- Words by Toby Tannas Photography by Darren Hull

When Tori Wesszer greets me at the periwinkle-blue front door of her West Kelowna home, I feel like I already know her. As one of her 171,000 followers on Instagram, I乌鸦传媒檝e logged a lot of hours watching and learning from this dynamo. Tori has cooked up a huge audience by following her passion for food.

乌鸦传媒淭here乌鸦传媒檚 so much joy in feeding people,乌鸦传媒� she says with a smile. 乌鸦传媒淔ood is love. It brings such a huge amount of pride and satisfaction when we can feed someone.乌鸦传媒�

A dietitian by trade, Tori is emerging as one of Canada乌鸦传媒檚 top lifestyle influencers. Her Fraiche Living blog and Instagram account inspire thousands of people daily. , Tori乌鸦传媒檚 newly published cookbook (created with cousin Jillian Harris), is climbing the bestseller lists and she乌鸦传媒檚 just about to launch a new meal-planning tool on her website.

乌鸦传媒淚 want to help people get a healthy meal on the table. Feeding your family a good, balanced meal that you can all eat together around the table is achievable.乌鸦传媒�

Tori乌鸦传媒檚 wizardry in the kitchen began at a young age.

乌鸦传媒淲hen I was a kid I just loved reading cookbooks. My parents would have friends over and I would cater their parties at 12 years old, just because it was fun.乌鸦传媒�

Tori is still having fun in the kitchen despite the fact her passion has become her full-time job.

乌鸦传媒淢y mom jokes with me and asks me all the time how I can still like cooking dinner, but I do,乌鸦传媒� she laughs. 乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檓 very aware of keeping the passion alive. I never want it to feel like a job.乌鸦传媒�

When she乌鸦传媒檚 not dreaming up new recipes or testing them in the kitchen, Tori and her team are busy writing, photographing and planning content for the blog.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 more difficult than I thought it was going to be,乌鸦传媒� she admits. 乌鸦传媒淲hen I started I thought, 乌鸦传媒楬ow hard could it be to blog?乌鸦传媒� Turns out there is a lot to it, which ultimately is part of the journey and the joy.乌鸦传媒�

As a mother of two young boys, Tori loves and appreciates the flexibility of working from home. She admits, however, that a healthy balance between work time and personal time is a new thing for her.

乌鸦传媒淭he boundary thing has been a bit tricky for me. Up until very recently, I would put my kids to bed and then go back to the computer and work until I got tired. Sometimes that was at two or three in the morning.乌鸦传媒�

Hiring a small team, including a business manager, has helped put more structure into Tori乌鸦传媒檚 work days. There乌鸦传媒檚 another side to the business, though, that乌鸦传媒檚 definitely not nine to five. A successful influencer must have a strong connection with their audience.

乌鸦传媒淧art of my work is sharing my personal life,乌鸦传媒� she explains. 乌鸦传媒淧eople want to see a connection, something that inspires them.乌鸦传媒�

A big part of Tori乌鸦传媒檚 appeal is her openness. Through Instagram stories, fans get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of her life at any hour of the day. They see into her home, her family life and her friendships, and sometimes it gets really personal.

乌鸦传媒淵ou have to show some of the realness, you have to be a bit vulnerable, you have to show what your life is about, otherwise I don乌鸦传媒檛 think there would be too much for people to connect to.乌鸦传媒�

Tori乌鸦传媒檚 ultimate goal is to inspire people. Her hope is that Fraiche Living fans feel inspired to simplify and beautify their lives. She乌鸦传媒檚 very clear about one thing: she never wants to give the impression that her life is perfect.

乌鸦传媒淲e are living in a really crazy society. We乌鸦传媒檙e surrounded on social media with pictures of perfection, homes that look perfect, kids that never fight. It乌鸦传媒檚 just not realistic.乌鸦传媒�

A scroll through the Fraiche Living website and Instagram feed is a feast for the eyes: dreamy, delicious 乌鸦传媒� dare I say 乌鸦传媒減erfect?乌鸦传媒� 乌鸦传媒� photos of food, family, fashion and d茅cor.

乌鸦传媒淲e do our best to make the pictures look the best we can, there乌鸦传媒檚 no doubt about that,乌鸦传媒� she concedes. 乌鸦传媒淏ut what you see in the grid should be taken as something to inspire you. It乌鸦传媒檚 not in any way an indication that that person乌鸦传媒檚 life looks like that all the time.乌鸦传媒�

Tori offers to show me her basement as an example of 乌鸦传媒渞eal life乌鸦传媒� with two boys. (For the record, it乌鸦传媒檚 a bit messy!)

She appears on camera without make-up, she乌鸦传媒檚 open about having rough days and she shares heart-wrenching 乌鸦传媒渕ommy乌鸦传媒� moments.

乌鸦传媒淎 life well lived comes in so many shapes and forms. I feel passionate about that. I have down days where I nitpick myself. I know most women do. I乌鸦传媒檓 so thankful to have a great support system.乌鸦传媒�

Tori always makes time to connect with her husband Charles. It乌鸦传媒檚 not surprising they most often meet in the kitchen.

乌鸦传媒淐harles is a really great cook. It乌鸦传媒檚 really nice to have someone in my life who understands what drives me and shares that passion. Our idea of a great night is cracking a bottle of wine, and then we put Frank Sinatra on and cook together.乌鸦传媒�

In the learn-as-you-go world of social influencers, Tori is becoming a star. She乌鸦传媒檚 relatable, she cares, she乌鸦传媒檚 got passion and drive. You definitely get the sense she乌鸦传媒檚 just getting started.

乌鸦传媒淚 have this massive gratitude to be honest and it makes me emotional. I love what I乌鸦传媒檓 doing and there乌鸦传媒檚 so much more I want to do.乌鸦传媒�

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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