Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Ciaglo
Lauren, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My husband and I both attended schools on the east coast (CIA being one of them) and we ended up staying out east afterwards. We were living in Connecticut when we started our family. We had been working in kitchens for years and decided to move to Oklahoma to be closer to Curtis’s mom, who was ill.
After our relocation we decided it would be a prime time to try to go into business for ourselves. We saw opportunity in the marketplace and learned that we could use services available at the local business development center to get started (The Great Pains Business Development Center). This was at the tail end of COVID so this avenue was helpful for us to start a business with minimal overhead costs.
We started by doing artisan bread at the local farmers market, home meal replacement options, catering, and themed monthly pop up dinners.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I do not think it is ever a smooth road to start a business and take a gamble on yourself. Sometimes it is one of the scariest things you can do, but you’ll never know if you do not try. Also as cliché as it may sound – sometimes the lessons are in the hardships and failures.
We thought we had a better understanding of the market than we did. In the end our perseverance paid off, but I think it just took a little longer than we had anticipated.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Honeycutt Culinary Concepts?
My husband, Curtis, and I are classically trained chefs. We both graduated from the Culinary Institute of America (him with his bachelor’s degree and me with my associate’s).
We have built our business and brand based upon everything we have learned coming up in the hospitality industry. We try to use and promote local as much as we possibly can. We put our love of our craft into our dishes and menus, which in turn are a reflection of our diverse cultural backgrounds and work experiences.
Our first business, Honeycutt Culinary Concepts offers a variety of services from catering, home meal replacements, artisan breads/pastries, pop up dinners, and personal/private chef services.
We are excited to announce that we will be opening our first brick and mortar location in Medicine Park, Oklahoma in June! It will be called Little Bear Street Eats and is located at InnHabit, which is a resort comprised of repurposed shipping containers (216 E Lake Dr, Medicine Park, OK). There are several other businesses on the property so it has an exciting and welcoming community feel.
The main menu will be small and focus on street food and Detroit style pizza. We will also run several specials that will rotate weekly, seasonally, or based on product availability.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Believe in yourself, read the signs, learn, adapt, and adjust as needed. Have a solid support group – you’ll need it!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://honeycuttcc.square.site
