It probably won’t knock you off the chair, but one of the most basic things to do before meeting an interviewee is Google.
You know, I want to know more about the person I'm supposed to meet: reading previous articles, things he did, old and new pictures, anything that will help the ultimate goal - the ideal interview.
Emma, when I went to do this ahead of my meeting with Adi Klinghoffer, who you probably know better by her nickname on social media, "Adikush," I ran into a problem.
There is nothing about her.
The fact that there have been no articles about her in the past is not terrible, because it is my net profit, but also on her invested site, the only page that is not maintained and active is the "About" page.
This is a bit unusual when it comes to a baking and recipe blogger with more than 300,000 followers on Instagram, tens of thousands more in Tiktok and recipes with the biggest food brands in Israel.
Worse, and although I rubbed in on awkward encounters in cafes, I found very few photos of her on her social media accounts, and in most of the (great, by the way) recipes she uploads to social media, the only thing that comes up is her palms.
Strange, but mostly mysterious and intriguing.
What's the Deal?
"I'm really quite mysterious in my personal life. I do not like to tell and share too much, certainly not to show myself either - but it's not a deliberate strategy, but a matter of my insecurity. I'm terribly calculating for the environment and the feedback I get."
But your profession needs a lot of exposure.
"I came to this world of social media by mistake. I have Instagram from the first day it came to Israel, but not for followers or recipes, just for personal needs. It's not something that motivated me. I uploaded recipes for cakes, challahs and desserts, I flowed, and it slowly grew. "Big pages brought me up and new followers arrived. Until two years ago, I didn't really understand the potential of all this."
How it manifests itself?
"In 'question-and-answer' sessions on Instagram, say. I suddenly got so many personal questions, and I realized that people know nothing about me. I have no privacy anxiety like I have anxiety from exposure. I see my colleagues being hurt in situations like this, and honestly scared."
But not too late for that? Even so, everyone will have something to say.
"I moved apartment now, and it's a significant step for me, so I also decided to start sharing more about my personal life. This move symbolizes a lot more to me than just a physical move."
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A post shared by Adi Klinghofer (@ adikosh_123)
"Baking was my escape"
Klinghoffer is only 24 years old, but the circumstances of her life have made her a "mother of the house" at the age of 15, and until very recently she lived in Petah Tikva, her hometown, with her father and sister.
"I took care of all of us, and at the same time I was one hundred percent independent, until I felt I was not there for myself and my business. It weighed me down, until I mustered up the courage and decided to leave for my own apartment.
"It weighed in on other personal and developmental areas, including relationships, for that matter, so I decided to start a new page, just like starting from scratch for myself, and moving into an apartment on my own. I'm not afraid to be independent, because I'm already there, but I still had not just done it "I'm glad I went for it."
Where did the love for baking come from?
"I started with art at the age of six. I painted on canvas and sculpted with clay, and I enjoyed every moment. On Fridays I would watch my Moroccan aunt cook and bake, and I fell in love with staring at it and watching the food channel. At some point I left art and started going into the kitchen. The first thing I made was cold cheesecake. "It was a disaster, but it's okay because I was eight years old. I slowly challenged myself with more complex things, until I realized among myself that I know how to work in the kitchen."
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A post shared by Adi Klinghofer (@ adikosh_123)
How were the reactions?
"They let me enjoy the hobby, but the one who did not like it was my mother, who was a cleaning patient, and it did not work out together. So I continued to bake, but very little, when possible."
Klinghoffer was very attached to her mother, and when she passed away, when Adi was only 15, it had tremendous consequences, which continue to this day.
"She got sick when I was ten, recovered and got sick again and again several times, until she passed away. She was, and still is, my whole world, and I believe that even now she accompanies me at every stage of life.
"When the sky falls on you you're just looking for a place to escape, and for me it was the kitchen. The day she died I had an apple strudel. It was Friday night and she was in the hospital. In the middle they called us and told us to come quickly. I left it in the oven, and at 12 at night "After she died, we went back and I found the strudel charred and burnt in the oven. Since then I have not touched an apple strudel."
It took you a while to recover.
Klinghoffer and her mother, Photo: Private album
"I was not so able to adapt to life back then. I was only in the kitchen. The first year I was depressed and did not get out of bed at all, and there is nothing to talk about studies at all. I lost a lot of friends because I broke up with them, but slowly reset. One day I would open a book and prepare a recipe. There was not a day that I would not prepare and take a recipe. After a year you could say that I got out of depression, mainly thanks to the kitchen, but it was not easy.
"Gradually I also went back to school, but my real passion remained baking. I would wait to go home to bake, and distribute at the people's school."
"The IDF? Life has challenged me more "
Adi's life continued to be challenging, and while functioning as the family's mother, reluctantly, at the age of 18, a difficult issue arose - the issue of conscription.
"I was supposed to enlist, like everyone else, but in the end it did not happen, in collaboration with professionals I was being treated by at the time. My father and my aunt wanted me to enlist so that I 'mature', because that's what usually happens when enlisted, but I "Growing up like life did for me. I'm not proud that I didn't enlist, but I also do not regret it, it just did not suit me mentally."
From here, life began to take a more and more positive turn, beginning with the decision to professionalize the love of baking, through confectionery studies at the "Cooking" school in Jaffa.
"Already in the middle of school I started selling cakes from home, and I also devoted Instagram to it. My recipes started to be published on the big sites, and the orders grew and grew.
"However, I would tear myself apart and not see a shekel, so I realized that something here was not working - either I was just investing and doing something wrong, or there was no money in it. On the other hand, I saw that others were making money, so I probably really did something wrong."
And when did the twist actually arrive?
"This whole 'explosion' section there did not cross my mind for a moment. I did not attach any importance to the number of followers and the increase in their number, and I did not think it would be my livelihood, but just a self-marketing tool to help sell cakes.
"For me, too, like everyone else, it turned out to be life. There I decided I would stop selling cakes, because I can just make nice money from the content I produce, and it's worth a lot. I work on it no less time than on baking, but the satisfaction from it is huge. ".
Where does your courage come from to try to succeed among so many competitors?
"I believe there is a place for everyone and everyone. Everyone brings their own personal touch. It is a very difficult profession also because there is great competition, and anyone can overtake you in an instant. I learned about myself over time that if I look to the sides all the time - I will lose myself. "And the focus on myself. I know what I bring, what I'm worth and how good I am at it, but I do not think I'm the best, and I'm pretty sure there are better ones than me."
And it's not scary?
"I get up every morning feeling scared and uncertain, but thinking about the next day. I always plan the next thing I will do as well, once what I do now is irrelevant. No one assures me I will be relevant all the time, so I always Planning ahead. "
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A post shared by Adi Klinghofer (@ adikosh_123)
"Someday I will have to learn to let go"
As mentioned, Klinghoffer's recipes are solely from the world of baking.
For her it is nothing less than an exact science, and there is no chance that you will find it refers to even the most basic element with ease.
"People sometimes ask me questions like 'how much is in a disposable cup'? I have no idea, I do not know what a disposable is. I always write in grams. If someone makes something of mine, I want it to be as accurate as possible. I do not "I like to tell people 'go buy this and that product because that's the only way you will get it', but specifically in such cases, yes, you can invest a few tens of shekels in the product as an exact weight if you bake at home. It pays off."
How does your relationship with the surfers work?
"I try to be accessible to everyone. It used to be important for me to be able to please everyone, but I already understand that in these quantities it is not possible, so I do not try anymore. It took time, but I managed to release. I always think well, but I am very innocent, "I hope not to be beaten by it. I want to believe in goodness and optimism, but not everything is under my control."
Rumor has it that you are addicted to work.
"I get up at five-thirty in the morning, drink coffee and read Psalms. I start very early, because I only record the recipes in daylight. It's enough that a sunny day turns gray, or it starts to rain by surprise - and everything changes.
"When the light goes down and it starts to get dark I switch to computer, recipe writing and editing. It takes hours. I used to be able to find myself answering people until three in the morning. Today I budget an hour or two a day to respond to followers' messages. The audience must be maintained."
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A post shared by Adi Klinghofer (@ adikosh_123)
And I guess it comes at a price.
"I've made a lot of concessions, and I lose a lot. I barely go out on evenings and weekends because I'm too tired. I'm not getting off my feet from the gas, because I'm afraid to get off my feet from the gas. I have friends who are mad at me, but I really feel this is my career and most important Of its construction - and should be sacrificed. "
It does not hurt you to do everything alone?
"There's no way I'll let anyone, at the moment at least, do a job like editing the materials I film, or the things I write. I know that someday I'll have to learn to release, but not right now and not in that."
What are the plans for the future?
"I'll tell you what I'm not dreaming of right now - a place of my own. But 'Nabar Sei Nabar'. I do want to do something of my own - that people can use exactly what I use. In addition, continue what I do until now and learn to enjoy it."
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