Draft:Nico Norena

Nico Norena (born June 17, 1993) is an American recipe developer, content creator, and entrepreneur who lives in Miami, Florida. He is the founder and CEO of The Succulent Bite Inc. (2016–present). Norena gained social media traction on Instagram through developing dessert recipes and documenting travel experiences. He launched a blog, The Succulent Bite, where he publishes recipes. Norena's career took off in the content creation space while posting daily food videos.

He launched his first cookbook on August 23, 2022 named, “The Succulent Bite: 60+ Easy Recipes for Over-the-Top Desserts." Norena was named on the Forbes 30 under 30 list in the Food & Drink category, which estimates his profit in brand deals to be over $1 million as of 2022.

Life and career
Norena went to high school in Plantation, Florida at the Broward Campus of the American Heritage Schools (2008–2012), before achieving his bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing at Florida International University (2012–2016). Norena started his online company, The Succulent Bite Inc. in 2016.

During his schooling and part-time content creation, Norena worked as a sales intern at a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company, Eli Lilly and Company (2016). He was then taken on as a full-time sales representative (2016–2020).

In 2021, Norena started a podcast named “The Scoop with Nico Norena” under Succulent Bite Inc. and presented by Eat Drink Dine Podcast Network. The podcast focused on speaking with acclaimed chefs, influencers, and hospitality industry leaders, but subsequently ended that same year (2021).

Norena secured deals with brands like Hexclad, Maker’s Mark, Papa John’s, Kellogg’s, Absolut Vodka, Bud Light, Pepsi, Tostitos, Disney, and Chevrolet. Norena has also actively participated in the South Beach Wine & Food Festival since 2018. He was a featured guest at FoodieCon in 2023.