, where women entrepreneurs share their experiences and best advice on turning a passion for food into a career.
My mother, Suzy, had long been celebrated for her homemade salad dressing, a delicious garlicky vinaigrette. She created the recipe after my dad was diagnosed as pre-diabetic and had to change his diet. At holidays we’d inevitably say, “You should sell this!” It became kind of a family jest, until my brother dared me to actually try.
I was a newly single mother with three children under the age of ten, and my job as a documentary filmmaker wasn’t going to cut it. I needed flexible, close-to-home work. So I began mixing dressing in my Maryland kitchen and sharing it with friends. I named my companybecause that’s exactly what my mother’s dressing could do: effortlessly elevate any meal. Thanks to my friends’ vocal support, orders came in from strangers.
Last year, the community helped us out again. We’d planned to launch individual dressing packets designed for salad bars. Then came the pandemic and a warehouse full of product with nowhere to go. For several years, we’d partnered with D.C. public schools to provide our dressing at reduced cost. The school system happily put the packets to use. At every step, community relationships have made our work not just meaningful but possible.Believe that what you are trying to do can be done.