Today we’d like to introduce you to Catherine Smart.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Waiting tables in college confirmed two things for me: 1. That I wanted to make a living in the food world. 2. That I did not want to work in restaurants full-time.
11 years later I work as a freelance writer, culinary instructor, and cast member on Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street TV which airs on Public Television, and contributor to Milk Street Radio, which airs on NPR and is available as a podcast. In the Boston market, you’ll find my writing in the Boston Globe’s food section and on The Food Lens, a curated site for finding the best eats in the city.
I also still cook for a couple of personal chef clients that have been with me for many years. My first baby was The Pocket Garden, a personal chef business I started when I was 21 while I was completing the Master in Liberal Arts Gastronomy Program at Boston University, and waiting tables at Legal Seafood’s. After graduating from BU’s Culinary Arts Certificate Program, I launched my business, and worked the prepared foods counter at Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge. Personal cheffing has been a great way to keep my kitchen skills sharp, and have a reliable source of income through the ups and downs of a freelance media career.
My first fantasies of becoming a professional home cook ( I’ve never considered myself a chef, since I don’t run any kitchen but my own) started when I would rush home from school to watch Sara Moulton, Rachel Ray, and Ina Garten everyday. I always dreamed about following that kind of path, but I was too scared to say it out loud until I was about 22 and started auditioning for every food tv opportunity I could find.
I spent money I didn’t have making cringeworthy cooking demo videos that I sent to every celebrity chef agent with an email that I could dig up. I auditioned for Food Network Star and The Taste every season, and would always make it to the “alternate” position, but was never cast on a show. Finally, the former food editor at the Boston Globe, Sheryl Julian — who has been an incredible mentor to me — sent Globe videographers Taylor Lench and Alex Lancial to my house so we could make online videos to accompany the recipes I had been writing for the paper. The column was called Smart Cooks. We worked our butts off and had so much fun. I would write and test the recipes, do all the shopping and prep, do my own makeup, and we would shoot them straight through. Sometimes, I’d have to run to the grocery store between recipes if we made a mistake. Not too long after we started, I became pregnant with my son Jack, so I was throwing up in the bathroom in the beginning, and then cooking with this big belly. It was a learning a experience I’ll always be grateful for! Sheryl and the Globe were really the ultimate training ground. She is as tough and they come and gave me every opportunity: recipe development, food styling, restaurant reviewing, feature writing, etc. I still contribute to the Wednesday food section, and for many years it was the backbone of my writing career.
After a brief stint launching the Craving Boston food blog for WGBH, I heard that Christopher Kimball and his wife Melissa Baldino were starting a new media company and casting for the TV show. Chris’ concept of learning new flavor combinations and techniques from around the world, and then translating them for the American home cook, really resonated with me, so I took some of those Smart Cooks videos — for Korean rice bowls, and preserved lemon pan-roasted chicken — and sent them over to Milk Street. That was enough to get me a meeting with the team, and ultimately a screen-test with Chris that got me cast on the show. It did take ten years for me to make it on food tv but it was worth the wait to be on a show I am so proud of, working with such a talented, fun, and professional group of producers, cooks, cast, and crew.
Has it been a smooth road?
Hah. I don’t think it’s smooth for anyone. There have been (and continue to be) so many two-steps-forward-one-step-back moments. From clients moving on and columns being canceled, to my own goals changing as I gain more experience and balance my ambition with a desire to spend time with my husband and two-year old son.
As for advice, I always think it’s a good idea to have a side-hustle or a second job that can pay the bills while you work towards your dream jobs, for me that has been The Pocket Garden personal chef business. If you wait until you have the perfect job, with the perfect salary, you’ll never get there.
Also, don’t wait for someone to hire you to do the work that lights you up. Put pen to paper. Take the photos. Make the video. Put it into the world and shout about it.
Find a mentor. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty. Do your best work, and advocate for yourself.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Food Writer & Professional Home Cook – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
With the media landscape constantly changing, I’m proud to have a varied skill set: I can develop the recipe, interview the chef, write and fact-check the copy, style the food, talk to the camera, and teach the class. I certainly don’t do it all perfectly, but I put in the work and I’m proud to be a well-rounded voice in the food world.
The past couple of years I’ve also had the opportunity to do some consulting and public speaking on a range of topics related to food, family, freelancing, and women in business. I relish the opportunity to collaborate with organizations to help home cooks, creatives, and entrepreneurs.
The companies and clients that I work with know that I bring expertise, industry knowledge and connections, and a can-do attitude to the table. I love my work, and whether I’m shooting TV, giving a talk, or unloading the dishwasher, I bring a positive attitude and give 110%.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve benefited from using?
I’m a little bit of a podcast junkie since I spend so much time in the kitchen. For business podcasts, I love How I Built This, No Limits with Rebecca Jarvis, Girlboss Radio and Katie Couric.
I love Milk Street Radio (though I’m admittedly biased), Cherry Bombe to hear interviews with women in food, The Longest Shortest Time for parenting, For When You from my friend Jess who is a fellow self-help enthusiast, The Daily for a briefing on the commute, and I listen to Literaticast, because I have a handful of children’s picture book manuscripts I’m trying to get published, and I’ve spent the past year learning all I can about the Kidlit world!
I might be the only person in my generation, but I get physical papers delivered – The Boston Globe and Wall Street Journal daily, and the Sunday Times. I don’t get through everything, but I skim at breakfast and curl up on the weekends.
Truthfully I probably wouldn’t read fiction if it weren’t for my awesome book club that provides camaraderie, wine, so many laughs, and great books like Little Fires Everywhere, and The Secret History, which I’m reading now.
One of my best resources is my mom, a trailblazing business owner who started a consulting firm in a male-dominated field back in the 80’s. She’s an endless source of support and wisdom in all things working woman. She’s also the best grandmother a boy (or his busy mom) could ask for.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.catherinesmart.com
- Email: info@catherinsmart.com
- Instagram: cjsmart
- Twitter: catherinesmart
Image Credit:
Meghan Ireland
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