Today we’d like to introduce you to Elena Marre.
Elena, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
The inspiration for The Kids’ Table came from my experience in raising my two boys, Jake and Aleks. I had always enjoyed cooking, but not necessarily with nutrition in mind. It wasn’t until I was pregnant that I started focusing on healthful eating. And when the baby food stage came along, I opted to make my own. Things were going swimmingly on the food front until my younger son hit the picky eating stage like a brick wall. I countered with pretty much every trick in the book – coaxing, cajoling, bribing and threatening. It wasn’t pretty, and other than a few short-term victories, it didn’t work.
A different approach to my kids and food came from our preschool experience. Both Jake and Aleks went to Montessori programs, where the curriculum emphasis is largely in the practical life realm, including cooking. I saw how much more likely they were to eat food if they had a hand in preparing it. This realization hit me in early 2005. I had been practicing transactional tax law at a big firm in downtown Chicago – and my heart just wasn’t in it. While many of my co-workers read tax journals in their spare time, I read cooking magazines. I was becoming more and more dedicated to the idea of getting my kids to eat healthier. And in the course of that, wanting to share what I was learning with other families. So, I decided to merge my personal passion and my professional life.
Our adventure officially began when The Kids’ Table opened the doors of its Wicker Park storefront in February 2007. As the only dedicated kids cooking facility in Chicago for many years, we were lucky to get good press coverage. We started developing a loyal customer base and learning through lots of trial and error what works and what doesn’t. By 2013, we could safely say that we were out of the woods and had “made it.” And by that, I mean we had survived. We got thru the startup phase and were not in any foreseeable danger of crashing and burning.
Time to do it again then, right? I started thinking about a second location in 2013 or 2014. I knew I didn’t have the ability or desire to add another location on my own. I also knew that I didn’t want to partner with just anyone. There was one person that kept coming to mind. Anastasia had joined our team in May 2007, just months after we opened, and shown tremendous dedication, skill and grit over the years as an instructor, and later, manager. Happily she was up for the challenge of becoming a partner in my Kids’ Table adventure. Now I have someone else who lives, sleeps, eats and breathes it with me!
We opened our second location in Lakeview in May of 2015. It all happened very fast, which was both a blessing and a curse. Now that it’s been two years and we’ve mostly recovered, there may be a third store on the horizon…
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Starting and growing a business is remarkably similar to birthing and raising a child. You laugh, you cry. You dig deep. You dig deeper. You wonder whether you’re doing it right. It’s challenging, fun, heart-wrenching, rewarding, and exhausting. And you wouldn’t trade any of it for anything in the world. I honestly couldn’t imagine doing more rewarding or enjoyable work. If I had known how hard it would be, I might have been too scared to do it. So I’m grateful that life knew to give me little manageable bites at a time.
As far as specific struggles? I would say the financial stress for the first 3-5 years was the most challenging. The money went the wrong way for a long time. There were times when I had less than $1000 between my personal and business bank accounts, and worried about being able to make rent, payroll, etc. The turning point was probably around year 5 or 6, and we’ve been on the financial up-and-up ever since. We probably could have gotten to a stable place faster, but I’m not a business person. I’m the creative type. My corporate legal background was definitely helpful in some ways, but I had no idea how to start and grow a business. My learning curve was low and long. I embrace the journey, mistakes and all. Without each part of that journey I wouldn’t be where or who I am today.
The Kids’ Table – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
The Kids’ Table offers hands-on cooking classes and events for kids and families. We do classes, parties, camps and afterschool programs, teaching folks of all ages’ new recipes and culinary skills. But perhaps most importantly, we are showing people how to connect to their food – that cooking is fun, and “real food” can be really good!
We start working with kids at 2 years old. And yes, tots really can cook! At least with the help and support of their “adult assistant.” We are actually launching a new series of classes this spring for the 18-24 month set – Babies Can Cook. At age 4, kids start to work independently. By age 11, we start incorporating advanced skills and techniques, including knife skills. As much as we love our age-based programming, one of my favorite things that we do are Family Dinners where adults and kids of all ages get to cook and enjoy a meal together.
Birthday parties and summer camps are probably our biggest draws. We’re gearing up right now for our 11th summer camp. 12 weeks. 8 themes. 120 recipes. It’s sure to be a delicious whirlwind!
The fastest growing part of our business in recent years has probably been our after school and community programs. We had an average of 20 weekly offsite after school programs this school year, plus lots of classes for organizations like Big Brother Big Sister. We’re happy to be able to offer discounted rates to make these programs more accessible. Because everyone deserves a healthy food education! We look forward to forging more school and community partnerships in the coming years.
As far as our proudest moment goes? Watching kids take ownership over their food during class. Hearing a child complain about not liking an ingredient (like red peppers, dark leafy greens or onion) at the beginning of class, and watching that child devour their creation in the end. We’re lucky that we get to feel that pride almost every day!
What sets us apart from the competition is our ability to connect kids with real food, and expand their minds and palates. There are more and more cooking schools for kids popping up. Many of them don’t appear to be focused on inspiring and empowering kids to cook, eat and love good food. By good food, we mean whole, plant-based foods – all natural and minimally-processed. Of course we make our share of pizza, cookies and cake. We just do it with a Kids’ Table healthy spin.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I am proud and grateful that I was able to leave my first career as an attorney and jump into the unknown. I was objectively “successful.” Somehow it wasn’t enough. I listened to that little voice – the little voice that’s more in your gut than your head. Because leaving my trained profession to start The Kids’ Table was based on passion, not logic or reasoning. I took a huge chance. Was it scary? From one point of view, yes. But I have to admit that I found the idea of staying on the treadmill more terrifying than the idea of stepping off it!
Pricing:
- Classes start at $25/person (with discounted rates available for schools & community organizations)
- Birthday parties start at $375.
- Summer camps start at $175/week.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2337 W. North Ave, Chicago, IL 60647 (Wicker Park location)
2864 N. Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60657 (Lakeview location) - Website: www.kids-table.com
- Phone: 773.235.2665
- Email: info@kids-table.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kidstable/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thekidstablechicago/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/kidstable
- Yelp: Wicker Park: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-kids-table-chicago Lakeview: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-kids-table-chicago-2
- Other: http://thekidstablechicago.blogspot.com/
Image Credit:
Dad & girl with salad – credit Eva Ho
Girl pulling asparagus – credit Andreas Larsson
Elena & sons – no credit required
Kids @ picnic table – no credit required
Girl with chocolate finger – credit Lynn Sorrentino
KT on Windy City Live – no credit required
Elena & Anastasia – credit Melissa Salvatore at A Little Photo Studio
KT Sign – credit Marko Vulovic
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