We had the good fortune of connecting with Taylor DeCosta and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Taylor, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
To tell you the truth, starting a business was not my initial thought process! I began as a private chef with multiple clients, and started my business on paper as a way to organize my income. As my client list grew, I needed help to meet the demand. And that’s how Taylor Made Cuisine started! It was really organic and based on word-of-mouth.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Taylor Made Cuisine is a catering and meal delivery service. We provide catering for both public and private events, specializing in beautiful displays and thoughtfully executed menus. Our meal delivery service provides healthy cooked meals that are tailored to our clients dietary restrictions and preferences. We were voted small business of the year in 2023 and best meal delivery service in Irvine in 2022.

Growing from 1 employee to to over 40 was not easy. We encountered many bumps along the way including: equipment issues, staffing issues, financial issues, and lack of space to name a few. We have overcome so much in the past seven years by maintaining the spirit of teamwork, being flexible, and never giving up.

From a culture standpoint, it is very important to us that our team feel valued and appreciated at all times. As a woman-led business, Taylor Made Cuisine champions equality and respect to all who come through our doors. Having worked in an industry where I encountered a lot of disrespect, I knew I wanted our workplace to be different than the others. Food and people are so closely intertwined. You can’t have good food without good people! And you can’t have good people without giving them reason to feel like they are learning and growing. We provide more than a paycheck, we offer our team, a sense of belonging and collaboration that you won’t find anywhere else.

As I previously mentioned, Taylor Made Cuisine just happened in a way. I didn’t know I wanted to be an entrepreneur until I was waist-deep in it. We aren’t navigating with a blueprint or investors. Taylor Made Cuisine is growing and thriving because of all the hard work and dedication that has been put into it! We don’t farm out our events to temp workers or send out product that we aren’t proud of. Everything that we do is managed in house by our highly skilled team. We learn and grow with every event that we do.

Our meal delivery service has also come a long way. We started with handwritten delivery sheets, Avery paper labels and menus rife with human error. Today, we use software to write our menus and map our delivery routes, have a professional labeling machine, use state of the art equipment, and package in a walk-in cooler that keeps our customers food cold until it reaches their doorstep. We keep investing in our process to continually improve our offering.

The food business is not easy, and I probably wouldn’t do it if I didn’t love it so much. Providing delicious high-quality food, no matter what the occasion, is my life’s passion. Good food will never be out of style and there will always be a need for it!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am a big Disney fan, so Disneyland is a must! If they are visiting in the summer, we have to go down to the Sawdust Festival in Laguna Beach for live music and beautiful artwork by local artisans. Some places we have to eat at are: Positano Park Place in Irvine, Javier’s in Newport Coast, and Ohshima Japanese Cuisine in Orange.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I dedicate this shout out to my husband, Mike. Without his support and hard work, Taylor Made Cuisine would not be possible!

Website: www.taylormadecuisine.com

Instagram: @_taylormadecatering

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/taylor-decosta

Facebook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100068642834147

Yelp: https://yelp.to/Re6q1zTfUy

Image Credits
Rich Lander Michelle Pagaran Headley Jessica Lynn Photography Alison Bernier

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