We were lucky to catch up with Grace Aguilar recently and have shared our conversation below.
Grace, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Alright – so having the idea is one thing, but going from idea to execution is where countless people drop the ball. Can you talk to us about your journey from idea to execution?
I started by documenting what I cooked at work as a line cook and in my home when cooking for friends and family. Everyday became a journey of my culinary lifestyle and people would express how they wanted to try my New Orleans style food. I began hosting parties and backyard cookouts to give people a taste of what I would share online. I created a youtube with my same social media handle @bettersaygrace and filmed segments such as “Backyard Cooking” and “50 Plates” to tap into other cultures. While attending culinary school, I was working in kitchens and my videos started gaining attention and some people would even become customers. I never thought that bringing my skills into people’s homes would be an attainable and consistent source of income. Then pandemic hit and it became my only source of income, gaining high profile clients and spreading my name as a private chef in Austin. The creative side of cooking is my biggest strength, but the challenge is the business aspect of a private chef company and learning systems that can do the work efficiently without me at all times.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?
I am originally from New Orleans, Louisiana but got displaced to Lafayette, Louisiana at age 12 due to Hurricane Katrina. Prior to moving to Lafayette, I remember running around in my godmother’s restaurant and eating so much good food made by a specific line cook we all called “Jitterbug.” My parents are Honduran immigrants, that like so many other immigrant stories, wanted to provide a better life for their family. Being the youngest of three siblings, I am the first generation American in my family, therefore my mother’s way of connecting me to my roots would be to fly me to Honduras often to learn about our culture and cuisine. When landing in Honduras, I remember three things: taking cold showers, amazing open markets that we would walk to, and my aunt being an amazing cook. Every fond memory I have is tied to smell and taste which has inspired me to cook present day. When moving to Austin, Tx at 22, I missed Louisiana food and my mother’s cooking that I began cooking the basics. People started supporting me by coming to events I hosted which pushed me to dig deeper in wanting to to be more creative. The pandemic allowed me to expand and to have more confidence and to sow seeds as an entrepreneur. Most of my clients have dietary restrictions which has pushed the envelope to cook more creatively. My main goal is for everyone to feel as if they aren’t missing out because of allergies, etc. I am mostly proud of achieving where I said I would be 5 years ago by creating my own path in the culinary industry. My brand, Better Say Grace, represents not taking the same road as everyone else and being confident in your morals and beliefs. To achieve the goals your peers or people you look up to have done but in your own unique way.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
Building an audience on social media can be frightening and often very vague. You ask yourself, “What should I post? Do I need an expensive camera to stand out? What message am I trying to convey?” My very first post was vanilla cupcakes with the most unappealing pink icing that I’m not sure I would even eat now. I went ahead and did it, not caring how many likes I would get or what filter it had. It was the simple idea of starting somewhere that was fun because it was all about endless possibilities. At first, I didn’t realize that I was even building an audience. It was more about making the next recipe post better than the last. Being honest, vulnerable, and sharing my knowledge or lack thereof is what helped me connect with so many people online. The best way to create an audience is finding your target audience and being relatable.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
My side hustle became tangible once my co-workers found out about my cooking. People would ask me to cater for family meals and would pay me to feed everyone on our breaks at work. That’s when I saw the potential for my business and learned about food costing to gain real profit. My co-workers believed in me which fueled my passion to attend culinary school. I didn’t want to just cook food but be knowledgeable of food in every aspect. I am very adaptable and have worked in different sectors of food such as line cook, pastry chef, private chef, and food stylist. Some of my proudest moments would be creating an electronic cookbook, my recipe being featured on The Kitchn and Tastemade, and winning two full ride scholarships from US Foods and Food and Wine’s Best Pastry Chef of 2020, Tavel Bristol-Joseph Scholarship. Being mentored by amazing people and being placed in spaces I could have only dreamed of years ago keeps me inspired.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bettersaygrace.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bettersaygrace
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grace-aguilar-669431a3
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/bsygfood
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoQnKj5EZ_NnZZAISj1d7qg
Image Credits
Julian Smith @wellcaptured.js