Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittlee Faulkner.
Hi Brittlee, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
It’s funny actually — because I never expected to be in the food business initially. I went to college for mass communications, my original calling was journalism. I wanted to be a magazine editor.
I ended my college career with a degree in Public Relations and didn’t start taking my culinary talents more seriously until about 5 years ago. My mother is a Chef, she has been a chef all of my life, so my interest in cooking came naturally.
I started off cooking for my family and friends. I always received lots of compliments about how great my food tasted so in September 2019 a close friend of mine convinced me to start selling my food to the public. I remember we took a cabin trip earlier that same year and after eating my cooking for the entire weekend, she said “Britt, this food shouldn’t be free.”
She and others made continuous comments about this but I never thought to ever charge anyone for my food and certainly never thought I’d turn this hobby (at the time) into a business, into my livelihood. So I gave it a shot, and I decided to sell plated dinners. I created a menu and posted it on my social media. Before I knew it, my menu had circulated on just about every social media platform and I began to get a bunch of orders.
I sold about 85 orders that day, I couldn’t believe how many people were ready and willing to support me – It felt great! At that point, I knew that I could do this. I started to sell dinners every Saturday. I changed the menu every week. I had great weeks and not-so-great weeks.
Then, the pandemic happened. I never imagined this would be what got me to where I am today.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not at all. Nothing worth holding onto comes easy. Entrepreneurship is one of the most difficult things I have ever done but I wouldn’t change it for the world.
The largest thing I have struggled with and still struggle with at times is social media management, follower engagement, and trying to offer new services. I have intentionally put myself out of my comfort zone over the last few years to promote self-growth and growth in my business.
I have had much success in doing so but it is tough. Consistency is also a struggle. The main thing to remember about being a full-time entrepreneur is that absolutely everything falls on you to handle.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am an Executive Chef and owner of PlatedJoy, LLC. PlatedJoy is a hybrid food business in Baltimore, MD. I offer a multitude of services. To name a few: Meal Preparation, Personal Chef Services, Catering Services, Culinary Instruction, Drop off services, etc.
I specialize in more intimate-sized events and I am quite known for that. I have made a bit of a name for myself for my Private Chef Services during the start of the pandemic. Most of the restaurants in Baltimore were closed or operating at a much lower capacity, which made indoor dining almost impossible. But folks still had special occasions they wanted to celebrate and a good meal.
Offering this service not only provided my clients with great food and a personalized experience, but they could also enjoy themselves in the safety of their own homes. I didn’t know of anyone doing what I did around that time, which I understood due to the state of the world but I am a risk-taker, so I took the opportunity. I am most proud of successfully completing an event for 200 people this year.
It was a fully staffed event and took a lot of time a preparation but I and my team did an excellent job. I am also very proud of the Chef Instruction YouTube video shoot I did with a few 1st Graders. We had a great time preparing a delicious meal together.
What would you say has been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The most important lesson I have learned is to be patient and to stay consistent. Patience and consistency have taken me a long way and will take me even further as I continue to navigate through life.
Pricing:
- Private Dining: $275+
- Small-Group Catering: $20/pp +
- Medium Group Catering: $17/pp +
- Large Group Catering: $15/pp +
Contact Info:
- Email: platedjoy@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/platedjoy_
Image Credits
Jenna Bell – Jenna Bell Photography.
