We were lucky to catch up with Shauna Noel recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Shauna , thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
I had been an executive chef in NYC for a while but somehow, I found myself at the end of that road and suffering from severe burnout. I also had a new baby and all that goes along with that. The days were long and the clouds thick. Somehow I knew a change of location would jumpstart my creative heart again, so I packed up my 8 month old and moved from NYC to NC. It was just us. I didn’t have any family in my new state. All I had was the faith that I’d find my spark again. I bought a home for us and waited for the clarity on my next path. It came a few months later and my gourmet foods line was born. That was five years ago. It was the hardest thing to do. I was terrified of all the unknowns, but my leap of faith paid off. Now it’s the best thing I could have done for myself and my entire family.
Shauna , 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?
My business is Tasting Queens Market by CSC (Chef Shauna Creates). We offer chef crafted, Caribbean influenced gourmet products that’s designed to deliver big bold flavors in very little time. I started the business in 2019 after 20+ years working as a NYC chef. I had worked my way up from a line cook to corporate executive chef but still felt there was something missing. For me, that missing piece was the freedom to create outside of a corporate structure. I wanted to use the best ingredients, to know my farmers and to truly connect with the people I serve. Now I get to do all of that. My best friends are local growers from Central North to the Smokey Mountains. It’s a new approach to the old farm to table concept. My farmer friends grow the best produce that I then use for my gourmet line. It’s the magic that was missing. I absolutely love what I do and our customers can taste that love in each product created .
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding part of my journey is one on one connections with my customers and the foodie community that we are building. We have grown from just offering cooking products to full culinary experiences that si many people have never experienced and/or were craving. Every time someone sends a food pic of what they made with a spice blend or sauce or when someone says how much they hated tea until they tried one of our blends I’m reminded of how much joy I’ve found. Sharing the love of good food is our mission and it’s great when people get to experience that love that flows from the hands of our local farmers, through my creativity and on to their families through the love they share too. It’s magic. It’s destiny fulfilled.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
One of the best things we can do to support creatives is give us the space to thrive. Realize that art doesn’t need to look any one particular way and embrace the courage it takes to share. We can all support our local makers and artists by not just shopping small but by sharing a social media post, referring their services to a friend or colleague, sharing resources or even investing in their business. It can be a lonely road full of many, many valleys to dip yourself out of and mountains to claw your way up towards, so just knowing that someone cares enough to engage with you on some level is a lifeline at times.
Contact Info:
- Website: Tastingqueensmarket.com
- Instagram: @Tastingqueensmarket
- Facebook: Facebook.com)Tastingqueensmarket
- Twitter: Tastingqueens
Image Credits
Images are mine