fbpx

Jen A. Miller Consulting

Tag: entrepreneur

  • The Culinarian | An Interview with Marleen Bernstein, Chef & Owner of Savour This Kitchen

    The Culinarian | An Interview with Marleen Bernstein, Chef & Owner of Savour This Kitchen

    A few weeks ago I was introduced to the marvelous Marlene Bernstein. She is the chef and owner behind Savour this Kitchen, an umbrella brand for the catering company / line of original sauces and spice blends she runs with her brother Michael. As someone who keeps her fridge fully stocked with sauces, spices, and condiments of all varieties at all times, I was immediately all over Ms. Bernstein’s blends. Needless to say, I was stoked when she agreed to sit down for an interview with Toast Meets Jam.

    When asked where she’d like us to do the interview, she easily came up with The Springs LA, a newish downtown hotspot that boasts itself as an “urban oasis of wellness”. To put it simply this place is absolute amaze-balls. Part organic juice bar, part yoga center, part local for morning rave parties, The Springs has everything this girl could possibly want in life all rolled into one.

    Over our interview, Marlene guided me through the journey that brought about Savour this Kitchen and it’s evolution over the past few years. She also shed light on the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, her advice for aspiring foodies, and what she does to keep the STK train driving forward. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Toast Meets Jam interview if we didn’t have some fun along the way so you’ll also get to find out what makes Marlene, Marlene, from her favorite Halloween costume to her hidden talent.

    More About Marlene

    savour-this-kitchenMarlene is the chef behind Savour this Kithcen. She is trained in classical French cuisine but her cooking is inspired greatly by er Mediterranean roots. When she’s not making her rounds at the LA farmers’ markets or hosting a fantastic fete, you can find her catching a dance class, exploring downtown, or writing recipes for popular blogs like LaurenConrad.com.

    What is Savour this Kitchen?

    Launched in the summer of 2011, Savour This Kitchen began as Savour This Moment, a California fresh catering company dedicated to using wholesome flavors and natural ingredients. After receiving rave reviews for the unique sauces in their dishes, brother and sister entrepreneurial super team, Michael + Marlene, decided to sell these sauces as stand alone products.

    Savour This Sauce came to fruition at the beginning of 2013 and featured their three signature sauces: Red Pepper Romesco, Thai Chile Cilantro, and Pistachio Mint Pesto. With humble beginnings at the La Canada Farmer’s Market in Los Angeles, people flocked to the new vegan, gluten free brand.

    Thanks to love and support from the community, coupled with early success at the Farmer’s Market, Savour This Sauce found a smooth transition into retail outlets. Nearly a year and a half into the sauce line, the budding company decided to expand beyond sauces and develop a line of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern inspired spice blends: Gypsy, Merchant, Nomad and Seafarer. In order to establish a marketplace for these unique seasonings (and more that are being developed) that make cooking more approachable, fun and delicious, Michael & Marlene created the umbrella brand Savour This Kitchen for their various product lines. (cite: Savour this Kitchen)

    Check out Savour this Kitchen at:

    Web: www.savourthiskitchen.com

    Instagram: @savourthiskitchen

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/savourthiskitchen

    A Toast to you and Marlene too,

    Jen

     

     

  • An Interview with the Co-founders of Vrai & Oro

    An Interview with the Co-founders of Vrai & Oro

    Learning to Live Authentic with the founders of Vrai & Oro

    “Be true to the way you are and live in a way that makes you feel good. Live in the moment in a way that makes the next even better.”

    vrai & oro

    Vanessa Stofenmacher and Chelsea Nicholson, co-founders of Vrai & Oro

    One of the thing that most excites me about leading The Single Diaries is that it has been an incredible way to get to connect with other entrepreneurial young women. The more time we spend growing the site, the more women we come across with inspiring stories to tell. From starting their own yoga practices to traveling the world volunteering to building their own companies, we have been able to use the site to tell some pretty amazing stories from our Single Girls.  It is my hope that not only does our site help to spread the word about the work they are doing but also inspires you, our readers, to go after whatever it is that you are most passionate about. At the end of the day our mission is to help you be authentically you and to provide you with the advice to help you live the life you want to lead.

    The latest Single Girls I had the pleasure of sitting down with have built a company around that same vision. Vanessa and Chelsea are the leading ladies behind the just-launched jewelry site Vrai & Oro. Their brand promise is to bring you fine jewelry without the markups but their purpose goes much deeper.

    I sat down with these two to learn more about the lifestyle of authenticity they hope to inspire through their high-quality jewelry and to learn more about the journey that has led these two young women on a mission to disrupt the long-standing jewelry industry.

    (more…)

  • The PR Maven | An Interview with Vilte Co. Founder Vilte Holstad

    The PR Maven | An Interview with Vilte Co. Founder Vilte Holstad

    Paris, PR, & Paving Your Own Way with VilteCo. Founder Vilte S. Holstad

    In this episode of Toast Meets Jam I caught up with Vilte S. Holstad, the founder behind the PR creative VilteCo. Our brunch of choice was Sunny Spot, a favorite of ours here in Venice. As we dug into our delish dishes, she took me on her journey from moving to Paris to founding her own PR company.

    After graduating from college with a degree in design, Vilte began working in various PR roles both with small and large brands. Her desire to expand into other aspects of the industry drew her to Paris where she worked with a French designer and covered Paris Fashion Week.Upon Vilte’s return to the states, it didn’t take long for her to realize she was ready to step out on her own. It was then that the idea for VilteCo. first came to life.

     

    VilteCo. is a boutique PR creative with a focus on traditional outreach, social media management, and blogger placement. Though open to companies of all sizes, the creative is especially drawn to working with startups in the LA area.
    To learn more about Vilte and her PR creative make sure to check her out at www.vilteco.com.

    (more…)