Today we’d like to introduce you to Laurel Holmes.
Laurel, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I opened Taste Buds Kitchen in 2015 to pursue my passion for cooking and all things food related! I spent most of my professional career in sales, and near the end of that career was traveling quite a bit which took me away from my two boys more than I liked.
Nearing my 50th birthday really caused me to pause and evaluate if the path that I was on was the one I wanted to continue to follow. Once I decided it was not, I knew it was time to start my own business. Taste Buds Kitchen is literally my dream job – I get to share my love of cooking, watch our customers connect while working together to create great food, and build a fabulous team that manages the business behind the scenes. The best part is that I get to tuck my kids in every night, and nothing can replace that!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Like all business, our road has not been a straight path for sure! Securing financing to get the business off the ground was the first struggle, but luckily we found a great banker who believed in us and made the financing happen. After that things really started to fall in place – we were lucky to find a great location in an old Mill building, and I actually met my Executive Chef at a neighborhood birthday party – and we opened out North Andover location on time with no construction delays!
I always had the thought of a second location in the back of my brain, and when we had an opportunity to open our second location in Beverly we jumped at the chance. It’s definitely a different dynamic running two locations, but we added staff and so far it’s proven to be a great move!
Please tell us about Taste Buds Kitchen.
At Taste Buds Kitchen, our mission is to be the top culinary entertainment experience for kids, families and adults by engaging and delighting our budding chefs in the kitchen. We strive to create a lifestyle around connecting, learning and growing in the culinary playground of the kitchen. Our events include a variety of classes, parties, workshops, camps and special events that combine a mix of hands-on engaging recipes, both savory and sweet. We like to say our client are ages 2-99 because we want everyone to love to cook and create!
I’m most proud of the team we’ve built, the client relationships we’ve grown and the recognition we’ve received. Our team comes from all walks of life – classically training chef, nutritionist, nursery school teacher, etc – but everyone on the has a passion for creating the best event possible for every single person that walks into one of our kitchens. I think our team is what really sets us apart – our staff is our secret sauce!
Our clients keep coming back! We have many clients that been with us since we opened – we’ve watched their kids grow up, celebrated milestone life events, even had some of them go from client to employee! – and we couldn’t be happier to share their lives and love of all things Tatse Buds Kitchen!
Lately, we’ve received so much positive recognition! We’ve been named “Best Indoor Activity” by Merrimack Valley Magazine, “Best Cooking School” by Northshore Magazine and last year we were named “Best Cooking School in Massachusetts” by Best Things Massachusetts!
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start over I would have opened sooner! Of course, hindsight is 20/20, and the experiences I’ve had up until now have allowed me to gain the experience (and patience!) I need to manage my growing business!
Pricing:
- Adult BYOB classes are $60/person
- Summer Camp is $70/day or $325/week
- Family Workshops range is price from $30-$45
Contact Info:
- Address: 14 High Street, North Andover, MA 01845
131 Rantoul Street, Beverly MA 01915 - Website: www.tastebudskitchen.com
- Phone: 978-655-1790
- Email: northandover@tastebudskitchen.com, beverly@tastebudskitchen.com
- Facebook: TBKNorthAndover, TBKBeverly
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