MADE Maven Special Women's Issue April 2018 | Page 26

MADEFEATURES
AC: Homemade has actually
been a couple of years in the mak-
ing. We launched last April or May
so we’re approaching a year, we’re
going to be a year old soon. At the
time, there was a void in the mar-
ketplace, there was a gap. There
was nothing for larger families and
truthfully a lot of these services out
there lack flavor so for me I wanted
something affordable for families,
the ingredients were fresh and
sustainably sourced and responsi-
bly sourced because a lot of these
services out there are throwing
God knows what into these boxes.
And third, that it was packed full
of flavor. I really wanted people to
experience that home cooked meal
without all of the work. So Home-
made kits don’t lack spice, they
don’t lack flavor and they don’t lack
creativity. So making sure I had that
was really important.
Having two small children, I know
how hard it is on a regular night. So
the thought was to have something
in the box that could occupy your
child while you’re cooking, but still
get them involved in the meal. So I
had my brother create these char-
acters based on my daughter, who
basically talk about food, whether
it’s what’s for dinner or why they
need to drink water and we made
it fun and creative with these cute
coloring books. Every box comes
with a coloring book and the kids
are learning about their meal while
you’re cooking it and sitting right
in front of you coloring. We took it
one step further and created a kid’s
box so we were the first company
to actually have solely a kid’s box
filled with children’s favorites that
we did healthy alternatives for. It
really gives the parents options and
it’s so affordable. It’s $24.99 and it
contains 2-3 meals in each box so
that feeds 3 children plus leftovers.
We have a mac and cheese meal
that has edamame so kids are
getting their veggies in and the
sauce has butternut squash in the
cheese sauce. It’s really making sure
it’s delicious and also making sure
the kids are getting the nutrition
that they need. We pretty much
have options for everyone. And
looking forward, we’re working
on bigger and better things for
the service. I’m pregnant, so we’re
trying to come up with baby food
options and options for pregnant
and nursing moms. There’s a lot of
fun things on the way for the meal
kit, but I think being innovative sets
us apart.
MADE: Sounds great! Now in addi-
tion to Homemade, you have your
hands in so many other projects on
top of being a wife and mom with
another one on the way. What’s your
productivity secret?
AC: A lot of people ask about
balance and I always say there’s
no such thing as balance! It’s just
so hard with Instagram and the
image that people put on the
internet—and even I’m a victim of
that. I’ll look at somebody’s profile
and think, “Man, they’ve got it all
together.” I have to remember
that it’s just a moment in time. It’s
about putting things into perspec-
tive. Every mom on the face of the
planet is exhausted and has a to
do list as long as the ocean and we
never check off all the boxes. I think
learning that you’re not alone and
forming this mom tribe and realiz-
ing that we’re all in this together is
what helps me. I know that if I only
get through half of my to-do list, it’s
ok. I know at some point it’s going
to get done. It’s about spending
quality time with my children—
that’s what’s in the forefront and
is what’s most important to me.
Productivity is making sure that my
kids are fed, clothed, happy and
learning how to be good human
beings. If the rest falls after that,
then that’s ok.
MADE: You’ve really came in the
cooking industry and have made
an impact and you’re starting to
make waves in the beauty industry
as well. How do you decide when
to pivot and what projects to take
on next?
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