We recently connected with Danielle Portis and have shared our conversation below.

Danielle , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard

I started Simply Homemade Catering in 2017 after I had my second child. As a caterer my business model is not like most catering companies. I try to stay away from big catering events like weddings. My focus is to assist families in maintaining a healthy work-life balance by providing homemade meals from scratch delivered to their home; as well as work with businesses to help boost employee morale through food that adults would appreciate. What Simply Homemade does different from the industry standard, we try to stay away from large catering events, but spend more time building relationships with clients. I use my love for food, and business to incorporate them both in order to differentiate myself from others in the field. I really want to bring awareness to what is really important. Of course working is important, working creates income and you need income to survive, but making work a higher priority over family is disheartening. As the saying goes “the greatest things in life are free” making yourself available to have a healthy work-life balance is crucial. Family or no family work should not be your life and if it is, outsource what you cannot do to allow free time. This is where Simply Homemade comes in. Also, on the business side, I work with businesses to boost employee morale through food. Employers expect the most out of their employees and some companies don’t really pour into their employees as much as they pull from them. Taking the time to show their appreciation can go a long way. Something as small as having something good for their staff to eat during a meeting that could have been an email, will give the employers something to look forward to and they may actually be engaged because they feel a sense of appreciation. At Simply Homemade we really put thought into our meals and how they are handled. For example, I launched my boxed lunches menu in February and received great feedback. I offer gourmet sandwiches, wraps, and salads all made with homemade salad dressings. Each option includes a homemade sugar cookie, and sandwiches and wraps include homemade tortilla chips with Pico de Gallo as an add on.

At Simply Homemade all of our food is homemade from scratch. We do not take any shortcuts and we stand strong by our integrity and excellent customer service.

Danielle , 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?

I am from Pittsburgh Pa, I attended North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro North Carolina. I graduated with a BS. in Business Management. From the time I graduated I knew that I always wanted to do something with food because I grew up in my family’s restaurant. During college I fell in love with Human Resources after I took a course called Organizational Behavior. I really enjoyed studying the psychology of people in the workplace. When I graduated college in 2010, the worst time to graduate college, so finding a job was difficult. I ended up working as a Bank Teller. It was a terrible experience. I tried my best to work in Corporate America but it didn’t like me and I didn’t like it. In 2013 I had my first child and my fiancé and I decided to move to Charlotte looking for better opportunities. Throughout this time I always thought of opening my own business, looking on my computer there were so many business plans that were started but never finished. I wanted to bottle my grandmother’s barbeque sauce recipe, I wanted to start my own catering business; but fear always held me back.

In 2014 I found a job working as a customer service representative for a small company. At the time the job was something I really needed. I was getting married in the next year so I was excited to be generating income. In 2015 I finally got the HR job I needed to get my foot in the door for other HR opportunities. But in 2016 I found out I was pregnant with my second child, and I was very unhappy with my job, I decided to leave. When I had my son in 2017, I started Simply Homemade Catering. I spent the time to get my ServeSafe Certification. I then began selling lunches to my husband’s job, and I remembered the email addresses from my old employer so I would send them weekly menus. I got great reviews and people really enjoyed my lunches, so my clientele began to grow. That is when I needed a mission and a vision. In the Summer of 2018 after the passing of my grandmother I was really determined to kick my business off. One of the main reasons why is because I was trying to find a job the whole time I was working on my business but no one would hire me. So I decided to create my own lane. Someone reached out to me on Instagram and they asked if I could partner with them to provide the breakfast. It was called Smart Start series and every two weeks we would meet up have a healthy breakfast and we would discuss ways to improve our lives and become better humans. I made a lot of connections and my business began to grow, I still have relationships with the connections I made. This lasted for about a year. Following that, I spent a lot of time trying to make my business legitimate. During this time was a major struggle. My husband and I had two kids at the time with one consistent income so the small things like making your business a LLC or finding a commercial kitchen was impossible because we were broke. Between 2018 and 2020 there was a lot of uncertainty. I was getting small jobs here and there but business was far from consistent. So I spent a lot of time making my menus, my website, creating a vision aligning a mission. I went to Western Governor’s University to get my masters in Leadership and Management. This was also a way to get a little more income by getting a refund check. Since I still have a major interest in HR, I thought that this would be beneficial. I wanted to find a way to incorporate my business background with my cooking background. During this time I knew that I could not get far unless I had a commercial kitchen, I already had my servesafe certification but I knew I needed a kitchen to legally cook out of the kitchen as well as take on larger catering events. So in 2020 I reached out to a restaurant who was interested in letting me share their kitchen in the afternoon when they closed. Then COVID hit and he ignored my calls. So I started from the beginning and I reached out to a baker on instagram and asked where I can find a commercial kitchen. She directed me to the Mecklenburg Business Diversity and Inclusion, she educated me on the free certifications I could receive as a minority owned business and how I could be a vendor for the county. I worked with the now Director of Business Diversity and Inclusion and she helped me create a Capability Statement, and she also helped me with my HUB Certification (Historically Underutilized business). While I waited for my certification I continued to find a commercial kitchen in my budget. I first went to a church that had a commercial kitchen and I told them my budget, but the kitchen could not be used for selling, only for church events. I did not get discouraged, I just went home and typed in Google, “Commercial Kitchens for rent”, and boom one popped up and was exactly in my budget. I could only afford $250 a month and that is exactly what she offered. I was able to get a commercial kitchen in the middle of COVID. I then decided to go back to school again to get my MBA. I was so excited, then I found out I was pregnant, and I have terrible pregnancies. I think I was able to do one event before I was on bedrest. In July 2021 I had my third child. By August I was back to work. I was busy, very busy. The word was spreading about how good my food was, and how great my customer service was. That is when I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my business. So I specialize in making food homemade from scratch, it is a combination of some of my favorite meals growing up, meals I created for my family, or meals suggested by family and friends. I have a wide variety to choose from, I cook everything from neckbones, to pastas, to Hispanic foods all the way to vegan. No matter what type of food it is, it is always made from scratch. I target those Families who don’t have the time to cook, I help them manage their work-life balance by preparing their dinner for them. I offer Family Style Meal packages, designed to Feed the Soul. All meals include heating instructions and an inspiring quote to feed the soul literally and figuratively. With the Family Meal Package you are able to prepay for 3 meals at once and you save $15. You pick the days you want the meals and they are delivered to you door. Also, with my background in Business and my passion for HR and leadership, I work with businesses to help boost employee morale. This includes working with HR for employee appreciation and well as lunch and learns, where there are lunch options that you wouldn’t think about. I have worked with the Mecklenburg Country Office of Economic Development for their dinners. I have also worked with them to provide boxed lunches but their corporate meetings. My business is different because I want people to care and enjoy food as much as I do. I want to make something unique and simple at the same time. When you taste anything I make I want your taste buds to dance. Also, I want people to try something they never thought they would try and actually like. For example my Purple Hummus (Beet Hummus) made with fresh beets. People complain about beets being too earthy but when you try my beet hummus, I turn people into believers. I am proud of my commitment to customer service, my integrity, most importantly my quality of food. Its just Simply delicious, I stand by that and in the most humblest way, I let my food speak for itself.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

In 2022, my business had picked up. I started becoming more outgoing and stepping out of my comfort zone, by cold calling different companies and offering my services to help boost employee morale. I left my last employer in 2016 for various reasons; first I was pregnant and my morning sickness was terrible, I couldn’t make it to work on time and when I was there I was sick. Second, the company I worked for was small so the HR department was small, there was only three of us. My manager left in the middle of chaos and this guy replaced her, he came from a big company so he had big ideas. He was a major micro-manager and he tried to keep me boxed in as a recruiter. He didn’t allow me to grow so I had to go. Anyway that was the backstory.

In 2022 I reached out to my old employer and told them that I currently work with businesses to boost employee morale. The HR Generalist asked me to cater their Thanksgiving dinner, then she canceled because her manager (my former manager) told her he had someone else. She said the next event she would use my service. In March of 2022 she reached out to me again. They wanted to do employee appreciation on Cinco de Mayo. The event was for 99 people for the morning shift and 25 people for the evening shift. The menu included chicken, and braised beef tacos with cilantro-lime rice and black beans, as well as homemade tortilla chips, fresh pico de gallo, and lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream all individually wrapped. In my head I knew I could do it, I just needed someone to help me. I was really excited because this was one of my biggest events and it was a big deal that I was doing an event for my previous employer, I kind of wanted to show them that they could have had a great employee if they treated me right. So I was preparing for the event everything was going according to plan until the night before. I make my pico de gallo by hand so I had to cut tomatoes, onions, and jalepeno for 125 people and package it. My husband was having car issues so we only had one car and my daughter had school so she needed to get the school on time. My kitchen is about 20 miles from my home so my husband dropped me off at my assistant’s house then we drove to my kitchen. It took her forever to get there. When we arrived I immediately started cooking giving directions and I started packing plates. The food was supposed to be delivered at 11am, it was 10:23 and I only had 24 plates packed. My heart dropped to my stomach, there was absolutely no way I was going to make it to them in time, and my kitchen was 32 minutes away. So I emailed the Generalist and I told her I dropped the ball and that I would not be there by 11. I apologized and I offered to refund their delivery fee if they came and picked up the meals. I told them if they couldn’t come then it would be another hour until I got there. They told me that they wasn’t coming and that I needed to bring the food. They never canceled, they even told me to let them know when I was outside so they can help me unload the truck. I finished in a hour like I said I would and I told them I was on the way. I told them I would be there at 1:32 and that is the time I arrived. When I got there her and her manager (my former manager) walked up to me and told me they are refusing my order because I was late. After we kept constant communication. They never once told me to cancel the order because I would be too late, they made me prepare that whole order just to turn me away. With 99 boxes of food in my truck and another twenty-five at my kitchen I decided to give the food to a local homeless shelter.

I keep saying my former manager because we never had a good relationship. He had actually ordered pizza when I told them I was running late. I admitted my mistakes and I was honest with them, I took on more than I could actually handle. This whole experience hurt my pride mainly because I was honest with them and they still treated me terribly and I stand strong on great customer service and punctuality. A week later I received an letter saying that I needed to give them a refund or they would seek legal action. This is a multi-million dollar company. When I worked as a customer service rep I entered in orders that was triple what I charged. Because the amount was so minimal I knew it was just a threat and they wouldn’t seek legal action. What they did do was report to my accounting platform that they never received what they ordered. So I was notified that they were going to take $1688 out of my business account. I still had other events, so I needed the money to pay for the ingredients. Also, that was my business account. It went into the negatives because I lost the dispute. That was the hardest time of my life. I was so insecure, I felt like I was in over my head and I would never be successful.

The day after, I had almost the same event. I was asked to cater a teacher appreciation for cinco de mayo for 100 people with the same menu. The only difference was it was buffet style. I knocked that event out the park, Then I had another event the following week that I knocked out the park. Then the Mecklenburg Office of Economic Development asked me to cater for two of their events and I knocked it out of the park. During all this time I was waiting to hear if I won the dispute.

Then I realized that everyone makes mistakes. You don’t know what your capable of until you try it. You also don’t know what you will say yes or no to until the situation is in your face. I also learned to never go backwards, my previous job was the past I needed to focus on the present. Every event for the next six months, I had that event in the back of my head. Having that experience taught me that the world isn’t over, I’m still here, my business is still here. I learned from my mistakes and made a promise to never go through embarrassment like that again. I didn’t let one experience break me down. I spent a lot of time analyzing the situation, I realized all money isn’t good money. Also, be confident and speak up for myself. Most importantly maintain my integrity. What bothered me the most from that experience is that I knew I made a mistake and I was willing to take the consequences, but telling them that I was going to be late and giving them options. I was prepared to give them a refund because I messed up. But they still made me do all that work just to turn me away was pure spite and evil. I learned that I can’t make people good people, I can just do the best I can to maintain my integrity.

A year later I have made that money three times, I have connected with some very beneficial people. I have grown, my business has grown and Simply Homemade Catering has a great reputation in the Charlotte community.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Growing up around my family in Pittsburgh Pa, I was surrounded by entrepreneurs. That was really all I knew. No one close to me in my family really worked an actual 9-5, they created their own businesses or were Solopreneurs in their respective fields. So going to college I made the decision to go to school for Business Management then when I graduated I would go to the school of Culinary Arts. The idea sounded good in my head until I actually graduated. I really enjoyed my major and fell in love with Human Resources so I really thought when I graduated I could get a decent job in that field. I was so wrong.

I started working as a bank teller. My first real job as a college graduate. I hated it, I realized I hated selling and in any entry-level position Selling would be a part of the job, I also noticed weird stuff happening that I didn’t want to be associated with. So I left that job and continued on my job search. I started working in a call center verifying people’s insurance. I was excited about that job. That is one thing about me, if I apply for a job I am genuinely interested in it and I take pride in what I do no matter what it is. I was excited to learn about insurance and how it works and helping people understand their insurance plans. After I got out of training and I was on the actual floor, I realized the job wasn’t what I thought it would be. It was mentally draining, we had mandatory overtime every day so 8 hour work days were 10 hour work days, it was crazy. Then I got pregnant so my husband and I moved to Charlotte. I realized that I wanted to work for a small company.

Throughout that time moving to Charlotte I would apply for Entry level Human Resource positions but would never get the role. In 2014 I got my opportunity to work for a small company. I thought working for a small company would allow me to have closer relationships with the owners, it would be more of a family environment. Everyone was easy going very personable, I developed a rapport with the Directors of the company, especially in HR. Soon as a position became available I applied for it. I was so excited I got it, even if they didn’t think I could do it I had a chance to prove them wrong. I was the HR Coordinator. I did full cycle recruiting, I worked with managers to boost employee morale, I did payroll, I did the Affirmative Action Plan, and even played a major role into transitioning in two new HRIS systems. My manager allowed me to do a little of everything because she knew my career path. I wanted to be an HR Consultant, Then things took a turn for the worse, my manager left the company which left me confused. I got a new manager and he took every responsibility away from me except recruiting. After getting pregnant and talking to my husband with his support I left.

During that time I applied to as many HR positions as I could, even being pregnant I tried. No one would hire me. Which was very discouraging. It is now 2023 and I have applied and interviewed for so many positions that I have been passed up for. I’m not sure if my history plays a part because I did not stay at jobs for long, or the amount of degrees I have, a BS in Management, MBA, and MS. in Leadership and Management, do they think I’m over qualified? Who knows I never seem to get an answer.

This past Fall, 2022, I had a dark time. I couldn’t understand what was wrong with me. Looking at my work history why I couldn’t stay at a job. Why did I always quit something when I didn’t like it. I did a lot of soul searching. Then one day I started journaling and writing about my life from high school until the present and I realized something. I’m unique. I grew up around Entrepreneurs, not rich Entrepreneurs but people who worked for themselves. That is all I seen growing up, I didn’t see people reporting to people. I was surrounded around bosses, now I am put in society where people grew up differently. Most people are conditioned to have a 9-5. Its normal to complain about their job and still go into work. That is not me, that is not what I am used to. I come from bosses so its only natural for me to be a boss. That is when I realized that I need to change my mind set. If no one is going to give me an opportunity or a job, I need to create my own lane for myself and others. I have a vision and a plan to grow my business and create other businesses. Once I noticed my pattern with employers, I changed and readjusted my whole mindset. I stopped looking for jobs and thinking of Simply Homemade as just a hobby and a dream. I accepted that this is my career and I have to operate like that and stop underestimating myself. I had to unlearn the behavior of following the crowd. Looking on that outside at others comparing myself to them, when we have had completely different life experiences, especially in understanding why people work.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shcateringclt.com
• Instagram: Simply Homemade Catering
• Facebook: Simply Homemade Catering
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/simply-homemade-catering/