Do you love to cook? How can you turn that into a business and become a VentureMom? Many of the moms I interview for VentureMom.com have created businesses around cooking.
The Naptime Chef, Kelsey Banfield, was a significant foodie, but when her first baby was born, she couldn’t find the time to make great meals. So she came up with a new plan. She did a lot of the prep work when her baby was napping in the afternoon. During what we moms call the witching hour when babies and kids meltdown right when you’re trying to make dinner, the Naptime Chef only had to do a few things to prepare her delicious meal. But how did she turn this into a business venture? Kelsey’s other new mom friends, who dubbed her The Naptime Chef, wanted to know how she did it. They were leaving the playgroup to order takeout. So Kelsey began sharing her recipes with them and then started a blog, so it would be easier to communicate with larger groups. She was asked to write for a national blog and create a cookbook. So what began as a way to make home-cooked meals with a new baby became a business venture.
Another mom made delicious gluten-free meals for her family, and when her neighbor asked her to make some dishes for her nutrition clients, Jen Maher fell into a business venture. What started as a service for a nutritionist quickly turned into a service venture providing gluten-free meals to her clients. Jen delivers a weekly menu by email and takes orders two days in advance. She offers kid and adult meals, lunch, and dinner. She’s gotten so busy she’s had to hire a helper and a delivery person.
What about a service for all the busy moms carpooling kids until 6 pm and getting home to an empty refrigerator? What if three ceramic dishes of meat, vegetable, and starch were in your refrigerator, ready to pop in the oven? You might say The Cooking Fairy had been there. Joanna Wallis began by sharing her meals with a few friends and even going to their homes to cook. But when she got so many requests for dishes, she found a commercial kitchen where she could prepare things for her clients. She is busy each week but cooks while her kids are in school. She delivers delicious meals that are ready to heat when you get home. We could all use a little of this magic.
Are you a great cook? Would you like to share your recipes and meals with others? Does this sound like a business venture you could start?
FYI: In Connecticut, you can only have a LEGAL food-based business if you are making (cooking or baking) your food in a commercial grade kitchen and selling for a profit. Each town’s health department has it’s own set of rules as to food businesses, and large fines can be given if there is a failure to adhere to said rules. I’d hate for anyone to find themselves in a bad situation..