My second child was born just 13 months after my first. I was living overseas, away from my family and friends and I was struggling with the challenges of dealing with two children under two. I was lonely.
Then one day someone I hardly knew turned up to my door with a meal and some baked goods – I was blown away and ended up in tears. Admittedly, I was very emotional and sleep deprived, but this small gesture made a huge impact on me and planted the seed for my business.
The impact it had on me stayed with me for a long time and made me acknowledge the uplifting nature of food which was the inspiration behind Happetite Food.
The second experience that inched me closer to taking the plunge and starting a business was when one of my close friends was visiting her husband in critical care in hospital. While he was fighting for his life, they also had two young children that were dependent on her; she was constantly chasing her tail to be there for her family. She was physically and emotionally exhausted but given she was in another city, I felt useless.
It was a frustrating moment for me as I really wanted to help out and assisting with providing meals made sense. Unfortunately, no service was available at that time and this really played on my mind.
The third and ultimately deciding moment was when my grandfather passed away. I was blown away by the kindness and generosity displayed by people whom had sent my family flowers, however my grandmother’s fridge was bare – this was unheard of for a European family that loves their food.
So while my grandmother continued to receive beautiful wreaths, bouquets and bunches of flowers, her basic need for food and nourishment was left unmet. So while she did not have the time or energy to complete the simple task of supermarket shopping or preparing a meals, I knew a nourishing meal was the one thing my grandmother needed.
This was the moment I knew I had to transform Happetite Food from a dream into reality.
With an idea, but knowing very little about starting up a food business I went to the people I trusted most, my family, for help.
My grandmother is the food expert; I went to her to replicate her recipes to share in my packages. She was part of the initial food trial process and even at 94 years of age, she remains an integral member of my quality control process (also a handy excuse to know that she has a few meals in her fridge).
Other members of the family have assisted with the creation of Happetite, my brother in law with the design and branding, my sister does the photography, my husband is my sounding board and helps to keep some sanity in the household.
My three young boys aged 7, 6 and 2 are also part of the reason the business exists and the reason I strive to make it succeed. I want to show them that to follow their dreams and to work hard to achieve them.
It has definitely been a steep learning curve but knowing that my service is supporting people whom are experiencing challenging times makes it all worthwhile – in fact, some days the messages of support brings me to tears.
The combination of the positive feedback and the knowledge that Happetite is helping others, helps me through the tough days. I am proud to demonstrate to our children what can be achieved and also proud that our family, working together, can help other Australian families during difficult times.
In times of celebration or sadness, sending flowers sometimes just doesn’t seem enough. Drawing on ‘old-school’ traditions of gifting food to neighbours, Happetite Food acknowledges the positive impact that homemade food can have on the soul. It is the feel-good alternative to flowers.
Whether it is the culinary gift that celebrates a new baby or the heart-warming gesture that says “I’m thinking of you”, Happetite Food believes nothing lifts the spirits & warms the heart more than the aromas & flavours of a home cooked meal.
While my vision is to continue to grow Happetite so that your loved ones have the opportunity to be relieved from the cooking duties, during those hectic times of celebration or sadness, ultimately I am driven to by a belief that communities truly want to supports each other – they are just time poor and need some assistance.
We delivers packages throughout Sydney, NSW, ACT and VIC and, soon, in Queensland too.