Once upon a time, Nancy Jaworski spent a lot of time riding mass transit home from her high-powered corporate job. As she chatted with other women on the bus, she heard the same plaints over and over again: “What am I going to fix for supper?” and “I wish I had time to cook, but my kids are so hungry by the time I pick them up that fast food is our only option.” Surely, thought Nancy, there must be a better solution.
But on she went with the commute and the pressures and the stress. Then one day, faced with delivering another round of layoffs to her staff, she decided she’d had enough. She volunteered to be a part of the layoffs and took some time to reflect on what was next. Then one day, she had several good friends over for dinner and a brainstorming session. She presented to them all of the many ideas she had for her next career move. They smiled and they nodded and finally someone said “well, sure you could do any of that but, you know, this food is pretty good.”
Nancy remembered those stressed-out mothers on the train and My Chef Nancy was born. She marshalled her cooking skills and corporate background, then sought out additional training and market feedback. She learning which foods freeze well, how much preparation to leave to the client and how to run and market her own business.
Today, My Chef Nancy has a base of customers that order meals weekly. Clients fill out an easy but detailed online survey that covers allergies, likes, dislikes and special needs as well as preferred preparation styles. Nancy then provides weekly options from which the client can pick five entrees and five sides. Entrees provide a typical family of four with one meal or a family of two with two meals. Meals are easy to prepare, healthful and require little clean up. Nancy can work with all types of requests from food allergies to vegan or vegetarian diets to organic requests.
My Chef Nancy also offers catering services. While she often caters full meals for weddings and other events, her specialty is “small bites receptions” featuring easy to eat, “clean” food that allows for the hugging, hand shaking and other interaction common to graduation and retirement parties, bridal and baby showers and especially funeral receptions. She caters to retreats and meetings and will even cater an intimate dinner party or a romantic meal for two in your home.
Nancy offers some truly unique services as well. Far-away parents with students in local colleges can have their child’s favorite pie, cake or cookies baked and delivered to them. One out-of-town customer called when her spouse was temporarily relocated here for a special project. My Chef Nancy delivered his favorite pie once a month for almost a year. Nancy also teaches cooking classes for children and adults and conducts cooking-themed team-building events.
Does she ever regret her decision to leave the 'rat race?' "I look back at it with an increasing appreciation and much less anger as I move forward. That experience, as all of my experiences, have taught me so much. Starting a business without those business skills would have been very difficult. I feel much more gratified every day when I do this job as I feel far more in control of my destiny. The time I flash back with a a little envy is when I pay my health insurance bill!! All in all, every step I take I am lucky enough to have miles behind me for the march forward."
For more information visit My Chef Nancy on the web.
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