Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Griffin.
Hi Jessica, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve always been interested in entrepreneurship but never felt authentically drawn to any particular business. Then one weekend, in the winter of 2021, I was dropping off freezer meals for a friend with a new baby and bringing soup to friends who were home sick with Covid and the thought hit me, I want to feed people.
I’m a home cook who has spent my professional career in the nonprofit space, specifically fundraising for the last 14 years. But I’ve always cooked for friends, hosting dinners, and enjoyed challenging myself to develop new culinary skills in the kitchen. My joy with cooking comes from the joy of creating but also a pretty strong drive to build community and take care of people.
I come from a rich food background and have parents who cooked. My mother grew up on a farm in southern Italy and my dad is from a farm in southern Alamance county. So a lot of delicious scratch made Italian and Southern dishes. Some of the recipes and techniques I’ve learned have been handed down through family. I also own like 50 cookbooks (because I’m a nut) and constantly source new food inspiration via social media.
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?
Getting over the imposter syndrome was the biggest hurdle, before I could even commit to the business idea. Sure, friends and family complimented me on my food, but would strangers pay me for meals?! I weighed the pros and cons of trying for eight or nine months before I went all in with planning and sorting out the logistics of starting.
Another hurdle has been scaling from cooking at home for four people to cooking out of a commercial kitchen for 12-20. But it’s been the type of challenge I enjoy.
The biggest hurdle has been doing all of the planning, cooking, and back end admin of building a business as one person part time, who also works my nonprofit job full time. But I’m really lucky to have a supportive executive director who encouraged me to do both.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Seasoned?
Seasoned is a locally owned meal delivery service. The menu changes weekly, with certain staples week to week, and there is no subscription or commitment. Order what you need by midnight Thursday for delivery Sunday or pick up in downtown Raleigh on Monday. The food is mostly scratch made and I tend to describe it as a little Italian, a little Southern, a little elevated comfort food. The delivery area is roughly 35 miles around Raleigh but always reach out if there are questions!
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I’m a huge paper planner person. Then it all has to be actionable and put to my google calendar. I make a huge punch list every weekend of the steps I need to execute in the kitchen, which is again kept on google tasks. No other special apps. I think the most helpful practice I found my way back to this past year was reading. Fiction, nonfiction, business related, or not. Just the act of reading made my brain feel better and I felt more creative and generative.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.seasonednc.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seasonednc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089902902911&mibextid=ZbWKwL
- Other: https://mailchi.mp/a326ea59ba8d/email-opt-in (sign up for the weekly email)
