An engineer started a food blog after a quarter-life crisis. When she was laid off, she saw an opportunity and turned it into a lucrative career.

• Ten years ago Jannese Torres, 38, felt unfulfilled in her job as a process engineer.
• Looking for a creative outlet, she decided to start a food blog.
• She quit her job to focus on her business full time in 2021 and never looked back.

In May 2013, at the age of 27, Jannese Torres says she had a "quarter-life crisis."

She had ticked off almost every box in the "American dream" checklist that her parents had told her to follow by getting good grades in school, going to college, and securing a stable job as an engineer at a large corporation. But she felt deeply unfulfilled.

Looking for a creative outlet that would allow her to immerse herself in something other than her career, she decided to start a food blog.