BROCKTON— “Everybody Gotta Eat” is one local food blogger’s catch phase and life motto.
The Instagram page created by self-taught foodie Emmanuel Mervil, “Everybody Gotta Eat,” with over 17,000 followers, isn’t just an ordinary food blog but a page that builds community and brings foodies together.
“My mission is to uplift and bring awareness to different entrepreneurs and bring everyone together in a society where everyone is doing their own thing and barely supporting each other,” Mervil, said.
Not only does Mervil run a food blog, but he also has other endeavors, including a catering business with celebrity clientele and a fashion boutique Nckls n Dimes located at 663 Centre St., Jamaica Plain.
Mervil has catered food for Boston rappers Bia and Millyz, Rick Ross, Davido and Puma the athletic company, to name a few.
Mervil’s catering business works with more than 10 chefs and has catered events with 2,000 people.
When Mervil isn’t kept busy as a father of a 3-year-old, he’s running around the South Shore on a hunt for his next restaurant and probably plotting on the next networking opportunity.
“Food events are the perfect places for networking opportunities. Everyone is trying to get money and grow their network while enjoying good food,” Mervil said.
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Mervil is well known for his annual “Everybody Gotta Eat” cookout that grows yearly. The entrepreneur invites chefs from all over to bring their culinary dishes alive and feed hundreds of people.
“The commissioner told us, ‘You have to have a permit this year.’ That’s how big the events were in the past. If you missed it last year, you certainly wouldn’t miss it next year. So it’s that type of event,” Mervil said.
As his success is being recognized more lately, his life wasn’t always so prosperous.
Just a couple of years ago, Mervil was driving Lyft and doing odd jobs to make a living. He wasn’t sure what his true calling was yet.
It wasn’t until the death of his mother that put him into overdrive.
“I had to put my focus on something else to keep my mind off the death of my mother,” Mervil said.
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Mervil directed his pain and turned it into power by focusing on one avenue, food.
“I watched my mom feed everyone growing up. She was always giving back. My mom went to prisons in Haiti to feed people. I always wondered why I’m always giving back, and I learned it from my mom,” Mervil said.
Mervil fell in love with food from a young age and learned culinary techniques from his mom, eventually trying it out on his own.
The consistency of posting and visiting new restaurants created a buzz on social media. From there, he grew his page and now blogs full-time, along with his other businesses, including car rentals.
Mervil’s goal is to star in a Netflix food series and become the next Anthony Bourdain, traveling the world tasting different creations and posting about them.
But for now he’s content on working with small food businesses and growing them to their full potential.
Enterprise staff reporter Alisha Saint-Ciel can be reached by email at stciela@gannett.com. You can follow her on Twitter at @alishaspeakss and Instagram at Alishaatv. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Enterprise today.
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