The universe works in our favor, when you ask for it.
Oddly enough I was just thinking about hiring someone that could not only help me meal plan for healthier and family oriented meals, but someone who could just meet with me to show me tips to make those meals actually taste good. I met her!
Meet Crystal Echavarria, of Culinary Confidante, a mother of two little ones, wife, a nutritionist, personal trainer, and certified chef of delicious foods. I had the pleasure of meeting Crystal at a Fit 4 Mom event in Elmhurst. Her passion for nutrition and fitness are modeled through her every day life. She meal plans, she exercises, she tends to little boo boo's on Ari's knees ~ she moms. Crystal also has a green thumb and grows an impressive amount of ingredients in their backyard. Teaching her little ones how to find that perfect cucumber and also how to patiently wait for those just ripe tomatoes.
So here's the scoop, Crystal comes to you! She will come out to your home and develop meals and cooking techniques just for you. No other program allows the cooking experience to be so personal. I love the idea of having a girls night in and having Crystal come over and not only teach us a few tricks up our sleeves on delicious meals, but literally showcase how to cook specific ingredients and how to utilize your own space and utensils to create the masterpiece.
Get to know Crystal and Culinary Confidante
Cooking techniques throughout the Chicagoland area including the city of Chicago
www.culinaryconfidante.com
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Who are "Your" people, your family, friends, those who inspire you and keep you going
"Things continue to come together day by day and I've never been happier."
Something about everyone inspires me for different reasons. My husband Jason is such a positive happy person. His smiles are contagious and his outlook on life has definitely influenced the way that I see things. My children keep me focused on the future. I want them to be able to look back and see that their mom created something out of nothing. I hope that seeing that will really make them believe that they can do whatever they set their minds to. As for others, I try to take the qualities that I most admire about people and apply them to myself. How can I add their influence in my life for the better? I try to find motivation in everything I do. I have always been an extremely driven person. I like to keep busy and I like to succeed. I never thought I would start my own business, but I was born to do it.
What was your inspiration to take the leap of faith or just go for it?
This business has been a long time coming for me. I started coaching people when I was in college.
(Before that it was just called bossing people around lol).
I did some personal training and I also did some culinary coaching, before that was really even a thing. I really started to think about forming an official business after having my daughter.
It was important to me to stay home with my kids while they were little. However, I quickly discovered how hard it was for me. I missed getting up early and having somewhere to be. I missed the adult interaction and having coworkers to joke with. I missed having a quiet lunch by myself. I missed the feeling of accomplishment when I completed a project and the praise that I received when it was well done. I knew I needed more. I needed something for myself.
I looked for jobs but wasn't really sure how I would balance staying home and working at the same time. When would I sleep? Also, I wasn't really finding jobs that were interesting to me. I had a unique background (apparently): nutrition, culinary and fitness. Those things together made perfect sense to me, but no one else appeared to need someone with that combination of qualifications. So, I decided to capitalize on that and create something that no one else was doing, because I knew there was a need for it.
I opted to wait to start the business when I decided to have another baby, but I didn't wait long. When my son was a few months old I started the research and paperwork and by the time he was six months old I had officially formed a corporation in Illinois. That was in May of 2017. Since then I've put together my website, designed a logo, and created a business structure.
Things continue to come together day by day and I've never been happier.
What advice would you give moms or dads ~ who are starting their own company, or looking to change career paths or life paths?
Don't wait! Every day that goes by is one day wasted, or one day accomplished. Research whatever it is that you want to do and figure out a way to make it happen. Plan your steps, put things on the calendar, make phone calls and send emails. Just get the ball rolling and go from there. Things will fall together and if they don't then you can always stop. It's better to try than to wonder what if.
Backyard Garden Time & Tickle Fest
How do you start your day?
I get up at 5:00am (earlier than I used to get up for work actually) to shower and get ready for my day. Then, I make a cup of coffee or tea and work on business stuff, whether it's emails, the website, or social media. I try to do something every day for the business. If I'm lucky they sleep in and then I really get a lot done!
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
What would be your dream job?
My dream job would be to create a business structure that is successful enough for me to hire additional chefs to work under me and to potentially expand Culinary Confidante into other cities as a franchise. Eventually then I can pass the business on to my children or sell it. Okay, so that's actually my goal, but it's a pretty lofty goal so I'll say it counts as a dream too. :)
(Crystal...you just put that out into the universe, it will and can happen girl!)
Contact Info:
www.culinaryconfidante.com
crystal@culinaryconfidante.com
phone: 847.579.9613