We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Karen Robinson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Karen below.

Hi Karen, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Ideas are always flowing through my head, and as a single mom I am always trying to think of ways that I can use the gifts that God has given me to make a better life for me and my children. The idea for my business was born around a table at my friend’s home. I had created a traditional charcuterie board to bring because I do not like to go to people’s home empty handed. As we’re munching away and enjoying all the delicious items, she starts talking to me about how I should make this a business. I was excited about the idea of creating a charcuterie business but as we all know there are many businesses out there like that now. I wanted to offer a unique approach to my charcuterie business. That is when the idea was born to create custom charcuterie in pizza boxes. Same gourmet ingredients as traditional charcuterie boards just in a familiar portable package. The pizza box, in my opinion makes the contents of the boxes a delicious, unexpected surprise.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I say sometimes to myself that I am an accidental chef. I never cooked much growing up, but my mum tells me that I loved collecting recipes as a child. I grew up around women who cooked very well, and I think those influences or just watching them probably inspired me when I went to college. In college, my friends and I would cook all the time. I remember always wanting to cook because I could see the joy that it brought to my friends. It was because of their encouragement that after I graduated with a bachelor’s degree I then went to culinary school. I’ve worked in restaurants, hotels, football stadiums and basketball arenas. Then I discovered my passion for teaching people about cooking. I love sharing what I have learned about cooking. Even though I am not teaching right now, I too continue to learn and grow and share what I know when I can. CharCu 2 Go is my brand and I believe that it makes charcuterie more relatable/down to earth so to speak but the level of elegance of the ingredients in each box are still the same.

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

There was a time some years ago when it seemed like everything was crashing down around me and my children. We were asked to leave the apartment we had been living in for five years after I had to leave my marriage, at around the same time the school my kids attended and where i worked was suddenly closing so I would be without a job and my kids were without a school. So, for a few months my children and I were homeless living in an Extended Stay. I was grateful that we had a roof over our head, but it wasn’t our roof and I felt like a failure. Even though I felt this way, I had to pick myself up and keep going for myself but especially for my children. They have never once complained about the things that were happening and it made me realize that home is wherever we are together. Even though we may not have our forever home, yet I keep plowing ahead inspired by my children to not ever give up. I am grateful because through all of the lows my children are the ones who have shown me what resilience looks.

Have you ever had to pivot?

For me every day can seem like a pivot because being a single parent is all about pivoting. Juggling trying to start a business, while working a regular job so that I can somehow provide for my children and myself is a daily exercise in trying to get all the pieces to fit together. So, for me, in this season, pivoting is a constant. But I am grateful because it is in those moments of pivoting that I truly try to remember that God is still in control and that I can trust in Him and the plans he has for us to work out.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.charcu-2-go.com
• Instagram: @charcu_2_go
• Facebook: Chef Karen

Image Credits
Katherine Martin – my daughter (image 1) Chef Karen Robinson – pictures 1-4