Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jamie Logan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jamie, appreciate you joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

i used to work in a pizzeria so i have always loved whipping up pies, but dough making intimidated me. the few times i tried to make it on my own it it was a pain in the ass to get right, and it was so much easier to grab it from a pizzeria, but when the pandemic hit i moved in with my sister & her family and our meals were the highlight of our days. along with all of my other covid bakers, i decided to give dough making another shot and it unlocked a whole other side of it for me that i really fell in love with and kept wanting to experiment with. i’ve always wanted to open up a concept of my own but the thought of leaving behind the cushion of a job (that was ultimately sucking away at my soul) was a scary leap to take. it was December of 2020 and i decided to do an impromptu donation dough drop to test the waters & see if i had the chops. my friends & family massively supported that and somehow i managed to make over 75 pizzas in my teeny tiny apartment oven. however there is no lack of (male owned/operated!!!) pizzerias in the northeast, so i knew i needed to do something unique that blended my creativity & short attention span. and then the calzone came

Jamie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am Jamie Logan, founder of Madame Meats LLC. I make custom calzones, do exclusive dough drops, and make many other creations at local farmers markets where I live in Jersey City, NJ. i aim to use ingredients from local purveyors and currently work for Happy Valley Meat Company, who sources beef & pork from farms in the northeast for chefs & butchers in the area. Before this, I worked in events and hospitality sales, and have always loved being able to create unique experiences that leave a unique lasting impression. But doing that at a company that produces really large events can have a lot of road blocks & red tape, and before you know it all of the personal touches are gone. I started doing calzone pop ups as a source to release my creative energy that i felt was being blocked by a bunch of bullshit to put it bluntly! That unlocked a gateway for me to create my own style purely out of love, failing & experimenting often, and improvising on the fly. Test kitchens with my family & friends are one of the major highlights of the gig for me. it also became a fun way to connect with new people and have them share in something that i pour so much of myself into. I still feel like I am getting started in a lot of ways (my goal is to one day own my own brick & mortar..), so it’s hard to see how far this little operation has come sometimes, but it’s something I’m incredibly proud of and that i truly feel connects to my soul!

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Yes, and this one came just last week! I cannot stress enough that doing this on your own is extremely challenging, and really tests your physical mental and emotional strength often! And I just do this as a side gig. I have so much respect and admiration for small business owners that are tested on a daily basis by different challenges, because it’s inevitably always something. It was the end of a long 90 degree day at the farmers market, I had decided to experiment with some new menu items and it backfired a little, and some of my equipment of course also decided not to work. While I was able to keep it pretty cool through the market I was really being tested on the inside and when I left to discover my car battery was dead, i had hit my limit! luckily i had some friends around to let me get out a good cry and sprinkle in a few laughs, and a lovely gentleman named Rasheam from AAA, who rallied around me. the experience is what you make it, and if you’re miserable and stressed and burnt out, then it’s gonna be miserable. it allowed me to take a step back and have more of a clear focus on where i want to head in the future and how i can accept help (i tend to want to do everything myself, which i am working on!)

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

To me, the most important aspect of social media is to be genuine and not take yourself too seriously. Anything I am saying on my social media is what I would be doing and representing in my real life. I don’t have anything close to a large audience, but I think my content connects with people because it’s approachable and kinda silly. There is so much content that’s just algorithm formulas (which I’ll never conform to) and I pride myself on putting some flare on what I produce. For me, what works best is just going with my gut and being spontaneous, and letting people into the behind the scenes more often. I also really only highlight brands, places, events, etc that I get really excited and try not to do too much.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://madamemeats.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madame_meats/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-logan-6b882b40

Image Credits
image 1 — Fresco Cerdas images 7-8 — Kara Donnelly

Grace Fryman