Fresh From The Kitchen Feature – Meet Noelle Townsley
Article Originally Posted On Canvas Rebel
We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Noelle Townsley. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Noelle below.
Noelle, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
Mission Statement: Fresh from the Kitchen creates an experience that comes with exquisite service, exceptional food, amazing quality, and foods free of hormones, pesticides, and additives. We are committed to have every event be exceptionally beautiful, stress free, and memorable. We keep current with trends combined with modern presentation techniques to create seamless parties. Fresh from the Kitchen stands apart in experience, celebrity client list, and countless industry awards and recognition.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
From the time I was 8 years old I wanted to be a chef. My whole world revolved around baking, cooking, cooking shows, trips to Williams Sonoma, watching Julia Child Saturday mornings on PBS. Yes, I was the only teenage girl that had a subscription to Marth Stewart Weddings. I was obsessed! Anything event, I wanted to be involved in. My first job at age 16, that wasn’t an entrepreneurial pursuit, was a server at a banquet hall. When it comes to this industry, food & beverage, hospitality, I have done it all. Washed hundreds of dishes, loaded and unloaded events by myself, planned, cooked, made food labels, lists (oh the endless lists) for each event on what is needed, what should be gathered, what should be purchased. I have literally lived and breathed this industry!
It was a business that was going to be opened with my mother, who was an excellent chef, loved to entertain, and wanted to be part of my business. By age 12, the name Fresh from the Kitchen was thought up by me, and my mom helped me get the name registered with the State so it would be mine to keep. After high school graduation in 2003, I got started at Phoenix College in the fall to pursue my culinary and food service degrees. Abruptly in the fall of 2004, my mother passed away. I was only 19. I had a younger brother, age 14, and was only working one day a week as I went to school full time. Over night my world changed, but my dreams never did.
I finished school, raised my brother, worked multiple jobs, and by age 23 Fresh from the Kitchen was official as a catering company in October 2008.
I started with a business partner the first 6 years in business, but by 2015, it was time to move on solo and continue my dream and passion. The last 6 years the company has had a custom built dining room and commercial kitchen built from the ground up; catered for celebrities like Will Smith; survived 2020; catered countless weddings, anniversaries, graduations, holiday parties, business lunches, rehearsal dinners, grand openings, awards ceremonies; memorial services; and proms to name a few. As an all occasion caterer, Fresh from the Kitchen has had the privilege to be part of life’s special moments with good food, good service, and exceptional quality. We can coordinate your rentals, bar service, custom cocktails, dessert bars and special occasion cakes, décor needs, and the like. A one stop shop for all things event!
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
As unbelievable as it may seem, Fresh from the Kitchen was started with 1,000.00 Literally enough to sub-lease a kitchen, get commercial insurance, and a business license. I already owned some catering supplies, and the first two years, all money made, went back into the business to build up the catering items needed, increase advertising, marketing materials and the like.
A commercial loan was not taken until 2016 when sole owner by that time, Noelle, built a custom dining room space and full commercial kitchen of her own.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I won’t sacrifice integrity. The company only takes on the amount of events it can successfully handle. We like being a small business that does big things!!
We may be small, but we are mighty. What comes with working with a smaller company you may wonder? More personal attention. Getting to sit with the owner, and perhaps have a glass of wine as you go about creating a menu you love. Sharing experiences of travel and family, just because we have the time to care and listen to you. Being a person, and not just another number or catering quota. Not to mention the cost savings you get to experience. A smaller company can give you more value for cost. Not because we have cheaper pricing, but because we have a little less overhead, and we can thus extend that into our pricing. A smaller team means you can expect consistency. You will get the same familiar friendly face smiling and happy to set up your event. You will get small batch delicious cooking that resembles a favorite dish you enjoy, instead of a massed produced institutionalized quality and flavor of food. When you work with the small business that wants to be a small business, you are working with a person that sees people, not numbers. We cook with our heart at Fresh from the Kitchen, because it is everything we have, and our integrity demands you experience all we can give.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.freshfromthekitchenllc.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/fftk_catering
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/FFTKcatering
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/3173653/admin/
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/noellecooks
- Other: www.pinterest.com/phoenixcaterers
Image Credits
Photo Credits: Laura Segall Photography Shelly Love Photography Harrison Hurwitz Photography