You are going to love the interview I did with ten year old Kid Chef Eliana and her famous mom author and storyteller Diane de Las Casas who grew up in a family of cooks.
You can listen to it here! Be sure to scroll down and read the entire interview!
With grandparents from the Philippines, Cajun Louisiana, Cuba, and Honduras, she is highly influenced by her international heritage, her culinary roots in New Orleans, and her love of food from around the world. She loves spending time in the kitchen, cooking with her mom, baking with her grandma, and making ice cream with her dad.
Eliana hopes to change the way kids think about food. She says, “Food is more than chicken nuggets and French fries on the kids menu! I want kids to know that there are so many flavors for us to explore.” To that end, her first cookbook debuts on October 9, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum in New Orleans, where she is demonstrating “Cajun Cuban Sandwiches” as part of the “New Orleans Con Sabor Latino” exhibit.
A fifth grader and a straight ‘A’ student, Eliana has big plans for the future. “I am going to write many cookbooks, start a line of spices called Eliana’s Sabor (‘sabor’ means ‘flavor’ in Spanish), design cookware especially made for kids, have my own TV cooking show, attend the Culinary Institute of America in New York City and own a restaurant. Plus, I want to travel around the world tasting cuisine from different countries.” While she seems incredibly ambitious, her great attitude and infectious smile make her approachable and an immediate hit with crowds.
When asked if she has a favorite food, Eliana laughs. “It’s hard to pick a favorite because I love so many kinds of food but I definitely prefer savory flavors. One of my favorite things to do is shop for spices and herbs! I love how spices smell…” She drifts off into a culinary day dream.
Watch Eliana’s video cooking tutorials at www.elianacooks.com. Fan her on Facebook at ww.facebook.com/elianacooksfanpage.
Website: http://www.elianacooks.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/elianacooksfanpage
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/elianacooks
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/
Email: eliana@elianacooks.com
Sarah: When did you start thinking about starting your own business and becoming an entrepreneur and why did you want to start?
Eliana: My mom is an author so she encouraged me to create my own cookbook for kids. There are a lot of cookbooks for kids but I haven’t seen any written by kids. It all started with my spice blend. I created an all-purpose spice blend when I was 8 years old. My mom and family loved it so much they started using it on everything. Then I began creating my own recipes and started my website/blog in 2008, when I was 8 years old. My sister helped me produce cooking video tutorials for kids on YouTube, which were posted to my blog. A cookbook was a natural follow-up.
Sarah: Whew! You are one busy tween! Way to go! Where did you come up with your idea and what investigation did you do to help you know that this would be a great business?
Eliana: As I said before, my mom is an author and she has great business know-how. She helped guide me in creating a business plan, managing inventory, networking with new contacts, scheduling book signings and demonstrations, and publicizing my book. With her as a model, I knew I could make this work.
Sarah: What do you think are the most important skills you have that help you in business?
Eliana: I am not afraid to talk about my book and my passion for cooking! Also, it’s important to keep an open mind. As a chef, I have to try lots of different kinds of foods. I also carry professionally designed and printed postcards and business cards, passing them out to everyone I meet. You never know who might buy a cookbook!
Here’s an example. My mom and I stopped by the pumpkin patch at a local church. I told the ladies about my Devil’s Food Monster Muffins, which uses pumpkin in the recipe. I gave them my postcards and business cards and they were so impressed that they asked me to sign books at their Fall Festival. I did and sold a lot of books! And they even baked my muffins and sold them at the festival. At the end of the festival, the muffins were gone!
Sarah: That is so cool Eliana! What were the biggest obstacles, problems you had in getting started in business?
Eliana: Working under deadline was hard. We had to have the book finished in time for a big cooking demonstration at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum in New Orleans. I cooked a lot, took a lot of pictures, and
wrote a lot of recipes. But we made the deadline and the book came out in time.
Sarah: How does your age affect your business success?
Eliana: My age has helped me a lot because grown-ups love a kid who can cook and talk intelligently about her cookbook!
Sarah: What about college? Are you planning on going?
Eliana: I want to attend the very prestigious CIA – Culinary Institute of America in New York. Many famous chefs graduated from CIA and I want to be one of them!
Sarah: What kind of expenses or start-up costs did you have when you started your business and where did you find the money or capital to start?
Eliana: There were a lot of start-up costs in producing the cookbook. I actually went to my grandparents for start-up capital and my parents helped with the rest. We expect to have all the costs covered soon. Several local book stores, gift shops, and Barnes & Noble are carrying my books.
Sarah: What have been the best surprises that you found in starting your business?
Eliana: I have learned to be a very good business person. Adults are often surprised by my business acumen.
Sarah: Do you do EVERYTHING by yourself or do you have people on your team that work with you? If so – how did you find people to help you along the way?
Eliana: I have a team. My dad manages distribution and re-orders. My mom manages media appearances, book signing and cooking demonstration scheduling, marketing, and publicity. I tweet, post on Facebook, update my blog, take notes for new recipes on my iPod Touch, and manage inventory and sending out invoices from my iPod Touch.
Sarah: What ideas and approaches do you use to market your business and what do you find works best for you in getting the word out about who you are and what you are doing?
Eliana:
* I pass out business cards and postcards to everyone I meet and I ask
my family and friends to do the same.
* I blog about my appearances and update my website frequently.
* I post to my Facebook fan page and schedule events there, notifying
my fans of upcoming appearances.
* I tweet to make new business contacts and find out what’s going on
in the cooking world.
Sarah: How do you balance it all? Do you find that you still have time to be a kid?
Eliana: I spend time with my friends and family but the holidays are super duper busy so my weekends are tied up with appearances and signings. Luckily, my friends and family can come!
Sarah: That is great that you are able to include your friends and family in your business activities! What is the best advice or tips you would like to share with young entrepreneurs?
Eliana: Be prepared to work hard to achieve your goals. Being an entrepreneur is not easy but it’s worth it.
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