We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Vivian O’Phelan. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Vivian below.
Alright, Vivian thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
Ever since I was a child, I knew I was an artist. I’ve always had a bright and unique ability to come up with creative ideas for anything, especially things I made. I was also the kid who cooked outdoors for her family and friends all the time. As I grew, I realized how good I was at it and decided in high school that I wanted to pursue this.
For Michi, my husband, it was after he graduated college with a degree in hotel management. While working one of his first jobs as a cook in a restaurant, a well-known top chef asked him if he wanted to learn how to make sushi. He agreed and fell in love with it and was determined in perfecting his culinary skills.
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 attended Johnson & Wales University followed by the Art Institute where I got my degree in culinary arts. After college, my first practice was at a Japanese restaurant where I met my husband. My husband and I worked in several restaurants until we opened our own business, a small market/restaurant called Sushi by the Sea. After five years of owning our business, we decided to close our doors. Michi went back to work in a restaurant and I created my own small business Viviscatering. I designed my business to specialize in private cheffing in people’s homes, cooking classes, and menu planning for a variety of cuisines and diets. In 2019, Viviscatering became very busy with menu planning for several clients and Michi had just recovered from major cervical surgery, so I asked him to join me at work. Unexpectedly, our classes and private chef experiences boomed. We were booked that whole year and continue to be constantly chosen for our services. The main reason people choose us has a lot to do with the quality of our ingredients, the variety of cuisines and dietary needs we can accommodate to our clients’ tables, the simplicity of our menus for the cooking classes and the fact that we love to give our guests the best service possible based on a very open mind to change anything they want on the menu.
Waking up every morning, loving what I do, and looking forward to teaching and passing my skills to others is the most rewarding aspect of this journey. Making delicious food for people with diseases or severe allergies and seeing the look on their happy faces or watching a big crowd of people smile in all of our caterings never fails to bring a huge sense of fulfillment. I am most proud of being able to work with my husband and leave a piece of our art to every guest.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
In my opinion, art has been deemed as one of the lesser subjects of interest in society. If you hear about anyone wanting to pursue a career in the arts, the first instinct by many people is to say “maybe you should go for a better career or a “real” career.” And if it isn’t said, something similar is probably thought. Art is one of the most important things we have in society and it is constantly underrated. It allows for the expression of unexplainable thoughts and feelings and is an outlet for people to be imaginative and creative even if they think they don’t have that ability to do so. I think art also has this beautiful gift of bringing people together and making people feel better and good about themselves, it’s a true superpower. To thrive, we need a society where art is just as important as academics or sports. Society should be more supportive of small artists and businesses because that is where the real art lies.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
Our mission is to teach people how to find joy through cooking and to inspire people to grow their own foods and in that practice appreciate nature. I am a huge advocate for the importance of agriculture. I would love to see a world filled with home-grown vegetable gardens and people who truly love and appreciate the art of food. Through my classes, my ultimate goal is to build confidence in others and bring people together as a family through cooking. I hope to continue making people find pride in their work by showing them how easy and simple complex recipes can be. The impact I make on people through cooking and being able to show others my love for this art will always continue driving my journey.
Contact Info:
- Website: viviscatering.com
- Instagram: vivimichicatering