We were lucky to catch up with Janice Carte recently and have shared our conversation below.
Janice, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. 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?
I tend to believe life unfolds exactly as it’s meant to – and there’s something really beautiful about that. When I started working with personal chef clients, my full-time job had begun to feel creatively stagnant, and since growth and creativity are what truly fuel me, I knew I needed a new challenge. (Honestly, if I hadn’t found one, I was bound to start stirring the pot at work – in a bad way!)
Clients started sharing their gratitude, then started sharing my name. Friends told friends, and before I knew it, I was putting in my notice at my “real job” and making the leap to self-employment. That decision became the first step toward hiring an associate and eventually growing into a full-fledged small business in 2013. I was 32, learning everything on the job- fueled by curiosity and a lot of patience with myself.
On the personal side, my marriage was falling apart. Just after my last day at work, I made the difficult choice to leave my husband. As the community I had built with him faded, a new one emerged – clients and families who welcomed me into their homes each week. The timing was cosmic. That support, from near-strangers who quickly became part of my world, helped heal the parts of me that felt most lost.
So, would I have started sooner or later? Honestly, I don’t know. I never planned to start a business at all. There was no grand vision or business plan – this work found me. If I’d tried to begin earlier, I might have been too focused on my day job to give it my full creative heart. If I’d waited, maybe the moment would’ve passed. But starting exactly when I did took the pressure off. I’d saved a small cushion to live on while I grieved my marriage, and that space gave me the grace to grow something meaningful – at exactly the right time.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I got my start in restaurants at 15, waitressing at a local Friendly’s – and I was hooked from day one. Through college and beyond, I kept one foot in the food world, diving deeper into spirits, wine, and cooking techniques. I even pursued a degree in Graphic Design and Marketing, but food and hospitality were always the heartbeat of my daily life.
What truly captivated me, though, wasn’t just the food – it was the community it created. The way a great meal can transform a gathering into a memory, how the right dish can bring people together, spark joy, or mark a milestone. That’s what pulled me in for good.
Fast forward to today, and I’ve spent the last 12+ years answering the call of busy humans – people who want to feed themselves and their families well, but who are also juggling full, beautiful, chaotic lives. We’ve worked with people who call themselves “half-assed,” “hot messes,” or “disasters in the kitchen,” and we’ve learned something big: everyone’s doing their best, and a little support goes a long way.
Tiny Spoon Chef provides personal chef services to households in over 110 cities across 15 states. What sets us apart is our commitment to truly personalized service. Our team of incredibly talented chefs builds custom menus every single week – there are no set menus, no rigid plans, and no portion limits. Every home we serve is unique, and we honor that. We see ourselves as culinary teammates, committed to making life easier, healthier, and more joyful.
Beyond our weekly meal service, we offer event catering, private cooking classes, and creative culinary consulting. We’ve worked with celebrity clients and pro athletes, but mostly we serve everyday people who want to delegate their health and home cooking – because let’s face it, our well-being is non-negotiable.
What I’m most proud of? Tiny Spoon Chef is a company built for people who love being here. We create remarkable jobs for chefs, and in turn, they bring creativity, care, and joy into our clients’ homes. It’s a business rooted in heart, hustle, and the belief that food can make everything better.
Have you ever had to pivot?
Every. Freakin’. Day.
Pivoting is practically a job description when you run a small business. Of course, COVID was the major pivot we all had to make to survive – but truthfully, pivots happen constantly. Just last week, we had to change course a dozen times in as many hours!
One of our biggest, more painful pivots came in the form of technology. When we first started automating the repetitive tasks in our business, we partnered with a small, independent developer who built a proprietary system that worked beautifully – for about a year. It streamlined everything and saved us a ton of human hours.
But as we scaled, the cracks started to show. We were relying on a single person – someone smart and talented, but still just one human being who got sick, went on vacation, and understandably didn’t want to be on call 24/7. Meanwhile, we were generating huge volumes of data and desperately needed more support on the tech side.
So, we pivoted to what we thought was a more robust solution with a larger platform and implementation team. Unfortunately, that decision cost us dearly. The company, BluLeadz, scammed us out of tens of thousands of dollars. As a small business, that kind of loss hurts. We lost precious time, capital, and momentum – and when we finally transitioned to a second team, they gave us 60 days’ notice before moving to an enterprise-only model, effectively dropping us despite having helped them grow.
It was frustrating, expensive, and incredibly demoralizing. But like everything else, we learned. Every day, we adapt – to new tools, new vendors, and new ways of doing things – to preserve our most valuable asset: our time with people. That’s where our heart is, and that’s where we always aim to stay.
Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?
Staying connected comes naturally to me – people often pop into my mind, and when they do, I don’t hesitate to reach out. A simple “thinking of you” message, text, or email can go a long way in making someone feel seen and valued. I believe it’s always meaningful to be reminded of how much you matter to someone else.
As the business grows, I’ve realized how important it is to create space – both in time and energy – to maintain those personal touches. Technology helps, but ultimately, it’s not about grand gestures or expensive gifts. It’s about thoughtfulness, presence, and taking the time to show someone they’re important. People are always worth that investment.
When it comes to brand loyalty, I also think about our internal customers – our associates. We put a lot of care into how people experience Tiny Spoon Chef, whether they’re a client or a team member. Loyalty is a natural result when you lead with humanity, empathy, and intention.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tinyspoonchef.com/locations/new-york?utm_term=personal%20chef&utm_campaign=2022.01+NYC+Landing+Page+(obj.+traffic)&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_acc=3689282097&hsa_cam=22048246522&hsa_grp=177621789732&hsa_ad=726133373696&hsa_src=g&hsa_tgt=kwd-11897991&hsa_kw=personal%20chef&hsa_mt=b&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22048246522&gbraid=0AAAAAoVz03RZKprehrOrHR7nXoOc6wDNm&gclid=CjwKCAjw9anCBhAWEiwAqBJ-c0OdrZ_eGkZuiryBPmeq-E1qx3wEMNssU7ZdXhL4pwTHHYWs0i5YKxoC2H4QAvD_BwE
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tinyspoonchef/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tinyspoonchef/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tiny-spoon-chef
