09/20/2026
Thank you to everyone who came out to the Tawas Farmer’s Market yesterday. ❤️
I walked away from the market with something worth a lot more to me than just sales: a handful of genuinely meaningful interactions that reminded me why I’m doing this.
One woman stopped by, really took in what I was doing, put her hand on my arm, gave it a squeeze, and told me, “Keep doing what you’re doing. This is really going to take off.”
That meant more than she probably realized.
Later, I met an older couple from South Carolina who were passing through Michigan on vacation on their way to Mackinac Island. She was curious about Buff Bytes and asked me where the idea came from, so I told her about the gaming theme, but also about the bigger inspiration behind it… my own health journey, losing weight, being diabetic, and wanting to create something that felt different from the stereotypical “Mountain Dew, Doritos, candy and snack cakes” gamer diet.
It turned out she was diabetic too.
We stood there and exchanged stories about our experiences, and before they left she told me I had been an absolute pleasure to talk to.
That interaction really stuck with me.
Another woman walked up to the table, looked everything over and, with a big smile, said:
“This looks nerdy!”
And I immediately replied, “It is!!” 😂🎮
I told her a little about my health journey too, and she gave me a fist bump, congratulated me and told me how much she liked what I was doing.
Those moments are what I want Buff Bytes to be about.
Yes, gaming is a huge part of the identity. It’s fun, it’s nostalgic, and it gives us our personality. But Buff Bytes extends far beyond the theme.
You don’t have to be a gamer to understand wanting better options.
You don’t have to know what a “critical hit,” “respawn,” or “core mechanic” is to enjoy good food.
And sometimes food is simply the thing that gets two people who otherwise may never have spoken to stop, share a story, laugh together, and connect.
The woman from South Carolina honestly seemed like she may have never touched a video game in her life, and yet Buff Bytes still spoke to her in a completely different way.
That’s pretty special.
I could have gone to that market yesterday, not made a single dollar, and still gone home feeling happy and proud because you simply cannot put a price on interactions like those.
So thank you, Tawas.
Thank you to everyone who stopped, asked questions, laughed at the names, shared your own stories, bought something, encouraged me, or simply took a few minutes to talk.
This is becoming about so much more than snacks.
🎮💪 Buff Bytes
Eat. Fuel. Play. Repeat.
