We recently connected with Sara Lauto and have shared our conversation below.

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

After finishing culinary school I immediately started an internship at 32 east working under chef Nick. I learned so much in such a short period of time. I was interning at the restaurant 2 night a week and working 2 other jobs to pay the bills. Bartending at a popular bar in lake worth and serving at a steakhouse in Boca Raton. After about 3 months I was offered a position to work the line. I was happy to be given the opportunity and took this position. Working 3 jobs at this point I worked through the season for about 7 months. After this I started to feel burnt out and cut back on my hours. I was still working 2 jobs and putting in plenty of hours but I had some what of a normal schedule with 2 day off. I focused more on my personal health and started meal prepping for myself each week. A friend of mine who owned a nutrition shop in the area (shout out to Don at iron made nutrition) He kept telling me that there’s a need for prepared meals and thought I should pick up a few clients and see where it would go. I was a little hesitant at first I was afraid put more responsibility on my plate so soon after just feeling some relief but after a few months I was ready and asked him to send me the contacts of the clients he has in mind. With in a week I had 2 clients. Picked up containers, wrote a menu, shopped the product, and delivered the meals. I think I broke even my first week, with the start up supplies. But from then on out it quickly started to snowball in to something I could see myself doing full time. I started looking for a kitchen and filed for an LLC. Fast forward 6 years I’ve outgrown the first kitchen and seeing stead organic growth year after year. I’ve learned so much along the way. It’s really been my biggest accomplishment the business and I have grown together. I’m not the same person I was when I first started this business. We’ve both come along way.

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 have my culinary degree from the art institute of Fort Lauderdale. My main goal as a business owner and chef is to provide a service to my clients where they are able to receive a variety of delicious healthy meals conveniently delivered to there homes or offices weekly at an affordable price. Everyone’s needs are different and I try to work with my clients on what that means to them. Some just want a healthy home style meal others are working towards a weight loss goal others just work busy lifestyles and don’t have the time to shop, Prepare and clean up each night. So many family’s say that they enjoy my meals because this gives them more time to spend as a family instead of shopping, cooking and cleaning up each night. I’ve even worked one on one with Clients customizing the weekly menu to fit their desired macros. I find so much joy in helping people reach there goals and spend more quality time together. My service is different then other meal preps because you’re really working directly with the chef. It’s the service of a private chef but at the price point of a meal prep. You have direct contact with the chef that’s Menu writing, shopping, preparing and delivering your weekly meals.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Word of mouth is how my business has grown. Always trying to improve the process. By doing this we will provide a better service to our clients and those clients will recommend us to there friends and family. This is the organic growth we work towards, To be better then we were yesterday.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Like most business the pandemic was a turning point for us. Everything shifted, so much uncertainty. Can we get product, will the kitchen be shut down, food safety, the health of my clients, the health of my staff. We quickly lost some long time clients that weren’t working and needed to start cooking at home to save money. Then On the other had we had a bunch of calls from up north with relatives looking for a way to get meals out to family’s members that couldn’t go shopping and cook for themselves. We started cooking and delivering two times a week to help with the demand. After things started to open back up we went back to one day a week.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.mpcdelivery.com
• Instagram: Mealprepchef.sara