A conversation with Sarah Hendrix of Lady & Larder on the creation of a marketplace "Bodega" in the middle of COVID, and why creating a food brand that makes people SMILE is important.
Sarah Hendrix is the chef behind the Los Angeles cheese shop and cheese board delivery service, Lady & Larder. (Now please take a minute to check out @ladyandlarder and see just how beautiful her products are!) Sarah founded Lady & Larder with her siblings, Matthew and Boo Simms, in 2016 and the business has since been featured in the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Los Angeles Magazine, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Eating Well Magazine. In year 2 of her business, Sarah created a partnership with Williams-Sonoma to sell Lady & Larder DIY cheese board kits nationwide. In this episode, Sarah speaks a lot about how she was forced to pivot her catering business in the midst of COVID -- and how by doing that, focusing on giving back to her community, has proved dividends. We also talk about creating branding that makes people smile, designing a business in the food industry for the lifestyle you want (ie. not working dinner shifts and late nights), starting a new business while also finding out she was pregnant (no joke, her son’s first word was Cheese!), and how the secret gift from being a twin (not being able to compare yourself) helps her with parenting.
Find & connect with Sarah at: @ladyandlarder ladyandlarder.com
SHOW NOTES:
Marketing Tools Lady & Larder uses:
Instagram - esp. Stories for sharing the daily menu of items
MailChimp
Squarespace
Businesses that have been born out of COVID that Sarah is obsessed with:
@summaeverythang (Community center with a weekly organic produce market.)
@lupacotta (Sells pizza kits at the shop.)
@katieemiller (Sells cookie dough at the shop.)
@mayday_la (Launched a seafood company during COVID. Check out their newsletter every week for ordering.)
@ayarathai - Sarah's friend Vanda is the owner and they have been creating fun, whimsy, safe activities.)
Jon & Vinnys and Helen's wine - how they have found ways to do unique things.