As many of my friends and family know I have loved cooking my whole life. One of my first cooking memories is asking my grandma if we could go "experiment" in the kitchen, and we proceeded to drag the dining chair up to the counter and make a pie crust that we tossed some cut up apples into and sprinkled cinnamon sugar over. Looking back on it I know it was hideous, but not bad for being so young!
My grandmother indulged my curiosity enough through play time in the kitchen that I started thinking up more interesting and edible creations for us to try together. I began to love feeding people so much that I would practically sucker punch my cousins over getting the privilege to bring grandpa his plate at dinner time. I know if you ask them they will remember! I started cooking full three course meals for my family when I was around 8 years old. I remember that first meal I cooked for them was fried pork chops, cheesy broccoli rice, green beans with salt and pepper, and some canned Pillsbury rolls. My Mom gave me some tips from the couch as I stumbled my way through but I did it start to finish all on my own. The feeling of pride that I made something we would all sit down and enjoy together, and talk about our day over was addicting! I become obsessed to the point of running home to watch Rachel Ray (before she was a thing) after school instead of afternoon cartoons. Ming Tsai on PBS because it was a world of food my family knew nothing about. My Mom often practically gaged when he would cook octopus or other what seemed unworldly ingredient that she had no stomach for. That not only made me laugh but made me wonder what other families ate for dinner and shared together like we did. I continued to tool around in the kitchen with my marginal knowledge and it got me by until my late teens early twenties when I was at a cross roads and discussing my troubles financing collage with my friend Alison; over dinner of course! I was desperate to find my place in the world but so lost. She asked me why I hadn't considered culinary school. Honestly I never really thought it was something that could really be a job, it just never really registered. While lying in bed that night unable to sleep and trying to figure out all my problems; an infomercial came on for The Columbus Culinary Institute. "CALL NOW to set up a tour" they said. Someone answered the phone! I set up a tour, and the same grandma that fueled my curiosity all those years ago walked the halls with me of the place that brought me home to the restaurant business! The second I stepped through those doors I knew it was for me! I looked around at the diversity of people, the competitive spirit, and the passion they shared with me, and I knew I would never look back. There I would meet a kindred spirit and best friend Lenae. She is very much a calm to my storm and we make each other laugh like there is no tomorrow! As I was graduating collage I answered a flyer for a position for a test kitchen intern in the Donato’s pizza test kitchen. I met a woman named Janet there that would become my boss. She changed my life in more ways than she will ever understand. She saw something in me that I hadn’t yet seen in myself. She is a food scientist by trade and we made an incredible team! She was incredibly smart and taught me critical thinking and problem solving skills as well as how to interact in a business environment with the rest of our team. Still to this day I haven’t met another person who handled business so gracefully. Donato’s was the perfect incubator for my entrepreneurial spirit and I met so many people there that taught me a business can be run with kindness and dignity. We ran on a lean team which allowed me to learn all the critical areas of running a restaurant business from development, purchasing, marketing and operations. Their business model showed me how to do things practically and efficiently. I went from intern to manager of culinary innovation there. Once I moved up there I was able to hire my dear friend Lenae to work with me and to help her get a foot in the door. Her delicious pizza creations still grace the menu there. As I grew in my profession I moved on from Donato’s to Bob Evans in search of diversifying my knowledge. Bob Evans is a Beloved Ohio brand that I grew up on and I wanted to make my mark on their menu and learn what it was like to develop products for all meal occasion; especially breakfast! At Bob Evans I met so man more chefs like me in the R&D role. They taught me so much and helped me build my confidence that much more. I met my best friend Dawn there who not only held me up but offered me some friendly competition. She is a wizard in the kitchen with tips and shortcuts accumulated over her restaurant journeys. She and I worked as a well-oiled machine and connected like many people that work closely in kitchens do. We had the ability to read each other’s mind and just know what the other needed. She still knows me that well to this day even though we no longer work together in the kitchen. I also had challenges presented to me at Bob Evans; how to work at a bigger company with more people and more voices to input. To say it helped me develop a thick skin is putting it lightly, however I needed it. I learned what professional endurance was all about and how to sell my ideas. I made great friends with the marketing team and they taught me about better understanding our customers and giving them what they wanted not what we thought they wanted. I also learned how to work with what I had when it came to ingredients, tools and people. I’m grateful for every challenge I have faced in my life so far. It may have seemed endlessly frustrating in the moment but I am all the better of a person and a chef for it. There are too many people and situations to mention that have shaped me so far but I haven’t forgotten a one. Every one of them was hard fought or well-earned and I think that’s what will make me a great small business owner. I lost my Job at Bob Evans because of COVID-19 but in a way I’m glad. I know I needed that push to fight for what I really wanted and that’s to own my own business and to give my family something that cant me given by working for someone else. I am Scared. I am excited. I am grateful for every second of life. Lastly I would be gravely mistaken if I didn’t make an honorable mention to my Husband who has been by my side since I was 17. He has been my cheerleader and avid supporter from day one. Without him I wouldn’t even be writing to you right now!
