Robin grew up in Peoria, the heart of Illinois, with, as she puts it, “a steady diet of meat and potatoes.” Her mom’s dinner specialties included a chopped liver and beef tenderloin with ketchup-and-onion sauce. In her first food-related job, she dipped cones for treat-craving Peorians at Frosty’s Ice Cream.
Despite solidly Midwestern culinary beginnings, deep in Robin’s heart lurked the soul of a foodie. She voraciously consumed Laura Ingalls Wilder books, thinking “how fun it would be to have to churn your own butter, grow, harvest and store your own fruits and vegetables and keep your bread, flour, sugar and salt in the big wooden containers in the kitchen.” She loved her Betty Crocker’s Cookbook for Boys and Girls so much that the pages of her favorite recipes were threadbare and food-crusted. Her baby book was filled with references to her food consumption, even at six months old.
Interestingly, however, it wasn’t Robin’s love of food that would lead her to a career in dietetics, but rather her love of family and, more specifically, her desire to help them. As her closest family members were being diagnosed with cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and more, the connection between eating right and the decreased risk of disease wasn’t lost on her.
When she moved to Dallas and became personally committed to leading a healthier life, exercising regularly and eating right, her path became crystal clear.
IN THE NOW
Today, what sets Robin apart from other professionals in her field is the way she’s able to connect with, well, everyone. To those that know her well, Robin is the every-dietitian. What does that mean? It means she’s at ease working with moms, consumers, media professionals, doctors and nurses, chefs, marketing executives and fifth-graders. What’s more, Robin truly wants to be having conversations and building relationships about food and health with all these people — helping them to build confidence in themselves, support their product and promote their talent.
Many of Robin’s people skills and her entrepreneurial spirit go back to her roots. When she was younger her family owned — and still owns — a floor covering business. It was the enterprising spirit of her family, Robin says, that made her realize that she “just couldn’t see myself doing the same thing day after day.”
As a result, Robin wears many hats. She’s fluent in event management, media relations and brand and product ambassadorship. She advises chefs, develops recipes and helps reporters focus their food and health stories. She helps companies expand and amplify their product goals and reputation with social media outreach. And, as a prolific blogger, she helps busy families find everyday solutions to leading healthier lives through her personal blog, Robin’s Bite, where she’s been blogging since 2009.
In short, she’s a recognized leader in her industry, with an unparalleled skillset and wide depth and breadth of knowledge. In the spirit of her entrepreneurial family, she takes each day as a new beginning, a new challenge. “Being multi-faceted allows me to bring different perspectives to each of my clients in a unique way that they wouldn’t otherwise be exposed to — and that’s something they appreciate.”
Learn more about what makes Robin Plotkin the Every-Dietitian: