We recently connected with Candice Quick and have shared our conversation below.

Candice, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?

Finding yourself in the work force, even if you have a clear idea of what type of career you want, is often challenging. I always knew I wanted to be a chef, and as a child fulling that dream it seemed so easy. The older I became, and the more schooling and work experience I obtained, that goal became more and more fuzzy. Where should I be a chef? What kind of chef do I want to be? Those two questions alone provoke so many additional questions, far more than I could ever discuss in one article.

The further I went in my career the answers to those questions went in and out of focus quite often. Some days it seemed like everything made sense, and other days I truly questioned if I was in the right industry at all. Along the way I was constantly asked “When are you going to open your own restaurant?” and quickly realized that was a road I never wanted to go down. Just wasn’t for me. At the end of the day, above all else, I just wanted to cook for people.

I soon found the world of being a private chef. A colleague of mine from years back would tell me stories of her time in New York working as a private chef, and I always kept that in the back of my head. One of the few silver linings of covid, made this specific position very obtainable, and suddenly things had become more clear than ever.

I started my business at probably the most risky time to start a business, but to me, it couldn’t have been a more perfect time. My clients needed me and I them. One client led to the next, and I found ways to grow with private dinners, zoom cooking lessons and even began making fresh dog food!

I love owning my own business. It is the most rewarding work I have ever been apart of. To wish I had done it sooner…. I believe in timing. It wasn’t my time earlier. I do have to thank my amazing husband and business partner however; aside from all of his hard work, dedication and overwhelming support, it was his words “Why are you still working for other people’, that finally lit a fire under me. More than three years later, he was right, and I couldn’t be more appreciative.

Candice, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

The vast majority of our day to day work is creating custom menus for our dozen+ Columbus families. Everyone we provide delivered meals to have their own story. Some are incredibly large families with no time to cook, others are individuals that require incredibly specific diets, and everyone in between. We always discuss meals they love and ingredients they hate. Most importantly, dietary restrictions! It can be tough hosting a party in a typical establishment, because you may not always know how a dish is made. We make sure that if you want/need it prepared a specific way, that we meet those needs to the best of our ability! While I wish we could provide this service to everyone, there are only so many hours in the day. Wonderfully, we have expanded into a second day of delivery and love being able to add even more clients to our list!

Outside of weekly clients, we also provide custom services for intimate parties and private dinners. Events that have ranged from two people enjoying their anniversary, up to a very festive 80th birthday extravaganza! The best part? 100% custom! I really pride our work in making the experience special to each client.

The past year we made amazing strides in our Fresh Dog Food line as well! We love providing an option to pup that just need something more well rounded than the standard kibble. Our oldest dog is the reason we began making it, and both of our dogs LOVE their fresh food. We just knew other dogs would too and we’re over joyed at all the fur-babies we have been able to help spoil.

The most recent addition to our facet of our business, is hospitality consulting. It is so exciting to help other small business find new ways to succeed! We’ve been working closely with a couple business owners and it is really rewarding to use all the experiences and knowledge I’ve gathered over the years to help someone else. At the end of the day, all us small business owners are in this together!

Aside from all of that, back in May I passed the Certified Bourbon Professional exam. A personal goal, as I am now a level one sommelier, a cicerone certified beer server and a certified bourbon profession.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

Meeting my business partner is a fun story. We actually met working for a previous employer. We began dating in June of that year, were engaged in September and married by February! Knowing he understood my career ambitions was a great start to our personal relationship and became very important once we decided to start our own business. The hospitality industry is not for the faint of heart, but cooking along side him I have my two true loves with me all the time.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Along with studying hospitality in college, I also obtained a minor in marketing… and boy am I glad I did that! Every single day I am thinking of ways to market what we do, and social media is vital to the success of our marketing. One of the absolute best days, was when we were working one of our Fresh Dog food pop-ups. Someone had been following us on social and saw we were going to be at the event near where she lived…. and came down to check us out! Sometimes social media doesn’t even seem real… a heart here, a couple likes there… but when you are actually able to reach people, and they seek you out… that’s pretty cool!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mise33.com
• Instagram: @Mise_33
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Mise-33/100027234863050
• Linkedin: Candice Quick

Image Credits
Candice Quick