While leading a career in the sciences and growing my family, I discovered that my second passion, my love language, is cooking for others.
My career has required me to travel quite a bit over the years, often leaving my family for a week or more at a time. Like other parents in my office, I wanted to leave my family with pre-made healthy meals so that my leaving wouldn’t create another task for my husband who was carrying the weight while I was gone. And let's be honest - I wasn't always sure he would go the homemade route! I knew that I could have prepared dishes waiting for my family when I left, but I also felt a desire to prepare dishes for others who might be in similar situations while they were out of town.
With my mother’s recipe for a childhood favorite of Zucchini Pie and a push from a dear friend (almost literally - we were on stand up paddle boards at the time and I can’t promise that one of us didn’t end up in the water!) I ventured into my passion.
Now, what to name this new adventure? I was at a loss and honestly I'm not terribly creative when it comes to things like this. Well with my 10 year-old around it was easier than I expected! We have bar stool seats in the kitchen, and any time I'm cooking I can usually anticipate one of those stools being dragged across the floor to keep me company or offer to taste. One day when my child was sitting in the kitchen with me I asked him casually what he thought I should name my business. Without hesitation he said it should reflect my love for cooking for others, and he came up with the name that would stick! I developed Pull Up a Chair as a secondary business in 2018.
I thought I was going to be a business solely dedicated to making zucchini pies. I had been developing my own version of my mother’s recipe for years, tweaking this or that to get just the flavor I was looking for. So I started out, with the vegetarian classic that my mother made a million times for the six of us, as well as one with bacon which I call “The Pig”. The first order came in with a special request to make a gluten free version. I love a challenge but was afraid to alter the fluffy texture of the recipe I worked so hard to create. With a lot of testing and research I developed a homemade version of gluten-free baking mix that worked so well! Off I went to explore my new zucchini pie business as I was still juggling my career and family life.
A few days later I was contacted by someone who had tasted the zucchini pie from my first order, and asked what else was on my menu. Gasp! I didn’t have plans to go beyond my initial offerings but the excitement that I had pleased someone with my food could not keep my mind from creating the next step of the business. So on the drive down to the beach the next day I sat in the passenger seat and developed a menu around prepared dishes that launched a fun new adventure as I started cooking for others.
I am very fortunate to have friends who have spread the word about my business. With every order I reaffirm my passion for cooking for others. Whether it is taking some of the pressure off a busy family during the week, making a dish for someone to gift to a new family, or helping friends stock their freezer for upcoming or unexpected company, I am thrilled to take my little business to the next level and introduce it to a broader audience. Raleigh, North Carolina - Pull Up a Chair - and let me cook for you!
