We recently connected with Valerie Faure and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Valerie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Growth is exciting, but from what we’ve seen across thousands of conversations with entrepreneurs it’s also dangerous if costs aren’t watched closely – sometimes costs can grow out of control outpacing revenue growth and putting the viability of the entire business at risk. How have you managed to keep costs under control?

With the current inflation it is proving very difficult to control and manage the several costs the business is facing. The food chains supply is strongly affected with production and transport issues which obviously increase the food related costs. Additionally, as the company is growing, there are other costs to deal with. In our case, it can be more equipment, more supplies to package the meals and of course more help in the kitchen. As always the key is to try and achieve the right balance between the generated revenue and the various costs incurred. In order to do so we are focusing on events or services which require less expenses overall. This could be for example, less packaging. We also had to increase our delivery fees and we are encouraging our clients to pick-up their orders, whenever it is possible.

Valerie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I started this activity in 2018. My children were out of school and I was looking for an activity where I could develop my passion for cooking and at the same time have some some flexibility. I was born in the South of France, in a small town north of Toulouse and my love for cooking started early as I watched my mother and both my grandmothers cook healthy food on a daily basis. I always loved to witness their creations, whether everyday dinners or more festive meals.

After college, where I studied foreign languages, I naturally went into the hospitality industry to study hotel management, and graduated from the Lycée Hôtelier Lesdiguiere in Grenoble, France. While I grew up in Ivory Coast, I have spent much of my adult life living in various countries, including France, Switzerland, Austria, the US, the UK, and Singapore. Through my travels and experiences abroad, I discovered new flavors and cultures which helped expand my passion for cooking.

Although my cooking is very much influenced by my French and Mediterranean roots, my love for travel and interest in other cultures is likewise reflected in the unique flavors of my cuisine. In terms of activities, I am now resuming the services I offered before the Covid 19. I organize customized events, such as seated dinners and cocktail parties and I work as a Personal Chef for private clients. Finally I also give private and group cooking classes in my clients’ personal kitchens.

Have you ever had to pivot?

When I started this business, the 2 main activities were events such as dinners or cocktail parties at my clients’ houses and cooking for private clients in their own home. When Covid 19 arose, everything came to a halt and I closed the business for over a month, not knowing what would happen next. After a few weeks and the realization that Covid was here to stay for some months I decided to find a way to adjust to this “new way of life” and created a new service.
Since people could not go out anymore or gather, we decided to bring food to them. We offered a weekly meal service with a weekly menu. Customers could order online and a few days later they picked up their meals from our commercial kitchen or we delivered them directly to their homes. We also offered holidays specials for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Valentine’s, so people could still celebrate in small and safe groups. As the current covid restrictions are now lighter, we are back to our original catering activities. However because the demand is still there we are keeping the weekly meals service but converted them into monthly specials, where once a month our customers can order a fresh homemade cooked dinner.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I guess that the main lesson I had to unlearn is to dedicate all my time to the business. As the founder and (word missing) owner of a company, even a small one, I wear all the hats.
When I started growing and did not have any help, I was working long hours and frequently 6 to 7 days a week. The few free moments I would have were often spent trying to rest but were not really reenergizing. Work was always on my mind and I had a really hard time disconnecting. I have now learned to pace myself and find the right balance between my professional and private life. After a few weeks off during the summer, travelling and spending time with family and friends, I realized the importance of taking time to recharge. I now try to carve some “me time” everyday or several times a week to do something I enjoy and which is not work related.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://valeriesfrenchkitchen.com/
• Instagram: #Valeriesfrenchkitchen
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valeriesfrenchkitchen
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerie-faure/