We recently connected with Kelly Cain and have shared our conversation below.

Kelly, appreciate you joining us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

I have always loved food and photography. As a certified health coach, and website designer, with a stint in food blogging, I have always loved the idea of creating community around food. Having made charcuterie boards for holidays for family and friends and receiving great feedback – I had the idea to start teaching charcuterie classes. There were only a handful in the area. At the beginning, though, as most of us do when we start something new – and the learning curve is so high, I felt “not good enough.” Even though validation isn’t necessary – there was a moment through applying to teach a class through a local company that I was asked to teach charcuterie classes for one of the most known companies in the area. It was then, I knew, that I needed to get out of my own way and just begin. After all, others were able to see my worth more clearly than I could – as is often the case.

It was November 2020, a time when the world was being pushed a part, every conversation – divisive. Everyone was on edge. At the same time, many people were ready to get out of the house after being cooped up for months. Mask mandates were active, we were in perhaps our 2nd, maybe 3rd wave of covid. I reached out to a local coffee shop owner to ask if she would be open to hosting charcuterie classes with me as the teacher. She was all for it. At the time, I didn’t even have a website – I was brand new. I picked some dates, put them out on social media, and every class sold out. Many of the class attendees asked if I made to-go boxes, and from there my first holiday orders came about.

I still love food and photography, I take all of my own photos, create all of my own content, I designed my website, make my own reels, and run my business as a solo-preneur. In the coming months I am excited about hiring more people to help me with events and classes.

I also have a side project called the Raleigh local (@theraleighlocal)- where I take and share photos of local restaurants and other local businesses, further sharing my love of food and photography.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

As a web designer, food stylist, food blogger, and certified health coach – I took the combination of creativity and love for beautiful, delicious food and combine it all into my charcuterie business. The name fig + forage has several meanings – figs being one of my favorite items to put on a charcuterie board, they are not always in season, but when they are they are beautiful and spectacular, and add flavor, life and color to any board. Fig also comes from one of my favorite quotes “Everything is figuroutable” by Marie Forleo, As someone who is multi=passionate, I love that fig + forage has been a season of figuring out my passions and how to share them with others. Forage means to gather goods + supplies, which is what we do when we create a charcuterie board. It’s also has that natural feel, which is what I aim for in my designs to create a beautiful, organic look.

If you are hosting a dinner party, an event, you want to wow a client, have last minute company in town, or if you’re having a special date night – we are here to help you create a meaningful, impressive experience.

With every purchase fig + forage gives back to a local organization that is meaningful to us, and our followers. Right now we are supporting the local food bank.

Fig + Forage sources as many products as we can locally, and we are always adding more. We love using local honey from king cobra apiary, and local pepper jelly from Peggy Roses’. I source local berries when in season. I am currently looking to add to this list as much as I can!

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The best strategy and really the only strategy I use is connecting with other people by being myself.. I attend networking meetings and view it as building relationships – not trying to “make a sale,” And that has really changed everything for me.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

So many books have impacted my entrepreneurial journey. I absolutely love Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo – also her course, B School was amazing for me!

Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller, Atomic Habits by James Clear, as well as High Performance Habits by Brendon Burchard, Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero, Rising Strong by Brenè Brown – to name a few! I really could go on, but those are the most impactful.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://figandforage.co
• Instagram: @figandforage
• Facebook: @figandforage
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/71503280/
• Twitter: @figandforage

Image Credits
Shira W. Rose Photography