After moving from Chicago to Fenton, Michigan, Sean Gartland realized how much he missed his previous job as a professional cook. He decided to start his own line of cooking classes in Fenton. What originally started as a hobby quickly turned into a business idea that attracted many individuals, couples, and families. As these classes became more popular, Sean eventually started conducting them at the Flint Farmers Market.

“As spots continued to fill up in each class, I decided to pursue a business in which people can sign up for cooking classes, buy hard to find specialty ingredients, and purchase cooking tools,” Sean reflected. “Having little knowledge of how to write a successful and effective business plan, I decided to seek out the help of the Michigan SBDC." The SBDC was able to help Sean in writing a business plan and developing a marketing strategy. After successfully completing the business plan, Sean was able to obtain a loan from Metro Community Development. “Metro CDC seemed impressed that I was working with the SBDC. I feel like writing the business plan with the collaborative effort of the SBDC enabled me to positively stand out when obtaining a loan.”

After receiving the loan, Sean was able to open up a storefront in Fenton called Feast Gourmet Kitchen Shop. Today, individuals, couples, and groups are able to sign up for numerous cooking classes in which they learn how to effectively cook with all types of ingredients and get expertise on pots, pans, and cooking items from a professional chef. “After the class is over, attendees can go to the store side of Feast Gourmet Kitchen and buy any of the ingredients or tools that they just put into use in their lesson.”

Sean expressed interest in growing his business into the catering field in addition to opening up more storefronts. “The SBDC is an invaluable resource that I will seek help from when working on expanding Feast Gourmet Kitchen Shop.”

Check out Feast Gourmet's website and Facebook page to learn more about their happenings!