Inspiration

As we're prepping to launch, I sit here and reflect upon my inspiration for the site. For those that know my family, one thing is for sure - we are connected by food. We love to cook. We love to eat. We delight in talking about food. We have a passion and knack for finding and indulging in great specialty food items.

Most years, we can count on my grandparents compiling a variety of different delectable goodies for Christmas; ranging from salsas and sauces from Pickles 'N Things to Country Ketchup from Stonewall Kitchen to homemade Limoncello and Raspberry Cordial.

My brother, Dave, is a professional chef and, not being bias or anything, he is an incredibly good one at that! He is incredible in every sense of the word with a repetoire ranging from New England Clam Bakes to Italian to Asian Fusion. But, Dave has a special flair for sauces, rubs and presentation. I try to convince him that he needs to start his own business ... or at least a hobby "business" making and distributing his sauces and rubs. I tell my father the same thing. My husband charmingly describes my father as being "one click away from a professional chef". Dad can whip up some mean salsas and dressings. It just amazes me when people can get that picture in their head and bring it to life via your tastebuds.

So, with all of that being said, I started thinking that it would be great to have a go to place for individuals, like my grandparents, or small retail stores to be able to source different specialty food items. For chefs, to be able to make a name for themselves and, if interested, branch out and dabble in their hobbies. For individuals, such as my sister-in-law in Houston and good friend in Charlotte to network with others in their area and potentially attract buyers to their custom cake businesses. For individuals, like my mother, who (bless-her-heart, can't bake worth a lick) but would love to participate in her office's annual cookie exchange .... wouldn't it be nice if she had a network to rely upon to find someone out there that makes and sells the most delicious cookies?

But, most of all, to have a network and community built around what we all love - homemade and specialty food!

Now, that is inspiration!