely insurmountable.
And then, somehow, the clouds parted. The business returned to its roots: simple, lean, and intentional, like the early days when it was just me and one part-time helper. We stripped everything back to the essentials, simplified our services, and rebuilt quietly. I got back in the trenches. I took on new clients who were a joy to work with, became profitable again, started tackling debt, and felt something I hadn’t felt in a long time: peace.
This past year has given me more perspective than any other. For so long, I chased growth and the optics of success—more clients, more staff, more visibility—but that mindset nearly broke me. I no longer care about any of that. When you choose to burn everything down and rebuild on your own terms, you realize how simple happiness can be.
Now I focus on taking care of myself, taking care of my kids, and doing good business with good people. I run my company from a place of joy and sustainability instead of ego. Life and business will always have chaos, but when you keep things simple, you minimize the drama. Simple is not for everyone, but for me right now, it is everything.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Food Seen?
Food Seen is a boutique marketing and communications agency that works at the intersection of food, beverage, and hospitality. For more than a decade, we’ve helped brands tell their stories through strategy, photography, social media, and creative content that feels authentic and beautifully executed.
What began as a photography-driven business has evolved into a consultancy that helps food, beverage, and hospitality brands strengthen their marketing foundations and build meaningful connections with their audiences. We focus on organic social media, brand strategy, professional photography, and content creation, but we also help clients with storytelling, communications, and positioning.
What sets Food Seen apart has always been our deep understanding of the industry. We have built long-standing relationships across restaurants, consumer packaged goods, tableware, and hospitality, and we understand both the creative and operational sides of the business. That experience allows us to help clients make smarter, more strategic decisions about how they show up in the market.
I’m most proud of the brand’s evolution. Food Seen has grown and adapted alongside the industry, but we’ve stayed true to what makes us special: creativity, integrity, and connection. After years of scaling and then intentionally simplifying, the business now operates with clarity and purpose. We take on projects that align with our values, our expertise, and our joy.
At its core, Food Seen is about storytelling and relationships – helping brands find their voice, elevate their image, and connect meaningfully with their audiences.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
The best way to work with or support me is through referrals, whether that’s new clients, collaborations, or trusted service partners. Referrals are what fuel my business and keep the work meaningful. I also value genuine, reciprocal connections that lead to great work and lasting relationships.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.foodseen.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foodseennc/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/feliciaperrytrujillo/
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/feliciaperrytrujillo
