Little City Kitchen Co. Blog

My stories about local food, fermentation, and formerly organic baby food
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A Bay Area Parent’s Guide to Local Food Makers: The Good Eggs Way {The Little Locavore Blog Series}

It’s no secret that I’m a local food lover.  My longtime readers know that I could talk about food for hours.  That being said, I’m under no illusion that the local & sustainable food I crave is easily accessible to the everyday person, and even less convenient for the busy Bay Area parent.

Enter my new company crush, Good Eggs, who are hoping to change the local food system with their new online marketplace aimed at connecting eaters and producers.

I recently spoke with Good Eggs co-founder, Rob Spiro, about their mission, and specifically about some of their producers that Little City parents will find most attractive.   Top of my list; some really incredible pasture-raised meat companies, my two favorite baby food companies, and for all the allergy-sensitive kiddos, the most delicious gluten free bread I’ve tasted.

A Chat with the Co-Founder, Rob Spiro

Jill: What are the biggest challenges in trying in connecting food makers with their local community?
Rob: Awareness & convenience.  First people have to know about all the great local food they can buy — including farm-fresh fruits and veggies, ranch-direct meats, fresh bread and other bakery goods, etc.  Then they have to actually get the food, and it’s that last-mile piece of the distribution chain, and the most difficult in many cases.

Jill: How can the average person support local food makers in a more meaningful way?
Rob: Make it a part of your weekly routine.  Find the producers that you want to be feeding your family, and then buy from them every week.  Becoming a “regular” is the best way to build a relationship with a food maker, help their business, and ultimately have a more rewarding experience.

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I swear, it’s like he read our last blog about supporting local food makers.

To begin addressing these challenges, Good Eggs has established a few “food hubs” around the Bay Area where you can order items online from multiple producers and pick them all up at once.  Some of the locations include Good Eggs HQ (Mission), Food Craft Institute (Oakland), Berkeley Ironworks (Berkeley), among others.  It’s not a perfect system yet as every producer is not available at every food hub, but definitely a step in the right direction.

The Parent’s Guide to Producers

Now back to my fabulous Little City parents…  If you attended any of my cooking classes or demonstrations, you’ll know I’m a die-hard advocate of pasture-raised meats and eggs for the whole family.  Here are some Good Eggs producers that you’ll want to check out:

  • Round Valley Raised: $300-$400 pasture raised pork and beef share boxes.  Get some friends together to split if needed, that’s what I’m doing if anyone wants to get in for September, $100 portions.
  • Harley Richter meats: Founder John Richter does A-mazing things with sausage.  A tasty and relatively inexpensive way to get high quality pastured meat into your kiddo’s diet.
  • Pastoral Plate: has it all from pastured eggs & chicken to pork & beef.
  • Jablow’s Meats: Finding pastured lunch meat is always a challenge for me, but Dan’s got some incredible corned beef and pastrami coming out of his kitchen.
  • Bread Srsly: For all the gluten free kiddos, this GF sourdough bread is a must buy!  They have awesome muffins and other breads too, but Sadie’s sourdough seriously rocks.
  • i love blue sea: seafood caught using sustainable methods and sourced directly from local & trusted fisherman.  I heart their oysters.

And for the brand new mommies and daddies out there…

  • MamaKai: Prepared meals made for growing families and perfect for the busy parent.  I can tell you from personal experience, Angie’s food is nutrient-dense and amazing – the perfect way to nourish your family.
  • Big Dipper Baby Food and Fresh Baby Bites:  you guys already know about my two favorite baby food companies since Little City stopped making it ourselves.  They’re both available here too.

I asked Rob why he feels food is so personal.  His response: “Food is elemental.  It’s an expression of caring for the people around you, and being cared for.  It’s the centerpiece of the most important social rituals in our lives, as it has been throughout history.  It’s the most important contributing factor to our health.  It’s the fundamental way that we, as humans, participate in the natural cycles of the land.”  Well put.

So, check out these great producers, try out Good Eggs when you can, and tell your friends there’s a new way to get local food in town.

Related posts:

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Jill Epner is a recovering food entrepreneur, advocate for early-stage food startups, and Bay Area food blogger. Follow her on Facebook, or sign up to receive her newsletter where she gives a candid peek  into the world of starting her own food company, Little City Kitchen Co.

 

Giving Power to your Fear: Who is Driving Your Car?

Over the last few months, I’ve gone through what can be described as a normal grieving process: respectfully mourning the death of my first entrepreneurial dream.  I have no doubt that shutting down Little City Kitchen Co. was the right decision, but the occasional pocket of sadness still pops up, and it catches me off guard every time.

The pragmatic part of me knows that at some point I need to make some money and start supporting myself again, so I’ve started getting comfortable with the idea of going back to work.

Without really even looking, an unexpected opening at a local & sustainable food company came across my desk.  It was the perfect position on paper, so I had been exploring it, quite seriously, for the last few weeks.  Somewhere in between negotiating salary and start dates, the gentle nagging in my gut, that until this point I chalked it up to normal apprehension about going back to work, turned into a full-blown freak out.

It became clear that something else, something bigger, was actually going on for me, so I started examining my real motivations for wanting this job.  The answer hit me like a ton of bricks:  I was terrified of running out of money, and this job was the safest and most practical solution.

After sitting with that thought for a few minutes, I realized the deeper implication…

I was letting my fear make decisions for me.

Even now, seeing those words on the screen disturbs me.  It seems like such a yucky place to come from when making life’s big decisions, sort of the anti-Jill approach.  Yet I can’t help but wonder how prevalent fear has been in other aspects of my life (and for the record Mom, that’s a rhetorical question!).

This new awareness, however seemingly small, is already impacting my life in big ways.  Fear can be very powerful, but only if you allow it to be.

Don’t Make Me Pull This Car Over…

I equate it to taking a road trip with several very loud passengers in a car.  Each of your motivations wants a turn in the drivers seat, but ultimately, you get to choose which one of them drives, for how long, and in which direction.

I’m reminded now of a previous blog where I talked about the opposite of fear being trust. In the case of my almost-job, my trust finally took over the driving and put my fear in its place…on a much-needed time out in the backseat.  Whew!

So in the end, I listened to my intuition and politely turned down that job knowing there must be another even better one is out there for me.  Although the final conversation with them was not an easy one, I’m left knowing, yet again, that this is the right decision for me.

On that note, I will sign off and leave you to ponder…  How much power do you give YOUR fear?

Mastering the Art of Transition: A Guide to Making Big Changes

Two years ago, when I walked away from the corporate world, I knew that my life was going to change.  On some level, I expected the twists and turns associated with being a first-time entrepreneur, but like anything, you never know what to expect until you really get in there and do it.

There have been three significant transitions I’ve made in the last few years: (1) Leaving the corporate world to start Little City Kitchen Co, (2) shutting down the business, and most recently, (3) embracing the idea of looking for full-time work after being an entrepreneur.

I could dedicate a blog to each of these, but instead I wanted to focus on my personal process for making big transitions in hopes it will inspire some of you to do the same.

A Guide to Making Big Changes

Be honest with yourself: Everything starts with awareness, and to have that, you need to ask yourself (or have a coach/counselor ask you) the really hard questions.  Once you’ve uncovered the truth about something, just sit with it for a while and get comfortable.

Don’t judge your answers: In other words, separate the answer from the implications. When I came to realization that I didn’t want to make baby food anymore, I tried to avoid the onslaught of “what does that mean” questions which tend to be negative and paralyzing.  I just stayed focused on what I knew was true, baby food wasn’t right for me anymore, until I made peace with that thought.

Consider the options: Once you’ve gotten a little more comfortable with your new realization, start to consider the changes needed or solutions that are possible.  This is sometimes where I get stuck.  I want to consider every possibility so I can make the “right” decision…it’s a fear of failure thing.  I could set up camp at this point, so I’m careful not to live here for too long!

Make bold decisions: My dear friend Emily and I call this part “putting on the bold shoes”.  Once you have awareness and you’ve considered the options, take a risk and make a bold decision; shut down a company, leave your relationship, move to India…  Making the decision is usually the hardest part, but I’ve found the details always fall into place afterward.

Take action in your new direction: The change becomes real when you start taking action.  For me, I’m usually so “ready” by this point that the action follows quickly.  This was resigning from my corporate career, blogging about shutting down Little City, and most recently, sending out my resume for the first time in nearly 12 years.  Sometimes the first step is the hardest, but it’s also the most empowering.

Roll with the changes:  Flexibility, I have discovered, is the key to everything. Once the changes started coming (and they come fast and frequently!), the ability to adjust quickly became one of the most important skills I developed along the way.  When I stumble in this area (and I do often), I just try to stay focused on the reasons I made the transition in the first place.

Once I went public with my intention to leave corporate America and start a business, people started to share their own pipedreams with me; starting a pet clothing company, opening a bait shop, moving to Italy for a year…

I’ve grown more in the last two years than perhaps any other period of my life, so I hope that by sharing my own experience and perhaps even by writing this blog, it inspires you in even the smallest way to make changes in your life.

The New E-Factors: How to Maintain and Spend your Energy in a Mindful Way

I am 35, and although that’s far from ancient, I find myself wishing I had bottled the seemingly unlimited amount of energy I had in my early 20’s.  Until now, I haven’t had much of a reason to be aware of how much energy I had or how I spent it.  It wasn’t until I experienced total and utter burnout with Little City Kitchen Co. that I realized how precious it really is to me, in both my entrepreneurial and personal life.

One of the highlights for me in the last month was the class I taught at the newly launched Food Craft Institute, an incubator-style program for budding food entrepreneurs.  (Shout out to all my new friends from there!!).  As we talked about being mindful about how you spend your energy, a concept from Michael Gerber’s The E-Myth Revisited came up in the conversation.

A Tale of Three Roles

Gerber talks about how every entrepreneur juggles three main roles throughout the process of running a business:

  • Entrepreneur: the visionary, creative & innovative force
  • Manager:  manages people & creates processes
  • Technician: the one who does the everyday, physical work

In the beginning, I spent much of my time floating between the entrepreneur and the manager roles, dreaming up ideas and figuring out how to make them work.  Towards the end, however, I spent the majority of my days dealing with the everyday technician tasks like cooking and selling at the markets, both of which greatly zapped my energy and didn’t inspire a lot of motivation & creativity.

One thing became very clear to me:

The more I was the technician, the less time I spent as the entrepreneur.

In economics, it’s considered an “opportunity cost”.  Unfortunately for me, I learned this lesson a little too late in the baby food world, but I’m finding that it has even greater implications in my personal life.

The Two E-Factors

There are two energy factors (I’m calling them e-factors) I now consider at any given moment: the amount of energy I have, and the activities I choose to spend my energy on at that time.

For me, the total amount of energy I have can fluctuate greatly throughout the day.  It’s sometimes a function of how much I slept the night before, whether I’ve been around invigorating (or draining) people that day, my overall health, etc…  Think about the difference in your energy level when you’re enjoying a relaxing vacation compared to being sick at home on the couch.

That way I choose to spend my energy is equally important.  Very recently, I turned down a small consulting project after a 30-minute conversation with a personality that I found extremely draining.  To the best of my ability, I’m trying to choose situations (and people) that enhance my energy, not deplete it.

So on that note, here are few suggestions:

  • Surround yourself with people & relationships that energize you
  • Become aware of people in your life that drain your energy, choose your time with them carefully
  • Hire help whenever possible for the tasks that drain you (love me some taskrabbit.com)
  • Stay healthy: sleep well, eat well & exercise
  • If able, choose a work situation that is positive and drama-free
  • Get comfortable saying “no” to situations or people that will drain you

The best scenario seems pretty obvious to me, whether you are an entrepreneur or not: build up as much energy as you can, and spend it in the most invigorating way you know.  I’m nowhere close to that, but definitely headed in the right direction!

The Next Chapter for Little City Kitchen: The Story of Five “Singles”

Many of you read last week’s blog about the decision to stop baby food altogether and to not write the baby food cookbook that I had been considering.  Through this process, I’ve realized that my own entrepreneurial path is extremely fluid.  I tend to be one who likes some amount of consistency, so I work hard to embrace the changes and adapt quickly to them.  Flexibility, I’m learning, is one of the most critical skills that an entrepreneur should master.

After I came to the conclusion not to write the baby food cookbook, I sent an email to the editor-in-chief of No Limit Publishing explaining my reasons and figured that would be the end of that.  Imagine my surprise when I received call from him a mere five days later with a new idea: why not continue with the eBooks as planned, but come up with different content?

I should admit here that my initial instinct was “no”.  It took me about a minute to realize that was a knee-jerk reaction, and so instead I chose to listen and start thinking of the possibilities.  The wheels in my head started turning, and in the middle of that conversation, I got a really surprising text message from my dear friend…

“Arnaud <her husband> had a dream you wrote a book and it was a best seller.  It was a super vivid dream, and you were happy….”

Wow.  My belief is that the universe sends you little signs when you’re on the right path, and the timing on this text was just a little too perfect.  After my conversation with No Limit, I grew more and more excited about this project, and a few days later I signed our original contract – with no hesitation this time – and took my first step towards becoming a publish author.

The Scoop on “Singles”

I’ll be writing five eBooks, known in the publishing world as “singles”.  They’ll be about 60-70 pages each and will be available via download on all the major e-retailers: Kindle, Amazon, Nook, iTunes, etc… Each eBook will cover a separate topic, but they will all be tied together under a common theme.

Which brings us to content; what the heck will I be writing about?  Prior to my first call with the publishing team, I brainstormed two pages of ideas.  As I was reviewing the possible topics, three very obvious themes started to emerge:

  1. The content will be advice geared towards the first-time entrepreneur
  2. Points will be illustrated through my own experiences, i.e. I will only write what I know and have experienced first hand
  3. It will be brutally honest and come from a place of self-awareness & introspection

I’m calling this my “Trifecta”.  The Trifecta has become a litmus test of sorts to quickly determine which topics should be considered for the books.  If it fails any of the three criteria, then the answer is pretty obvious.

Being a first-time author, and in typical “Jill fashion”, I intend to share much of my process with you in an unvarnished way.  I’m sure I’ll have setbacks and writers block and several other speed bumps along the way.  But I expect to also have bursts of creativity and inspiration, so hopefully the good weeks will outnumber the frustrating ones!

As always, stay tuned….

The Changes Keep on Coming: The Next Chapter for Little City Kitchen

You may have noticed the radio silence over the last few weeks.  The last four weeks have been monumental for me.  First came the announcement that Little City Kitchen Co. will stop producing baby food.  And now the next bit of big news that may come as a disappointment to some: I’ve decided to stop baby food altogether, which includes the education and cooking class components.

It all began three weeks ago with a potential publishing deal.  After the decision to get out of the kitchen, I moved the idea of writing a cookbook to the front of my mind and started researching my options.  Readers & customers had been asking for a cookbook for a while, and considering all the blogging I had already done, and the 60+ recipes I had already developed, publishing was an obvious next step.

I was introduced to No Limit Publishing through a trusted friend.  They’re a unique & innovative middle step between self-publishing and a full service publishing house. After several phone conversations with their Editor-in-Chief, I found myself staring at a six-page legal agreement that, if signed, would be my first step towards being a published author.  Yipee!

I called them on a Friday evening, gave them a verbal “yes”, and went home to sign the contract.

Then – an interesting thing happened.  I stared at the unsigned contract on my desk for the entire weekend.  Every time I would pick it up to sign, my entire body would rebel.  Literally, it would recoil. Those who know me well know that I’d never give a verbal agreement without intending to move forward, so what the heck was going on?

I originally thought that my disconnect with baby food came from the making of it (hence my decision to stop production), but what I realized in that moment was that baby food industry didn’t feel like the right path to me anymore.  I could no longer see myself being a baby food educator in the future, so why would I commit to writing a cookbook that took me further in that direction?

So while that revelation may seem sudden and shocking to some, I know in my heart of hearts that it’s the right one for me now.

My long-time readers are used to me sharing changes without having worked out all the logistical details, and this is certainly no different.  I have not decided what this means for the Little City Kitchen Co. brand per se, but it does mean that moving forward, we’re no longer going to be a baby food company.

And on a side note…I DID end up signing a publishing agreement, but not for a baby food cookbook!  Read on for more details…

Existing Customers…Still Interested in Baby Food?

If you are still interested in ordering baby food, there are two great businesses that I am recommending, and both are offering 20% off the first order to all Little City customers:


Big Dipper Baby Food offers in-store pickup in Bernal Heights, delivery options & a few store locations including Three Stone Hearth in the East Bay.  They offer lots of nutrient dense foods such as duck liver and beef marrow, blended with fresh fruits, veggies & spices to make them easy for the kiddos to enjoy.  Flavors are listed here.


Fresh Baby Bites offers a CSA-style delivery of fresh baby food weekly. They have 3 different kinds of baby food: Simple Purees, Spiced Up, and Spices & Grains depending on the texture your little one prefers.  Their recent menu is listed here.

I will be sending existing customers a separate email with more details on both companies and how to redeem your 20% off discounts.  And if you purchased a gift certificate for baby food or a cooking class that hasn’t been redeemed, please email me and I will issue you a full refund.

 

Jill Epner is a recovering food entrepreneur, advocate for early-stage food startups, and Bay Area food blogger. Follow her on Facebook, or sign up to receive her newsletter where she gives a candid peek  into the world of starting her own food company, Little City Kitchen Co.

How to Start a Baby Food Company: Lessons From a (Failed) Food Entrepreneur – Part 1

An interesting thing has happened since the last blog came out (where I announced my decision to stop making baby food); I’ve received several calls from startup baby food companies around the country showing their support for my decision and asking for suggestions on how to avoid the pitfalls I experienced.  Early on, I made the decision to be extremely transparent with my blog in hopes other aspiring food entrepreneurs would find the information it helpful.  It’s inspiring to realize that they have.

So on that note, I’ve assembled a short list of things I’d do differently knowing what I know now.  Some make call it mistakes I’ve made, but I heard a quote recently that resonates with me even more:  You don’t know what you don’t know.

Surround yourself with a qualified team

I’m talking about a formal group of trained specialist that are there to help you succeed, not just your friends & family that you rely on for emotional support. This could be a formal incubator program (like La Cocina or the newly-launched Food Craft Institute), it could be through the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) or the Youth Business Association (YBA), or it could be your own steering committee of highly trained experts. Experts being the key word here.

In my perfect food world, I would have liked to have: a graphic designer, a food lawyer, a product development & packaging expert, a public relations specialist, a commercial kitchen consultant, a CFO, a business strategist, a food distributor, and about a hundred other roles that I found myself in throughout starting this company.

Looking back, I would have been willing to pay several thousand dollars to surround myself with this type of talent, but again, at the time, you don’t know that.  It really (really) does take a village…

Find a business partner

I was not looking for a business partner in the beginning, and in fact, had adamantly insisted I didn’t need one.  While the ease (and control) of being a solo-preneur is nice, eventually it worked against me and may have been the biggest mistake I made along the way.

You need to share the burden, the successes, the motivation, and the workload.  You need someone to keep you both creative and accountable, and you definitely need someone call you out on being a jackass!  Looking back, I could have hit the breaks six months ago and put energy into finding the right business partner, but by the time I realized this, it was too late.

Advice: Look for someone who has a skill set complimentary to yours and shares the same basic vision and philosophy as you do.  Sign a mutually beneficial NDA (non-disclosure agreement) so you can speak freely about your ideas, and start exploring potential scenarios.  Brainstorm first; figure out the numbers next.  This could take years, and (I think) to my detriment, I was too impatient.

Prioritize raising investment money

Your business growth depends on having money.  If you have no money, you end up doing everything yourself.  If you do everything yourself, you waste precious time, and you get tired.  If you get tired, then you don’t have the mental or physical energy to stay in an entrepreneurial frame of mind.  And that’s the kiss of death.

Four small hints:

  1. Expect to invest three times as much as you originally intend.
  2. Institutions don’t like lending to startups with no sales history; it becomes a little easier to gain access to capital after one year of revenues.  If under one year, be prepared to have a co-signer or prove to them that you are able pay the money back if your business isn’t successful.
  3. It can take upwards of six months to secure a small business loan (for small food startups, this is generally in the 25k range).  Start the process earlier than you need, even if you think you won’t need it.
  4. Every successful entrepreneur I’ve met says the same thing: Raising capital becomes an ongoing, and everyday part of the process.  It’s always on their mind and on their radar.

Stay tuned for Part 2 coming soon!  And a heartfelt thanks to all the customers, friends & family that have shown their support in the last few weeks…

Jill Epner is the owner of Little City Kitchen Co. is a Bay Area company making handcrafted, organic, frozen baby food with an International twist.  Follow us on Facebook, or sign up to receive our newsletter with information on starting solids & making your own baby food.

 

A Change in Direction for Little City Kitchen: Food Entrepreneur Blog Series

As many of you know, this has been a tumultuous few months for me and for Little City Kitchen Co.  I wrote a few weeks ago about the struggle to make this a profitable venture, and after several months of weighing my options, I’ve finally come to a decision: it’s time to stop baby food production.

There will be additional details with logistics coming out for customers (some are at the bottom of this post), but in the spirit in which I started this blog, I wanted to share why I’ve come to this decision, and my process to get here.

Although I have been hesitant to share my doubts publicly, I’ve grappled for several months with where to take Little City Kitchen Co.  I’ve learned through this process that commercial-scale cooking isn’t for me.  Give me the microphone for a 200-person cooking demo any day, but keep me out of the kitchen!  Not only was the cooking physically (and mentally) draining, but to my detriment, it took me out of my entrepreneurial frame of mind.

Let me be clear, I do still believe that this type of baby food business can be profitable, and given the proper amount of motivation and support (both financially and with collaborative partners), this could still be a hugely successful venture.

It boiled down into two simple options for me: grow, or die.  And I decided that I didn’t have the infrastructure or the motivation in place at this time to grow.  There is certainly the possibility that I will re-launch the baby food at a later date, but not in the short-term.

A Little Heartbreak

The part that breaks my heart (just a little) is that I’m still convinced that 1) I’ve created a great product, both in look and in flavor, and 2) there is a dire need for this type of baby food on the market today, and 3) it’s not a product you can just put on the shelf and expect to sell; there is a large amount of education that needs to take place first.

I’d be lying if I didn’t say that my ego has taken a big hit.  I’ve always prided myself on being the one that can make anything work, so it’s hard to make such a dramatic change without some crap bubbling to the surface.  However, I’ve come to the conclusion that maintaining the “status quo” by continuing on this path is actually the weaker move.  The stronger move is to admit this isn’t working and to make a change.  So that’s what I’m doing.

My New Outlook

Somewhat surprisingly, I feel really good.  I still feel like I’m in the right place, surrounded by the right people, and have no regrets about any choice I’ve made to get me here.  My hope is that by not putting my energy towards that part of the business, I’ve made more space in my life to attract other, even better, opportunities.  At least that’s what I keep telling myself…over and over and over.

So, what’s next?  Don’t worry, I’m not out of the baby food business entirely!  I’m going to keep on writing and teaching, two parts of the business I’ve always loved.  Stay tuned for a four-part baby food cooking series in the next couple of months with more hands-on instruction.

I’ve also been toying with the idea of writing a book, baby food or otherwise.  I wonder if the title ‘Confessions of a Failed Food Entrepreneur’ is available??   In the meantime, there will be blog posts dedicated to lessons I’ve learned, and hopefully it will help both inspire and provide a realistic picture for other food entrepreneurs out there.

Read more about Little City’s direction…

Baby Food Orders for Customers

The next baby food pickup/delivery date will be Saturday, March 10 as you know.  The order form will be coming out in the next few days.  I don’t want to leave all my best customers high-and-dry, so there will be opportunities to continue ordering in April and May, but they will be limited to existing customers only.  So those of you who have just started ordering through Little City Kitchen Co., you should have plenty of opportunity to stock up on food if needed.

So there you have it.  Big news.  I don’t want to get too mushy here, but I do want to take a moment to thanks all my friends, family & customers for their amazing support over the last two years.  I’ve received so many incredible calls, texts, emails, etc… with kind words throughout this process.  It really has meant so much – thank you thank you!!

Wait, this is starting to sound like a goodbye.  I assure you, it’s not.  You don’t think you can get rid of me that easily, do you?

Jill Epner is the owner of Little City Kitchen Co. is a Bay Area company making handcrafted, organic, frozen baby food with an International twist.  Follow us on Facebook, or sign up to receive our newsletter with information on starting solids & making your own baby food.

Straddling the Line Between Inspiration and Reality: My Quest for Profitability

I’ve been delaying writing this blog post.  Well, not really delaying, just reluctant to commit to words the biggest struggle I’ve faced throughout this process: building a business that is financially sustainable.

For those new Little City Kitchen readers out there, I went on record saying this would be the most honest food blog you’ve ever read.  This week’s blog is a departure from the usual baby food-related topic and is more of a “day-in-the-life” of a food entrepreneur.

There’s a delicate balance that every entrepreneur needs to find between inspiration and reality.  You need enough inspiration and creativity to stay motivated, but not so much that you spend all day with your head in the clouds.  You need enough reality to stay grounded, but not so much that you become bogged down with everyday issues.  And straddling that line is tricky…

So where does that leave me now?  This leaves me in a precarious position, because <gulp> I haven’t figured out how to make this business profitable…

The Most Common of All Traps

I’ve fallen into the most common trap for new entrepreneurs: trying to do everything yourself in the beginning, getting burnt out in the process, and losing sight of your original purpose as a result.  Totally, and utterly, classic.  How annoying.

I came into this knowing that it takes a while for businesses, especially food businesses, to become profitable.  Becoming profitable (to the point of being able to support myself) is still certainly possible, but it requires a lot of growth, and I’m not sure that I’m motivated enough anymore to fully commit to that.

I’ve spent the last several months in a state of self-reflection trying to identify what I love about the business (and what I do really well), and what I don’t love about the business (and what I don’t do really well).  I’ve done everything from flip charts to spreadsheets, brainstorms to meditations.  My typical “Jill” approach.

The Result

The result: I love teaching and inspiring parents & other food entrepreneurs, building relationships with my customers, developing the recipes, and writing this blog.  Everything I don’t love (and therefore don’t do very well) has to do with manufacturing the baby food, and particularly cooking in large quantities.

In theory, that’s the easiest component to delegate, and while I’m working on some potential solutions for the production, it still doesn’t solve the bigger question I keep asking myself: is this still the right path & direction for me?

How’s that for honest?

I think it’s normal (healthy, in fact) for entrepreneurs to question their direction along the way.  You’re constantly making decisions, evaluating how well those decisions worked, and then comes the ongoing “tweaking”.  However, I’ve reached a point where this goes beyond needing small changes, and I’m faced with the larger question of where to go from here.

Here is what I know: something big has to change.  This could mean I develop a business partnership with someone who would manage the production, or possibly even stop the baby food production all together to focus on teaching.  It may mean that I go back to work in some capacity, or work more on another idea I have to help budding food entrepreneurs.  I’m considering it all.  The idea of stopping production is a tough pill for me to swallow.  Parents tell me all the time how much their kids love the food, and how good they feel about giving it to them.  The idea of disappointing my customers weighs on me constantly.

Part of the reason I write blogs like this is to provide a very real picture of what it’s like to start a new business.  Nobody talks about these things, which is a shame considering these are the realities that every entrepreneur faces along the way.  I wish more people shared this type of information with me when I was getting started!

In spite of all the struggles, and although I would do things differently now based on what I’ve learned throughout this process, this has been one of the best decisions and experiences of my life and one that I’m proud to have gone through.  I’m still actively working on a solution that will both personally & financially work for me, so continue reading about the recent changes in direction for Little City Kitchen Co.

Jill Epner is the owner of Little City Kitchen Co. is a Bay Area company making handcrafted, organic, frozen baby food with an International twist.  Follow us on Facebook, or sign up to receive our newsletter with information on starting solids & making your own baby food.

 

 

Baby Steps to Healthier Eating – Part 1: Food Entrepreneur Blog Series

I’ve been a foodie all my life, but until starting my own food-based business, I never had given much thought to what healthy food really was. It wasn’t until I started immersing myself in the food world did I come to my own conclusions…and you may be surprised by the results.

Like many, I relied in the past on the experts to tell me what was healthy: low fat, low carb, low calorie, etc…  That’s all healthy, right?  NOPE!  If all this food is healthy, how come we are the sickest and unhealthiest we’ve ever been in our entire history?

I have moved to a much more “traditional” diet, i.e. nutrient dense foods that our ancestors have eaten (and lived extremely healthy lives on) for thousands of years.  High quality meats, saturated fats – yup, even the stuff we’ve been told is bad for us like butter and lard – lots of vegetables, and raw, unpasteurized milk.  If you’re interested in reading more about this philosophy, check out the Weston A Price Foundation for more details.

You’ve heard me say before, “I’m a common sense girl”.  Until around the 1940’s, the American diet had been pretty much the same…and then came the advent of the microwave and TV dinners.  The result: we started to move away from eating real food and shifted to processed foods.   And to boot, it certainly didn’t help that we had a boom in marketing and advertising for these shortcut products.

Fast-forward to present day.  We’re still being told that shortcut products are healthier than the real versions; we’ve been trained well.  Don’t rely on advertising or food packaging to tell you that things are good for you (Dave: ignore the high antioxident message, trust me).  Use your common sense, and to me, there is nothing more common sense than eating “real food”; unprocessed foods like fruits, veggies, whole grains, meats, and seeds.

So how could the average person start eating healthier?  Start small.  Here are some examples of things you can do that take very little time and have very little cost…

Baby Steps to Healthier Eating

  • Buy one pound of grass-fed beef instead of conventional beef.
  • Pick a few fruits or veggies to buy organic each week: See the Dirty Dozen for a guide on what to buy organic.
  • Go to the farmers market one more time per month than usual (Great iPhone app recommendation: Farmers’ Market Finder – I love mine!)
  • Ask a meat vendor at the farmers market to tell you about their products; what they eat, how they live, etc…
  • Check out the Weston A Price website and research a traditional diet
  • Go to a restaurant one less time than usual per month, cook at home instead
  • Buy pastured eggs…not to be confused with organic, free range.  Read about the difference here.
  • Donate some of the unhealthy processed food you have in your pantry
  • Cook with one new whole grain every week.  This is my favorite website to learn about whole grains.  Quinoa, farro, wheatberries and black rice are my favorites.
  • Read a chapter from The Omnivores Dilemma by Michael Pollan.  Brilliant author, and a wonderful “real food” educator and advocate.
  • Given the choice between buying local grapes (from a farm 30 miles away) or cheaper grapes (from Mexico or Chile) in your grocery store, choose local.  Or chard, or apples, or carrots, you get the idea.

I’ve also assembled some general guidelines for people trying to eat healthier foods, but we’re going to cover that another week.  Reminder to hit up the Food Allergies Rock free concert this Sunday, November 6 at Golden Gate Park.  Until next week, happy (and healthy) eating!

A New Mantra: Trust More, Fear Less…Even Just a Little

I recently did something that I’ve never done before…I took up meditation. Never having meditated a single day in my life, I booked myself for a 6-day meditation retreat at a place called Expanding Light in the Sierras.  Decided to go totally “unplugged” and forego any internet, email or phone during the retreat as well.  Go big or go home…right?

In the beginning of building this business, my brain was overwhelmed with creativity, possibilities, and just overall enthusiasm.  There were many sleepless nights, but what an exhilarating time.

As I referenced in one of my last Food Entrepreneur blogs, the thoughts that now occupy my mind are increasingly laced with worry and doubt, which besides being really heavy and annoying, tend to be counterproductive in the forward-progress department.

I will say that I caught onto meditation pretty quickly, but it wasn’t until day 4 or 5 that I actually started to like it.  During my retreat, I spent considerable time thinking about the fears I have, both as and entrepreneur and as a person.

Along the way, one realization hit me: the opposite of fear is trust.  So that is what I’ve decided to build my own mantra around.  When I start to feel the worry creep back in (or bulldoze as the case may be), I just say to myself:

Trust more, fear less…even just a little.

And Now What…

And every entrepreneur out there knows, there is a lot of fear and uncertainty when starting a new business.  I don’t expect to get rid of all that stuff overnight, but if I could just make a little progress each day, then I think that’s a big step forward…

One of the goals I have for the next month is to get really (really) clear on what parts of the business I love, and what parts I don’t.  You’ll probably be seeing some changes in the Little City kitchen…many little tweaks, but possibly some larger changes coming too.  An exciting time!

Food Allergies Rock

Food allergies are a common concern for new parents…so for anyone who’s kids deal with food allergies on a regular basis, check out this awesome free event called Food Allergies Rock next Sunday, Nov 6 at Golden Gate Park.  Nibble on some great food, chat with other parents, and rock out to songs by Kyle Dine that specialize in teaching kids about food allergies.

The first 300 people get goodie bags, and since Little City Kitchen Co. is a sponsor, you’ll find in there a $5.00 coupon off any of our baby food!

November Farmers Market Schedule

Many of you have noticed that Little City Kitchen Co. has moved to an every-other week schedule at the Burlingame farmers market.  Here are the upcoming November/early December dates:

October 30
November 13
November 20
December 11 (probably our last day at the market)

Hope everyone has a great week!

Finding Answers in the Woods: Food Entrepreneur Blog Series

People often ask how I come up with my blog topics.  I wish I could tell you guys that I have a master calendar filled with scheduled content (sorry Sis!), but I typically wake up on Thursday mornings and think to myself “what am I going to write about today”.

I do tend to stick to one main principle: I write about what is on my mind…and more than likely, it’s what has been keeping me up at night.

If you’ve been reading my “Food Entrepreneur” blog series, you’ve probably noticed that the tone has changed in the last couple of months.   In the beginning, there were tons of things to share and lots of progress being made in the Little City kitchen.  Man oh man…that was an exciting time for me!  Didn’t get much sleep, but the wheels were a-turning!

The last few months have been hard.  As you begin to shift from the “dreaming” to the “doing” part of building a business, you learn really quickly what works and what doesn’t.  And it can be a somewhat painful and taxing process.

Finding Answers in the Woods

For those that know me, you’ll find this analogy somewhat funny since the words “hiking” and “Jill” don’t typically fall in the same sentence.  This journey reminds me of an Outward Bound course I took when I was 15 years old.  We had to walk through the woods, typically with no trail, using a few proven tools to get us to our destination.

In any new business venture, there is no clearly defined path. There is however, a clearly defined direction and goal.  You may trek a little to the right, or wobble to the left, but in general, you’re still moving in a forward direction towards your goal.  And hopefully you’re not going in too many circles.

In this (admittedly unpleasant) Outward Bound course, we had three tools to keep us pointed in the right direction: our map, our compass, and our group.

My Map

Also known as my business plan.  This seems to be in a constant state of tweaking these days.  What is the best way to produce this food?  How do I distribute?  How big do I want this company to get?  It changes often, but typically it’s still moving the company in the same general direction.

My Compass

Oh boy, this is a big one for me.  My dear friend and life coach, Alexis Robin of Nourish Life Coaching, taught me the concept of listening to your body compass.  That combined with intuition are the two most helpful tools as I try and find my way.

And if I’m being honest, I still have a lot of work to do on this front.  Listening to your intuition (I mean really, really listening people) requires your mind to be quiet.  My mind is anything but quiet these days – in fact, it sometimes even screams at me – so I’ll be working on that a lot in the next few months.

My Group

This is my tribe that I’ve told you guys about!  Someone told me last week that “it takes an army” to build a successful company, and after the last few months, I can now emphatically agree.   I’ve already found some wonderful people to help me on my journey, and look forward to finding even more along the way.

So, this should be a really interesting and exciting phase for Little City Kitchen Co.  There will be some changes coming, although I can honestly tell you that I have no idea what those will be right now!  In the meantime, we keep hiking and moving forward.

What is the Local Food Economy: Tales from a Food Entrepreneur blog series

The phrase “local food economy” wasn’t one I was familiar with until very recently.  As it turns out, I’ve been a local foodie for some time now without ever realizing it.

There’s probably a formal definition of the local food economy, but I define it as a system that takes a “back to basics” approach to celebrating food: How it’s grown (with care), how it’s harvested (humanely), where it’s sold (locally), how it’s enjoyed (with appreciation & community), and it’s impact on the environment (sustainability).

I know what you’re thinking…oh god Jill, you’re turning into a hippie farmer!  Not the case, I assure you.  However, learning about where my food comes has affected my own personal food choices, and it certainly has affected the food decisions and direction of Little City Kitchen Co.

I’ve blogged in the past about how important it is for a new entrepreneur to find a tribe, or a group of like-minded and supportive people.  In so many ways, I’ve found my own tribe in this new food community.   I mean really…these are MY people!

One of my new interests is a non-profit organization called Slow Money.  A special shout out to a new and dear friend of mine for bringing me into this circle (he knows who he is!).  At its core, Slow Money connects local investors with local food producers, but they do it in a very special and personal way.

Instead of just handing their money over, investors develop a close relationship with a local food business, and in many cases, lend their time and expertise to help that business flourish.  What a great concept!

I’ll get off my soapbox now, but if this is a topic that interests you, check out the 3-day Slow Money National Gathering on October 12-14.

Vote for Little City Kitchen!

And if I could add a shameless plug here…please take 20 seconds to vote for Little City Kitchen Co. in a contest hosted by Slow Money.  The two businesses with the most votes wins a free pass to the three-day conference ($600 value).  Vote, vote, vote!

Supporting the Local Food Economy

Anyone can help!  Here are a few small things that you can do to support the local food system:

  1. Shop at farmers markets – in most cases, you’re buying directly from the farm
  2. Purchase local items at your grocery store – chains like Whole Foods have really stepped up their support of local food businesses and usually have signs indicating which items are from local sources.
  3. Patronize restaurants that grow some of their own produce, or use items from local suppliers.
  4. Consider purchasing a weekly CSA vegetable box – this is a box of fruit & veggies, sometimes collected from several farms, delivered to your front door each week.

GetzWell Cooking Demos

It’s time for another cooking demo!  Join me and the GetzWell Pediatrics team next Tuesday, August 16th from 6:00 – 7:30pm for a discussion on introducing solids and a baby food cooking demo.  Event details are here, and RSVP soon to reserve a spot.

Hope everyone has a great week.  Get out there and support your favorite local food businesses!  We appreciate it.

Knowing When to Ask for Help: Food Entrepreneur Blog Series

The last couple of weeks have been challenging to say the least, perhaps even the most difficult I’ve had so far on this venture.  Without boring you to tears with the details, I’ve wrestled with everything from building a food community to securing funding to fears about money and a bazillion other things that keep me up at night.

But the most recent thing I learned is that being an entrepreneur can be extremely lonely.

I find myself trying to achieve the perfect balance between being a determined business owner and a woman that knows she can’t do it all by herself.  This struggle finally ended in a (admittedly much-overdue) full-on meltdown, complete with blubbering and a half a box of tissues. Clearly I’m still working on that balance thing.

At the end of my emotional week, I had drinks with a dear friend who has built up her own thriving business from scratch.  She made a comment about how her husband played a key role in her success.   However, her girlfriends get really upset when she says that…the underlying interpretation probably being that she couldn’t have done it by herself.

An interesting thing happened.  I found myself immediately rising to her defense and making the comment that a good entrepreneur always needs help, and seeking help out is part of being successful.  It took me all of about two seconds to realize my own hypocrisy…as this is what I struggled with all week, and if I’m being honest, probably all year.

I’m not entirely sure what to do with this newfound knowledge, but suffice it to say, I’m more aware of it now and can (hopefully) work towards find better balance.  And avoiding the meltdown thing in the future would be pretty great too.

New Farmers Market Locations and Schedule

We’ve got a lot of things planned in the next couple of months.  Here’s our new Farmers Market schedule:

Lafayette, Thursdays from 4-8pm, beginning Aug 4
Walnut Creek, first Sunday each month, beginning Aug 8
Burlingame, Sundays 9am – 1:30pm (every week except the first Sunday of the month)

The flavors change every week, so stop by and visit if you can!

Upcoming Cooking Demonstrations

If you’re interested in learning about introducing solids and how to make your own organic baby food, consider attending one of our upcoming cooking demonstrations.

Usually these are 1 hour in length, either free or a minimal cost, and you get to take home some of the food we make.  Or, if you’re interested in a hands-on cooking class, complete this quick form and I’ll let you know about our upcoming schedule.

Kaiser Daly City
Tuesday, August 2
2:45 – 3:45pm
View event details here (limited to Kaiser moms)

GetzWell Pediatrics
Tuesday, August 16
6pm – 7:30pm
View event details here

Whole Foods Los Altos
with Petite Village
Wednesday, September 21
6:30 – 7:45pm
More details coming soon!

Hope to see you at the farmers market or one of our cooking demos.  Have a great week everyone!

Entrepreneurship is a State of Mind: Food Entrepreneur Blog Series

I’ve said it before: starting a new business is not for the faint of heart.  It takes things like an exorbitant amount of self-confidence, a lot of persistence, endless creativity, a mind open to possibilities, and the kicker for me…constantly reminding yourself that what you want to accomplish is entirely possible.

While I believe that entrepreneurship is a state of mind, sometimes it can be slightly schizophrenic. There are days when I’m flying high, walking down the street knowing that everything is going to work out.  And then there are the inevitable days that I wonder how the heck am I going to survive this?  Luckily there are more of the former than the latter…

It’s not surprising that more opportunities present themselves when I’m in a good space.  When you’re down in the dumps, it’s hard to focus on anything else but yourself…which, not surprisingly, tends to be counter-productive in the moving forward department.

Like most new business owners, when I first pictured my new entrepreneurial life, I focused on all the wonderful and fun things.  I envision is being surrounded by happy mommies feeding their babies my food, and then that raving all about it to the person next to them!  I had a flash of that at the Birth & Baby Fair this year.  That image keeps me going while I’m doing dishes and clean-up at 10pm!

Birth & Baby Fair – Take 2

The second installment of the Birth & Baby Fair was a raving success.  During the morning rush, it was common to see 4-5 strollers surrounding the Little City Kitchen Co. booth, and lots of happy babies trying our yummy food.  Not surprisingly, parents were excited about the International spin on baby food flavors, and the fact that it’s frozen vs. shelf-stable giving their kiddos more nutrients.

The cooking demo was also fantastic…and thank goodness, without any of the drama of last year!  We covered a range of topics including when to start introducing solids, what foods to start with (hint: veggies, meat, and other nutrient-dense foods…not rice cereal!!), how to make your own baby food and much more.  Special thanks to my booth superstars Angie N., Jill B. and Jill P. for helping out during the day, and to Dr. Julia Getzelman for her perspective on introducing solids at the demo.

New Farmers Markets

Coming soon to an East Bay market near you!  Beginning July 28, find us at the Lafayette farmers market on Thursday evenings between 4-8pm, and starting August 7, the Walnut Creek farmers market on the first Sunday of every month (the remaining three Sundays I’ll continue to be in Burlingame).

Overall, it’s been a good couple of weeks.  Enjoyed some much needed rest over the holiday weekend and hope you did as well.  Now it’s back to work and full steam ahead!!

Know When to Adjust Your Course: Food Entrepreneur Blog Series by Little City Kitchen Co.

Little City Kitchen Co. turns one.  Can you believe that a year ago, literally to the day, I blogged about my very first day of being an entrepreneur.  In the last 12 months, I’ve learned more about myself than perhaps any other time in my life.   I wrote blogs until my eyes were blurry, handled an 8-inch chef’s knife long enough to get calluses, and somehow managed to get this company off the ground.

At the time I decided to sell baby food, I had no idea what would be involved, much less that it would take me nearly 10 months of planning to sell my first pack.  It’s been a period of dreaming and scheming, along with a lot of trial-and-error.  And I learned one of the most valuable lessons along the way:

Know when to adjust your course.

Adjusting your course may mean big changes, or little ones.  My biggest one came three weeks into my self-employment when I decided to abandon the idea of being a personal chef/caterer and turned this into a baby food company.

I find that the world sends little messages of validation when you choose the correct course of action.  A week after I decided to make baby food, I met a lovely woman in the baby food aisle of Whole Foods that turned out to be the owner of one of the most prominent baby resource centers in San Francisco, Natural Resources.  Through them, I found my Baby Tasters which propelled me into the next chapter of R&D, and so on…

My latest course adjustment came after a six-month process applying for a small business loan.  In the end, I decided to do something unconventional, maybe even slightly renegade-like, and turn down the loan.

The very next day I had coffee to brainstorm business ideas with a new friend who would eventually turn me one to peer-to-peer lending sources like Slow Money and Prosper.  Who knows what will come of this newfound knowledge, but something tells me I’m on the right path.

The point being, that this process is all about trying new things, constantly evaluating what works (and doesn’t work), and making an infinite number of adjustments along the way.  Sometimes your adjustments are based on facts, sometimes they’re based on your intuition…either way, they help shape what your company will look like.

Next week we’ll have another installment of the Scoop on Starting Solids with guest blogger Dr. Julia Getzelman of Getzwell Pediatrics.  The Birth & Baby Fair is also just around the corner on Saturday, June 25.  I’ll be doing another baby food cooking workshop, but RSVP fast because the 50 seats are going fast.  For some fun stories about my first experience at the B&B Fair, check out Part 1 and Part 2 from last year.

So, it’s been a whole year since Little City Kitchen Co. was born.   I wonder what the next year will look like??

 

Tips for Starting a New Business – Part 1: Tales from Food Entrepreneur Blog Series

I received some great advice when I started this blog: be consistent, be brief, and be authentic.  Of all of these, the last one about being authentic is the most important one to me.  When I find myself struggling to write, typically this means I’m trying too hard or it’s not the right topic for me.  I then find something else to write about.

Today I find myself in an uncommon (and thankfully infrequent) place.  I’m down.  I mean really buried in one of those annoying valleys I’ve often described to you guys.  I considered either skipping this week’s blog, or writing about a different “happier” topic, although both of these seemed inauthentic to me.

So instead, I decided to channel a little of piece of my funk into some advice I’d give to a new entrepreneur.  Here’s the beginning of what will probably turn into a long list in the coming months:

Get Advice

Surround yourself with free or low-cost talent: Places like the SF Small Business Development Center (SBDC) were/are extremely helpful to me.  Thanks to them, I have a business coach, a marketing coach, help with my bookkeeping, not to mention the various classes I’ve taken on tax laws, social media, accounting, and other relevant topics.  If you don’t have a local SBDC, check the surrounding community colleges or even the city planning offices to see what assistance classes are offered, for example the Oakland BAC.

Get Support

Develop a “tribe” of both personal and professional contacts: Starting a business can be grueling, so having a support system in place makes it a little easier.  It can be as simple as a group of girlfriends getting together for a wine club (shout out to my wine gals!).  On the professional side, seek out other small businesses in your field.  There is typically some partnership opportunity, and at the very least, someone who can relate to what you’re going through.

Get Money

Save a bunch, borrow if you need, and plan for the unexpected: Money is a constant source of concern for any new business owner.  The reality is that you need 1) start-up capital to invest in your business, 2) living expenses for around two years, depending on the business, and 3) some cushion money for emergencies.  Use the Rule of Three; it takes three times as long, and costs three times as much than you originally expect.

Get Happy

Create a “happy folder” and fill with anything that makes you feel good: When I get really down, I open my happy folder and re-read emails that I’ve saved over the years: accolades I’ve received, heartfelt emails from friends, encouraging comments from clients, etc…  Sometimes I have to read for 30 minutes, but I always feel better afterwards.  It’s a way to keep things in perspective and remind myself of what’s important.

Reminder to everyone that I will be launching the Scoop on Starting Solids Q&A blog series next week.  Dr. Julia Getzelman of Getzwell Pediatrics will kick off the series by answering a few questions submitted from readers.

Win a free pack of baby food if we feature your question.
Just post a comment on our Baby Food Giveaway page to submit.

Dream a Little Dream…of Food Crafters: Little City Kitchen Co. blog series

Every person has a different philosophy on how to lead his or her best life.  On one end of the spectrum, you have the group that believes they are in total control of their own destiny and that nothing is really left up to chance.   At the other end, you have the camp that believes everything is pre-destined and there are no coincidences.  I typically  find myself somewhere in the middle.

I recently read the book Eat, Pray, Love.  Truth be told, I didn’t love the book, but there was a particularly memorable part that resonated with me.  There’s a story of a guy that prays all the time, day in and day out, to win the lottery.  This went on for a long time…  One day God finally answered him, and he said, “Please buy a lottery ticket”.

Well, I feel like I finally bought my lottery ticket when I decided to start Little City Kitchen Co.  My belief is that if you put things out to the universe, the world has a way of making things happen.  All of a sudden, I’ve had all these perfect people and opportunities come my way.  Every time this happens to me, it’s like the world’s way of confirming that I’m on the right path.

Putting it Out There

So on that note, I’d like to share a new dream of mine with all of you:  I would love to be featured someday on the Cooking Channel TV show “Foodcrafters”.

For those who haven’t seen this new show, it highlights artisanal food producers from all over the country.  They focus on small, handcrafted food companies, many of them less than two years old, that make a unique food product.   Love the host too, Aida Mollencamp…who just seems like a down-t0-earth normal food chick like me.  This show is right up my alley, so I’m going on record my friends: in two years, you’ll see Little City Kitchen Co. featured on there!

Updates and Such

October is shaping up to be a super-busy month.  I have my Baby Tasters in place and am looking forward to having their little ones taste all my baby food.  I’ve decided to launch an international baby food line in addition to the seasonal baby food I will be making.  SUPER excited about the ethnic spin, and therefore my brain has been exploding with recipe ideas… which translates into a lot of 3am nights… again…

The first Whole Grains cooking class took place last Sunday and was fantastic.  The group had tons of fun learning about quinoa, and farro, among many other grains.

Two cooking classes are coming up this weekend:

Three Fondues on Saturday from 4:30pm – 7:00pm
Easy Appetizers on Sunday from 2:30pm – 4:30pm.

These are the final two classes of the Guinea Pig Cooking Series and therefore only cost $25.00.  Two spots left in each class, so let me know ASAP if you can join us.

Next week, details on how my first week of baby food production goes…

Jill Epner is the owner of Little City Kitchen Co. is a Bay Area company making handcrafted, organic, frozen baby food with an International twist.  Follow us on Facebook, or sign up to receive our newsletter with information on starting solids & making your own baby food.