We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tricia Kashnicki a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Tricia, thanks for joining us today. Parents can play a significant role in affecting how our lives and careers turn out – and so we think it’s important to look back and have conversations about what our parents did that affected us positive (or negatively) so that we can learn from the billions of experiences in each generation. What’s something you feel your parents did right that impacted you positively.

My parents bought an old farm house in a rural area of Pennsylvania when I was a young girl. We didn’t have a lot of money, but we did have a lot of land so they took on the task of starting a small farm. We had a large field where we grew vegetables and also raised chickens, ducks, pigs, rabbits and goats. It was a lot of work and I was expected to do my fair share by feeding the animals daily and working in the fields during the growing season. I remember not being able to play with my friends until all my chores were done and there were times I really hated it. What 9 year old actually enjoys chores? Today I realize how much I learned from this experience and more importantly how much I truly appreciate growing up the way I did. I become very responsible at a young age, learned all the ins and outs of farming, understood the importance of hard work, and learned a wealth of information about plants, vegetables, animals, cooking, sustainability, and growing up with a farm to table lifestyle.
My parents were always loving and supportive of my decisions in life even when I wanted to flee the farm life and do my own thing. It turns out doing my own thing, was the thing I loved the most-working with farms to create amazing and delicious dishes for others.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I began working in restaurants at the age of 15. I learned how to cook by living on a small farm where my mother always made home cooked meals. Food was a huge part of my life but I never looked at it as a career opportunity. It was more of a job that I knew I could do and do well. I never began to think of cooking as a career until I was in my 30’s. I would cook and create meals for friends and family events and always enjoyed it immensely. People would often ask why I wasn’t a chef and most times I assumed they were being kind and didn’t give it much thought. My mindset changed after one particular large family gathering. All the guests kept raving about the food and one older friend of our family sat me down to chat. He said “You are truly talented. Why aren’t you a chef?” I shrugged my shoulders and laughed. He said it again a lot more sternly. “You are talented. You ARE a chef. It’s time you show everyone else this talent.” That conversation planted a seed that begin to grow and blossom in my mind. I thought to myself “Maybe I can pursue this. Maybe I can do this.”
A month after that conversation I took a job as an Executive Chef at a farm to table Cafe. I absolutely fell in love and hit the ground running. I threw myself into it and while I loved it, I felt I wasn’t quite where I needed to be. I missed the family/group event atmosphere and the interactions I had with guests in the past. I felt tied to the kitchen and knew there had to be more.
About a year ago I began formulating a concept in my mind of becoming an interactive chef. Perk City Flavor was born.
I began doing pop-ups at community events and local breweries as well as offering catering and private chef services. I developed relationships with local farms to utilize for ingredients. I brought on previous co-workers and chefs to work with me.
I didn’t offer a standard menu. I instead offered custom menu creations for all events, private chef gigs, and catering business. This concept took off quickly and within just a few months of business I began to thrive not only in business but on a personal level as well.
Finding your niche in life can happen at any age. I feel immensely grateful and blessed to have found mine.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I am an outgoing person and thoroughly enjoy getting to know people in my community and my clients. I make a point to sit down and chat in person with all potential clients. Listening to customers and getting their input has been a valuable resource for my business.

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

I believe my unique approach of giving my customers creative freedom and getting to know them has been an asset. I don’t treat customers like customers. Each one is a unique person with unique wants and needs and I learn as much as I can about the customer and their situation while making the experience as laid back and fun as possible. This has definitely helped my business stand out and spread by word of mouth and on social media.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/perkcityflavor?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PerkCityFlavor?mibextid=LQQJ4d