It's always showtime in Charleston for Daniel Pointe Retirement Community’s Chef Jonathon Bolton. He comes by it naturally.
For Chef Jonathon Bolton, food photography dominates his digital feeds. He has learned to leverage social platforms in an array of savvy ways to bring his kitchen – and himself – to life. From a palate pleasing and perfectly plated amuse-bouche to a flawless foie gras, Bolton captures the creativity in combining old school recipes and flavors with new school methods of cooking in his kitchen that cumulate clicks, “likes,” links, and shares.
Bolton strives to post regularly – daily, if not more so – depending on what’s going on at Daniel Pointe and what #foodpics of his #instafood are deemed #instagood and #instaworthy. “Promote! Promote! Promote!” exclaims Bolton. “When I post, my goal is to showcase the culinary team’s impeccable work. It’s art to me.”
For those that follow the Charlotte-native, it’s easy to see how much of a success his outlets are to showcase the skill and ability of Daniel Pointe’s chef crew. It’s become an essential element in Bolton’s management strategy.
“It’s been an incredible recruitment tool for prospective team members,” Bolton says. “I love using hashtags like #DanielPointe, #RLC, and #FoodRevolution so if someone is searching those terms, they can easily find us.”
LinkedIn has been especially helpful with recruiting. “Culinary students tend to be very visual,” says Bolton. “We don’t just show off for our residents, we’re out to impress their families, friends, and even ourselves! Going over-the-top every time not only translates to wows from our fine diners but new hires as well.”
Like other chefs in the RLC family, Bolton uses social media as a means to connect with his staff and other chefs. When it comes to recruitment Bolton adds, “During the early stages of an interview with a potential new hire, I direct him or her to the community’s social platforms so they can gain a better understanding of what we do, the kind of food we create, the high expectations we deliver, and the positive environment we promote here at Daniel Pointe.”
Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn are his preferred platforms that he’s been using for years. He typically posts what he refers to as “Food Revolution” moments, which include photos of food, occasional videos, links to pertinent blogs, and even photos and news from around other Resort Lifestyle Communities.
“I feel more excited about our successes by posting and following others,” he says. “Social media harnesses the power of bringing like-minded individuals together – particularly chefs. It’s an amazing outlet to compare and share while helping us to demonstrate what we do on a daily basis.”
Bolton loves to leverage Facebook to connect with residents and their families as well. “Daniel Pointe residents are proud to see what we do here. They will often share posts to their own individual social networks and that in return makes us proud of what we do!” he explains.
Chef Bolton’s rules for social media success are three-fold:
1. Post often, but only if it’s appealing, interesting, and relevant. “Posting regularly helps higher rankings in certain feeds,” he says. “Make it part of your daily routine.”
2. Keep it professional. “As long as we keep it relevant and professional, the marketing team gets excited about the traction and reach it provides. Between you and me, they’re hopeful other departments will dedicate similar efforts.”
3. Have FUN! “Use it to keep connected to colleagues and friends. Discover inspiration, pick up new ideas, and learn more about ways to better yourself.”
His creative eye working as a production assistant on various film and television show production sets early on in his career has without a doubt transformed into capturing that same creativity in the kitchen on social media. Bravo, Chef Bolton. Bravo.
Next time you run into Kevin Costner, tell him we’ve got his blueberries.
