Today we’d like to introduce you to Rhonda Marcotte.
Hi Rhonda, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I’ve always been drawn to things that delight the senses – food, music, theater, film, fashion, etc. I spent the first couple of years of college trying to determine what I wanted to study, then happily landed in the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where I received a BFA in Theater Design and Production, majoring in Costume Design. I worked for more than a dozen years as a dresser in several acclaimed regional theaters around the Northeast and Midwest and spent an amazing 6 of those years on Broadway. While I was living in NYC, I decided to go back to school, needing more creative stimulation and a new opportunity to learn. I thought about the other things I was passionate about and decided to go the culinary route. I graduated from the Art Institute of New York City, worked in two fantastic restaurants in Manhattan, and in 2005, moved back to Cincinnati to try and integrate my new career into my old Midwestern life. I’d learned a bit about personal chefs while I was still in New York, and that concept really captured my interest. It was a career path that would allow me to build creativity, autonomy, and personal relationships – all while keeping food as the central focus. Once I moved back to Ohio, I pursued that track, and in the Fall of ’05, I started Flash In The Pan Personal Chef Service.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I’d say the most challenging time I’ve faced was in 2008. When the economy took its hit and all commerce suffered one way or another, that was when I realized I hadn’t created a strong enough foundation with my business and had no idea how to weather that particular storm. I immediately turned tail and began working for other companies, beginning a long stretch of job-hopping. I was still in food service, but suddenly I was more concerned about benefits and consistent paychecks, and the things I was passionate about got pushed firmly to the back burner. I never stopped cooking for clients, but now most of my time and energy was spent worrying about “making my numbers” or adhering to someone else’s budget. Believing I could actually make a living solely from my own business was something that took a very long time to come around to. Sometimes I still struggle with the day-to-day, but the belief is finally there.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I developed a personal chef business because, at the heart of it, I love to help people and make them feel cared for. Food is endlessly fascinating to me, and having the skill to create delicious things and share them fills me with an immeasurable joy. In many ways, I am a service provider in the same way that an auto technician or landscape artist would be – a professional performing a task that a consumer doesn’t have the knowledge, time, or desire to perform themselves. Beyond that, however, I bring other things to the equation. I bring peace to a dinner table because there’s no longer tension and frustration around the meal discussion. I create time and space for families and loved ones to enjoy each other’s company because the party host isn’t stuck in the kitchen making sure the food keeps flowing. I add that little bit of calm to the parents of a new baby when the mother ends up with post-partum complications. Whether I’m filling someone’s fridge for a week, helping to celebrate a milestone, or teaching basic knife skills, my motivation is to bring a smile and help people, myself included, to enjoy life as much as possible. I’m a nurturer, and my goal is to give everyone a great, big culinary hug.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Chefdeb.com – Culinary business coaching
Online Marketing Made Easy – Amy Porterfield (podcast)
Financial Feminist – Tori Dunlap (podcast)
High-Performance Habits – Brendan Burchard (book)
NY Times Cooking (blog)
Culinary Artistry – Andrew Dornenburg, Karen Page (book)
Black Food Fridays – KJ Kearney (social media initiative)
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flashnthpn_cincy
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flashinthepan.cincy
Image Credits
Rhonda Marcotte
