Today we’d like to introduce you to Cecelia Hamilton.
Cecelia, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My earliest food memories are from my childhood when I would cook alongside my mom. I learned from her that your heart and soul were two important ingredients in preparing a delicious meal. As a child, I would help my mom make our holiday meals by chopping vegetables and tasting the cornbread dressing to make sure the seasonings were just right. To this day, Thanksgiving dinner is still my favorite meal and when I cook cornbread dressing, I can recall those flavors and happy memories around the table from my childhood.
After years of working as a human resource leader in Corporate America, I decided to transition my career to the food and beverage industry. I attended culinary school during the weekends and evenings and registered my company, Heartfelt Catering, while still working my full-time job. Culinary school equipped me with the foundation for cooking, but my mom taught me the “soul” of cooking and entertaining.
In building my company, it was important to me that I created something that aligned with the things that I felt passionate about. Heartfelt Catering is a true labor of love that began with the lessons that I learned from my mother and from my personal connection with type 2 diabetes through family members. I was inspired to create healthier, flavorful dishes that are made from scratch, low in fat, sodium, and sugar.
At Heartfelt Catering, our motto is: “Fresh. Simple. Soulful.” Our menu includes an array of cuisines, but it has been extremely important for me to also integrate on our menu healthy variations of the Southern food that I grew up on. We use many staple Southern ingredients such as sweet potatoes, greens, collards, black-eyed peas, beans, but with a healthier twist. These base ingredients are very good for you but the way they were prepared in traditional southern cooking made them unhealthier. I understand the long-term effects that a diet high in sodium and fat can have on an individual, so making our dishes healthier and from scratch with fresh ingredients is an important part of what we do.
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 my catering company was a career change, so I anticipated a learning curve. This journey has been filled with ups and downs, twists and turns and many pleasant surprises. I won’t say that I’ve always navigated them with grace, but fortunately, I’ve had a great support network to tap into for guidance. Looking back, the things that appeared to challenge turned out to be great learning opportunities that have led to business growth opportunities. A few of the major lessons that I’ve learned to navigate include how to price appropriately, how to handle multiple clients events on the same day or days, and how to manage a start-up business while dealing with a personal loss. I’m grateful for all of the experiences, although I can’t say that I always felt that way while in the throes of it!
Please tell us about Heartfelt Catering.
Heartfelt Catering is a full-service catering company, servicing Chicago and surrounding suburbs. We specialize in creating made-from-scratch dishes with fresh herbs, spices and other ingredients that enhance the natural flavor of food while reducing fat, sodium, and sugar for a truly memorable food experience.
Personally, my body has changed over the years and I can’t eat some of the things I used to. Because I watch my sugar and gluten intake, I’m always trying to create something that I would like to eat and share with clients. As the operator of a catering company, we’re often faced with a number of food intolerances and dietary restrictions, so it’s not difficult for us to create something for those clients or guests. We pride ourselves on offering vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options so that everyone can enjoy a delicious Heartfelt meal. We make sure that there is something for everyone to eat.
Our catering services range from drop-offs to on-site event management. We can accommodate small and large-scale events. The Heartfelt Catering experience is uniquely different in that we pride ourselves on outstanding service whether in a client’s home, office or event venue. We believe in treating clients and their guests as a special part of our family.
We believe in giving back to the community and I work closely with local organizations such as the Healthy Schools Campaign and Purple Asparagus, both of which align with some of Heartfelt Catering’s core values. These organizations’ mission is to educate school-aged children, families and the community about eating foods that are good for the body.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
There are a few, but if I were to narrow it down it would be the holiday gatherings. During the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, it was sitting around the table laughing and enjoying ourselves after we had stuffed our bellies with great food! The summer holidays, starting with Memorial Day, we always made homemade ice cream. My brothers and I would be in our backyard taking turns cranking the ice cream maker. This was the old-fashioned one that had the canister in a wood container with salt on top to keep it chilled, and the cranking got harder as the ice cream was getting set.
Contact Info:
- Website: HeartfeltCateringChicago.com
- Phone: 312-489-3876
- Email: Info@HeartfeltCateringChicago.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/heartfeltcatering
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeartfeltCateringChicago
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeartfeltCater
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