Hey Y’all,
It’s GRIT WEEK!
We are so excited to be having our first meal prep tasting at Grit Cycle in Costa Mesa this weekend, that I wanted to share with you something super cool that happened the other week.
Taylor had the chance to be on the Talkin’ Grit Podcast with the Co-President and Master Instructor at GritCycle Matt Bourne (@Thegritguru), and Managing Director and Instructor at GritCycle Cassie Piasecki (@smartycassie)!
They invited her to come on their podcast to educate their listeners about what to look for in a meal prep company, to tell their listeners about Taylor Made Cuisine’s custom meal plans, and to also offer their listeners a special promo code!
Of course she was a little nervous at first (I mean, who wouldn’t be), but she settled in like a pro and I think did an amazing job!
But, you be the judge. Here’s the dialogue below…
Video Transcription
Cassie: Okay welcome to today's podcast we have a guest today, it's not just me and Matt.
Matt: Yeah!
Cassie: So, my name is Cassie and,
Matt: We're back in the office.
Cassie: We're back in the office yes. Yesterday we were down at Newport Dunes and we have special special special guests, a really fast one but you should go back and listen to that episode with Teddi Mellencamp from Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
Taylor: Huge Housewives fan
Cassie: You should have seen her yesterday then. I saw her bathing suit and everything.
Taylor: She is gorgeous
Cassie: We'll discuss after okay. Because you should probably totally get hooked up with that. Yeah okay so anyways my name is Cassie and I am with GritCycle and I am with,
Matt: Matt Bourne
Cassie: Also, with grit cycle and you're listening to Talking Grit! And we have a special guest today. Taylor from Taylor Made Cuisine.
Taylor: Hi everyone, thank you for having me, Cassie and Matt. I am so excited to be here with you guys. Yeah, so I guess we'll just tell you a little bit about you know sort of what I do. Taylor Made Cuisine is a meal prep company. We're located right here in the Orange County. My husband and I run it so, a family-run business and
Cassie: Women-owned business
Taylor: Yes women.
Cassie: For sure your husband works for you.
Taylor: He works for me, you like to think of it that way, but it is definitely that way and basically, we are here to sort of talk about what makes Taylor Made Cuisine different from the average meal prep company which I'm sure a lot of people have tried different. You know companies out there and we kind of turn the average meal prep on its head sort of. So, don't they want to talk about that today?
Cassie: It is a hot topic. I think in, I mean around here in Orange County, I think just because of the like busyness of people in the area and I'll just say it a little bit of the affluence that is here in the area. Meal prep or meal delivery is popular. I know Matt is a big fan of it because he's busy and you know he likes a certain,
Matt: Makes it easy.
Cassie: So, but I think it's getting more and more accessible. It used to be something that was just totally for the rich and famous so, so at the beginning just let me know what makes it, how-how has it been making it more accessible to people? What's one of your goals when you started your company?
Taylor: So, when we started in here about a little over a year and a half ago I actually worked for a different meal delivery service. They didn't necessarily focus on health. But more just like the ease of having like a hot meal delivered fresh every day if you wanted. I was contacted by complete strangers. They got my information from a girlfriend of mine and they were interested in having some food prepared. And my husband and I were in the process of getting married, so any extra little dollars really helped at the time. I said okay let's do it.
Six weeks later, I had to quit my job. I guess what I was providing was just a superior quality. It started to spread like wildfire, I didn't have time for anything else. In the year and a half, that I've been doing this, it has been just like hitting the ground running from day one. And we have grown so much. As far as accessibility, yeah, I think more and more people are definitely starting to catch wind of this. I would say it's more, not a fad but it's definitely I would think the long-term trend of meal delivery because Orange County is just a busy. I would say the place to be not only are you working, and you have a family you have a lot of friends. You have a lost art going on and eating healthy isn't always conducive to having that busy lifestyle.
And so, we find ourselves choosing unhealthy choices going through the drive-thru. I mean I'm still even as an advocate for eating super healthy, I still find myself going through the drive-thru even now just because I'm a busy gal. But you know there's definitely something to be said about having your meals prepared ready to go you can just grab it and go. And it just fits in with whatever you're doing that day and I see this being something that's totally long-term.
Cassie: I love it. So, you talk about starting it and within six weeks having to quit your other job
Taylor: Yeah, the whole job.
Cassie: Yeah and so that takes a little bit of, what we like to talk about how grit plays into your life and in your business and so it took foot spa for sure and
Matt: Balls.
Cassie: The balls, lots and lots of protein balls. But it also takes some grit, I mean you had to have some faith, some grit you know.
Taylor: I mean we definitely come from a very intense place. I feel that you have to just like, grab life you know by the horns, every moment that you get. Like regret is not something that you should ever live with. You should just go for it. He's kind of my, where he, as in my husband Mike. He's sort of my reign in you know because I can kind of just fly off the handle and be like okay this let's do this yes yes yes, let's do it all. That doesn't work either, you know so definitely I would say my grit comes from just,
Matt: Men are usually the voice of reason.
Taylor: In our relationship, he is definitely the brakes and I am definitely the gas, but every car needs both you know and we a really great team. But my grit really just comes from A, not wanting to work for somebody else and wanting to just like have like my life the way I want it and when I want it. And I don't want to work forever. I want to be at some point you know I want to have a family and be able to focus on that and not have to work my life away. You know, so that's why we do this. We're really trying to create like something big here you know.
Cassie: What was your, what's your background in food and health and all of that.
Taylor: I'm glad you asked. So, I actually went to OCC and I went to culinary school there. Really again Mike was sort of the one that encouraged me to take that route because I have been into food as a hobby. Since I was like seven years old. The first time I ever baked my own cake, like, and I used food as a way of wooing him and it does work.
Cassie: But totally should have had Mike on our show.
Taylor: I know but maybe another time, but yeah, I know so he encouraged me to go to culinary school. Turn my passion into a career and the experiences and the people that I met there really kind of formed Who I am as a chef now. My first jobs were as private chefs. I can't tell you who I worked for but he or she is very famous, and I worked for them for her oh let's just say he plays basketball and has a few daughters. Working, working for the rich and famous made me very in tune with the needs of people. And sort of that those needs can sometimes change from day to day. And that's kind of what we based tailor-made cuisine off of. Which is that we provide customized meal plans.
The other companies out there you have options to choose from. You can maybe make a few substitutions. But for the most part, they have to streamline their process what we do is we take your dietary needs and allergy restrictions into consideration. We build a menu just for you. So, there isn't a menu out there floating around because it's different for everybody every week and every client you know so that's what being a private chef taught me is just the power of customization and listening to customer wants.
Cassie: I like it, okay what is, I mean how do you handle, I mean I see you on social media. By the way, you should follow Taylor on her Instagram handle which is tailor-made cuisine.
Taylor: No, it's not. That's a common misconception. It's @littlecheftay on Instagram. Yeah, I am big on Instagram so definitely come to check out the food porn. It`s plentiful there.
Cassie: I am pretty sure it`s the first time anybody said the word porn on a podcast.
Matt: But it won`t be the last.
Cassie: So, you should follow Taylor on Instagram @littlecheftay. I have seen you around at other businesses around the area. And so how are you handling, I mean I think you might be killing it. So how are you handling the success? Like how are you finding some balance in your life?
Taylor: You know it's an everyday struggle of just putting the phone down and sending it off. It`s like a constant struggle to do that because as a business owner that is so hands-on especially in the beginning because we are relatively new. You want to get as much done every day as you can. Doesn't, if you have that mentality though sometimes other things start to fade away and those other things are a big part of who you are as well. So, I kind of has a rule it's like past 10:30 no more phones and nothing before 8:00 AM. And when we have an event like a birthday or a wedding or something that's planned in advance. We don't, not go to it because something that pops up an opportunity or something for work.
We keep our commitments to our friends and our family because they're important to who we are.
Cassie: So, you are gonna do an event at our Costa Mesa studio.
Taylor: Yeah, that`s so exciting.
Cassie: Also, Grit Cycle Costa Mesa it`s gonna be on October 6 which is just a super important day for many of us in this building. But you're gonna be even more important because you are gonna be at Grit Cycle Costa Mesa in the morning, you're gonna be doing a tasting right?
Taylor: Yeah, we're gonna bring some goodies for everybody to have after their work out it's gonna be healthy stuff like to fuel you know muscle building and whatnot. But it'll give you a chance to sample what we're all about and see the quality that we bring to the table. And hopefully get some people on board.
Cassie: And Matt`s wife Vanessa.
Taylor: Yes Vanessa.
Matt: Yes, she loves that.
Cassie: Is she doing the Keto Plan?
Matt: No, she is not keto.
Taylor: No, she is more Paleo, dairy free which is more popular. And don't do any pork. But she is really easy. She likes it all. So, I like clients like her. But she is awesome.
Matt: Yeah, no pork in our house. It`s sad for a guy from Iowa not to have pork.
Cassie: Do you ever steal it from?
Matt: Oh yes. It's funny because we both do our thing and we have really like we eat together all the time so it's like it's fun to like try each other stuff. So we do all that and we both obviously we both have busy schedules and like you said social schedule that so you can't. Like it's hard to do a meal prep and like know that you're gonna be wasting food at the end of the week. Because we go out to eat, we have to go with clients, you have to do lunches with, with clients and with other things so it's hard. So it's nice to be able to like have a little bit of this a little bit of that always be able to grab a lunch if we need to grab a lunch it's whether it's mine or hers we always have food to grab which is really nice.
Cassie: So, you deliver it to people`s houses?
Taylor: Yes, that`s a good question. We deliver on Sundays between 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. You find you know kind of the gambit of customers are at home at that time of the week and time of the day. And it's just left on your doorstep and we send you a quick little text. Hey, your food’s here and keep it moving.
Matt: I think one of the cool things that I bet I've noticed as opposed to like normal meal prep I do all the time is that everything in your meal is individually packaged. I think that's one of the things that Vanessa like really likes. Like I I'm a very easy eater so like I can grab my container and have everything already mixed together and just eat it really quick in my car or whatever. But I think she likes that you know that your rice is separated from your protein, and that's separated from your vegetables. So, you're gonna mix it on what you want on how much you want and all that.
I think that's a big a big difference from as I've seen a lot of meal preps and you know like everybody's come through the door and like that is the major thing that I see the difference between you guys.
Taylor: That's actually really big for me as an advocate for the quality of the food really when you have it all together it doesn't last as long as the flavors get muddled. If you think about you know your protein is maybe sitting on a starch or sitting on a vegetable and that item is now leeching whatever flavor or moisture is in that protein just right out of it. And you're not getting the quality of what the item was when it went into the container. So, we separate everything, everything keeps its integrity for the week. We vacuum seal our proteins which locks in that moisture and that flavor and it just keeps it you know just tasting fresh a lot longer and it also gives you the opportunity to not waste your food. You can throw it into the freezer save it, for another day if something comes up. And you're not you know throwing money down the drain. You know but yeah keeping everything separate it's for me I think gonna stay around for a long time.
Cassie: I thought for sure you were gonna say that you're that kind of girl that never ever wants your carrots touching your fish.
Taylor: Oh no [Laughter] Okay but if there are people out there that think that way, but it`s perfect for them as well.
Cassie: Well another sales tool.
Taylor: Right! Exactly. And also gives you an opportunity to like, obviously I pin the menus and I put certain things together that I think go together. But if on a different day like you feel like this item from this meal would go better or in your head, it goes better with this meal, you know this item from this meal gives you an opportunity to kind of like mix and match and create sort of your own creation. You know which it's I think is fun for people as well.
Cassie: I love it so Taylor from Taylor Made cuisine @littlecheftay on Instagram she's going to be at Grit Cycle Costa Mesa on Saturday, October 6 in the morning doing a tasting and sampling after all of the classes in the morning. She also has a totally rad deal which I think I'm going to take advantage of tonight, okay so she has 15% off for all Grit Cycle clients and people listening to the podcast and so your website is taylormadecuisineinc.com?
Taylor: It`s dot com yes.
Cassie: So, you go on there, you can enter the promo code grit15 so grit 1-5 and get 15% off your first meal delivery.
Matt: Oh yeah one last question. What do you have? So we talked about the keto thing earlier so what are the different options everybody knows before they have to go on and search for it.
Taylor: So, you can go just classic and put in like your allergies and restrictions and I can build the kind of like,
Cassie: How long of a list do you have? Get ready
Taylor: I have clients who have had you know like 20 or 30 you know things they can't eat because of like medications they're taking or whatever, so don't feel shy in that area. But you know in addition to just having like a basic we have some have Keto, Paleo, vegan, Low FODMAP for people that have gastrointestinal issues. We also do like low inflammatory like thyroid type meals, and honestly if you have something that you want us to take a look at we're accepting applications for new meals.
Taylor: I have heard of it. I clients who have it. So, give us a call.
Cassie: Matt and I have thyroiditis. Thyroiditis's a thing.
Taylor: A lot of people have it or starting to you know become aware.
Cassie: It is it's really really really prevalent and it's something that most general practitioner, physicians have kind of looked the other way. We can have a whole conversation.
Taylor: Invite me back.
Cassie: Matt is going to ask the final question.
Matt: Yes, the Billboard, if you had a billboard on Newport Boulevard what would it say?
Taylor: Not your average meal prep.
Matt: All right
Cassie: I like it. You want to follow @littlecheftay on Instagram. Come to see her on October 6, at Grit Cycle cycle Costa Mesa. Use the promo code grit15 or grit 15 for 15 percent off your first delivery.
Taylor: At www.taylormadecuisineinc.com. Come to check us out.
Cassie: I love it.
Matt; Yes
Cassie: Thanks for being on my podcast.
Taylor: Thank for having me. Bye.
Cassie: Bye.
There you have it! So, what did you think?? Let me know in the comments below!
- M
