Why Small Businesses Matter
Shop small, do big things for your community
Why Small Businesses Matter puts a spotlight on the local merchants who donate their time, talent, goods, and services for the betterment of our community. The shop local movement spreads virally as local businesses who are “tagged” have the opportunity to share their story!
You're IT Creative Meals By Chef Felicia!
Four questions with Felicia Nowling, founder of Creative Meals By Chef Felicia.
Why did you start your business?
When I had my 2nd child, I was fortunate to be a stay-at-home mom. When she reached of age to begin kindergarten, I knew that going back to the hecticness of working in the hotel/restaurant industry wasn't going to work for our new family dynamic. It was my husband who encouraged me to get back into my passion for cooking by doing my own thing. At that time, a nearby family was looking for a chef to create dinners for them during the week.
Thus, began my journey into getting back into the working world, cooking, and seeing what I CAN do. During my 2 years of cooking for this family, I also started to create prepared meals for a few families during the morning. I learned that prepared meals were in high demand. My business focus became clear: "To provide in-home prepared, restaurant quality, scratch-made meals for busy on-the-go families including those with dietary restrictions."
I don't offer a standard weekly menu to pick and choose from, I customize menus to each family I cook for taking into account any dietary restrictions. This allows for everyone to be able to eat meals that are suited to their needs. The hardest part will be deciding which meal to eat first.
What is your best-selling product/service?
I offer (3) services of those, the prepared meals are by far the service most requested/utilized:
- Weekly Prepared Meals
- Catering Intimate Dinners for those Special Occasions
- Cooking Classes
I love what we have to offer locally. I often use Deborah Ann's Sweet Shoppe, She la la, Ridgefield Organics, Ridgefield Prime, Caraluzzi's, Whole Foods & Trader Joes. Other businesses used to support mine are Hosting Helpers, and Fig Nutrition & Wellness, and can't say enough great things about my accounting team at Titan Accounting!
Have you "reimagined" your small business?
A newer service I'm now offering is cooking classes. Many people are intimidated by the kitchen and cooking in general. My classes are a fun way to learn a specific cooking technique, recipe, or cuisine without it being too formal of a setting. Food is more than items on a plate. It's good to know where the items came from, how they were raised, what it provides, tips & tricks on how to prepare them, and how to best utilize them.
Felicia would like to nominate Kiah Jones of K+K Reset to be featured next!
Visit Creative Meals By Chef Felicia online here, and make sure to check out their Facebook and Instagram pages as well!
HamletHub thanks Fairfield County Bank for making our Why Small Businesses Matter series possible!