Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Natalie Ramos. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Natalie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?
After a bout of domestic violence left me with nothing, I went back to what I still had—my hands, my faith, and my ability to cook—and in a tiny 4×4 kitchen I started rebuilding my life one meal at a time; it wasn’t a big launch or some perfect business plan, it was survival turning into purpose, me waking up and deciding that if I could feed someone well, I could create a way forward, so I took the idea seriously even when my circumstances looked small, cooking for whoever would order, delivering plates like they were proofs of life, keeping track of every dollar I spent and earned, learning portions and pricing by doing it, figuring out how to make the same dishes taste the same every time, learning how to speak professionally, how to take deposits, how to set boundaries, how to turn texts and requests into a real process with menus and packages, and how to let word-of-mouth become my marketing because excellence travels faster than ads; month by month, order by order, I built systems while I built strength, and what started as me trying to survive in that little kitchen became Fleur de Cuisine—an actual business, born from brokenness, carried by discipline and prayer, and executed with consistency until the idea wasn’t just hope anymore, it was a brand, a livelihood, and a testimony.
Natalie, 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’m Natalie Ramos, the founder of Fleur de Cuisine, and my story starts with rebuilding. After surviving a season of domestic violence that left me with nothing, I began cooking out of a tiny 4×4 kitchen and turned what I knew—how to feed people with excellence and care—into the foundation of a real business. I didn’t enter this industry through a traditional path; I entered it through purpose and survival, and I stayed because I realized food isn’t just food—it’s comfort, celebration, culture, hospitality, and love made tangible. Today, Fleur de Cuisine provides full-service catering and curated culinary experiences for events that matter—whether that’s corporate gatherings, private celebrations, community events, or milestone moments where the details have to be right and the food has to be unforgettable. What I solve for my clients is simple but powerful: I take the stress off their plate and replace it with confidence. I help people host beautifully without overwhelm by bringing structure, professionalism, and warmth to the process—clear menus and packages, reliable execution, thoughtful presentation, and food that tastes as good as it looks. What sets me apart is that I lead with both excellence and heart: I’m not just delivering trays—I’m delivering an experience, and I’m obsessive about consistency, portioning, flavor, timing, and guest satisfaction because I know what it means for a moment to matter. I’m most proud that I built something real from the ground up—not only a business, but a brand rooted in resilience, faith, and service—and that my work has grown beyond transactions into trust, repeat clients, and community impact through my broader mission and nonprofit work. The main thing I want people to know is that Fleur de Cuisine is a team and a name you can count on: we show up, we communicate, we take pride in what we do, and we treat every event like it represents you—because it does. When clients choose Fleur de Cuisine, they aren’t just booking catering; they’re partnering with a brand that understands how to turn a gathering into a memory and how to serve people in a way that feels personal, elevated, and unforgettable.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
One of the clearest stories of my resilience is the season when I was rebuilding after domestic violence and had almost nothing—no cushion, no safety net, just the determination to keep going. I was working from a tiny 4×4 kitchen, and every meal I cooked felt like a decision: I could let what happened to me define the rest of my life, or I could use what I still had—my gift, my discipline, and my faith—to build something new. I remember taking small orders that most people would overlook and treating them like they were the biggest events in the world, because I needed every client and I also needed to prove to myself that I was capable of consistency, excellence, and growth even under pressure. I’d shop carefully, calculate portions, stretch ingredients, and still make sure the food looked beautiful, arrived on time, and tasted like love—because I understood that word-of-mouth could become my marketing long before I had money for branding. That period forced me to learn fast: pricing, boundaries, professionalism, deposits, menus—how to turn chaos into a system. And the resilience wasn’t just in the cooking; it was in choosing not to quit when I was tired, scared, and carrying more than people could see. Over time, those small orders stacked into momentum, momentum became a reputation, and a kitchen that once symbolized “starting over” became the place where Fleur de Cuisine was born—proof that what tried to break me ended up becoming the very thing I built from.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
One of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn was the belief that being strong means handling everything alone—that asking for help, setting boundaries, or charging what I’m worth somehow makes me difficult or ungrateful. The backstory is personal and practical: after surviving domestic violence and starting over with nothing, I operated in “survival mode” for a long time, and survival mode teaches you to overgive, overwork, and over-explain because you’re scared the opportunity will disappear if you don’t stretch yourself thin. When I started Fleur de Cuisine in that tiny 4×4 kitchen, I said yes to almost anything, I underpriced to feel “safe,” and I tried to make every client happy even when requests pushed past what was reasonable—because I was afraid of losing income and afraid of losing momentum. But eventually I learned the hard way that being available to everyone can make you unavailable to your own growth: last-minute changes, unclear expectations, and clients who didn’t respect the process were costing me money, sleep, and peace. I had to unlearn rescuing everyone at my own expense, and replace it with structure—clear packages, deposits, firm timelines, and the confidence to say, “This is what it costs, and this is how we do it.” That shift didn’t make me less caring; it made me more sustainable. And it’s one of the strongest reasons my brand works today—because my clients don’t just get great food, they get a professional experience built on mutual respect, clarity, and excellence.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.therisingtableevents.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/therisingtableevents
