How “No” Led to Sizzling Success: The Cook’s Companion


Written by Bonnie Staring
Saturday, 01 September 2007

Hearing a big fat “no” was just what Nadine Hughes needed in order to discover how to launch her company anyway—and for a lot less money.
Nadine Hughes knew that when she and her family returned to Canada after living in Australia for five years, she didn’t want to continue her career in marketing, stuck behind a desk and working endless hours for someone else. “I wanted to be home for the kids, and for myself,” she admits. But Hughes struggled to determine what it was that she could do.

“It’s no big deal.”
At the time, she was reconnecting with old friends and meeting new neighbours by hosting fabulous parties that soon started earning her a reputation for being an exceptional hostess. “People were asking me who I used for catering and when I told them I did it myself, they’d be surprised,” says Hughes. “And I’d say ‘it’s no big deal’ instead of appreciating the value of that skill.”

Repeated compliments and requests for her “secret” got her thinking. Something that she was able to do naturally was a foreign concept to others. There was an entertaining epidemic that was affecting women (and men): many felt useless in the kitchen and even phobic when it came to preparing company-worthy meals or appetizers. Many, she discovered, felt that great food resulted from lengthy recipes that only trained chefs could master. And those who were able to produce desirable results spent so much time in the kitchen they never had a chance to visit properly with their guests.

The simmering of an idea.
That’s what triggered the idea for Hughes to create The Cook`s Companion: cooking and entertaining workshops. Not to be confused with standard cooking classes, her workshops focus on food preparation that’s quick, easy and delicious. She soon obtained estimates for renovating the family home (a 150-year-old barn) to include a large kitchen/classroom and approached her municipal office to obtain the permits necessary to operate the business.

“They turned me down flat,” says Hughes. “Even though I knew for a fact that some of my neighbours were running businesses out of their homes, the city told me that it was illegal to do so.” No permit meant no business—and the new entrepreneur felt ready to give up.
“I was so fixated on running my business out of my home that I didn’t see any other option,” says Hughes. All her plans stemmed from that crucial step and without it, she was lost.
What if?Then one of her friends made an outrageous suggestion: what if Hughes could use one of the local restaurants on the nights they were closed? Several of the upscale restaurants in her city closed on Sundays and Mondays, which meant a kitchen and “classroom” area—with tables and chairs no less—might be available to rent.
“Suddenly my need to spend thousands of dollars renovating my home disappeared,” says Hughes. After approaching two restaurants—both agreed. Her start-up costs went from over $20,000 to just under a grand for an initial fee for the spaces, food, classroom materials and flyers.

Holding classes within an established restaurant also gave her business an immediate legitimacy. “You can’t buy that,” says Hughes. She also benefitted from a captive audience, as most of her initial classes were attended by regular diners. Along with a rental fee, the restaurants receive exposure with each workshop, as well as mention promotional materials for The Cook’s Companion.

You can take it with you.
For Hughes, another huge benefit is being able to keep her business portable. “Summer means spending time at the cottage, and I can take The Cook`s Companion with me wherever I go,” she says with a laugh, as she plans on going for a swim once our interview is complete. This entrepreneur has expanded her roster to include workshops on BBQ basics and cottage entertaining—something she might not have come up with had she been based out of her home.

But don’t let her cost-effective beginnings fool you: this business has her working harder than any 9–5 job. “It’s taught me to be flexible...and creative,” admits Hughes. One method that has worked very well for her is bartering, as it forces her to place a value on her time and energy. “You have to make sure your time is well spent, whether networking, seeking ways to expand your business or generating word of mouth.”

All in all, it’s turned out to be a true recipe for success.

Preserved Lemons—are a tradition in Moroccan and Middle Eastern recipes. They are lemons that have been pickled in salt and their own juices. They are quite simple to make but take about 3 weeks before the lemons are ready to use. You can also find pre-made ones in specialty grocery stores. I personally like Maggie Beers preserved lemons and I have included a link to her site to give you more ideas on how to use these golden slices!

Dulce de Leche is a milk based syrup with Spanish origins. This decadent sauce is prepared by slowly heating sweetened milk to create a product similar in taste to caramel. It’s a long process to reach this caramel consistency and although I’ve always loved the taste I’ve been too lazy to recreate it at home. So when I saw that President’s Choice came out with their version of Dulce de leche (caramel crème spread) I quickly snapped it up. It’s excellent as a spread on bread or toast, a filling for crepes, topping for waffles, fruit or ice cream.

Sometimes the best plans are the ones that you don’t actually plan! Right now my family and I are supposed to be in Arizona enjoying a few days of sunshine while visiting the in-laws. But after pulling out the passports the day before we were set to leave, I was surprised to find my oldest son’s passport expired. With a long Easter weekend ahead of us and no government office open, chances of renewal in time for our flight was non-existent. So we postponed the flights and found ourselves with 4 days of no plans (and no fresh food) until the office opened on Tuesday morning.

I decided to do the “loaves and fishes” route from my pantry and refrigerator because it was still Easter after all and I wanted to give my family a nice meal. It’s amazing the meal you can pull together if you have a well stocked pantry. Plus, there is something truly cathartic about cleaning out the cupboard and I found myself with the time to do it. Once I started I couldn’t stop! Even though I had a pretty good idea what was in there I was still amazed at a few items I had forgotten about.

So here is a list of items that helped me pull together our “smorgasbord” Easter that was met with rave reviews from everyone in the family. We ate from big platters of a mixture of different cultures, textures, tastes and colours. It’s a great way to eat every once in a while and even though our original plans of an Easter BBQ in Arizona didn’t turn out, this meal will certainly be remembered by all as something for everyone.

· Haloumi Cheese – A semi-hard cheese that originated in Cypress, this cheese keeps for up to one year in your refrigerator, can be frozen, grilled, sautéed or eaten as is! A truly versatile cheese. I grilled thick slices in a hot pan, squeezed some lemon over them and served it with the hot bread.
· Frozen Bread – Heated them up in the oven from frozen, sliced them thickly and felt like I had just baked bread! I love the Ace Bakery brand as well as President Choice Naan Bread.
· Canned Escargot – I sautéed garlic in butter and tossed the escargot in for a few minutes, hit them with some sea salt, black pepper and a splash of sparkling wine. My husband thought he had died and gone to heaven!
· Canned or Fresh Whole Mushrooms – I had a few fresh ones that were on the edge but it didn’t matter once I sautéed them whole in some butter and garlic. Similar to the escargot, I added sea salt, black pepper and a splash of sparkling wine. Using the hot bread to soak up all the yummy juices was my favourite part of this dish!
· Canned Hearts of Palm and Artichoke Hearts - Drained and roughly chopped these canned vegetables make a great salad with a drizzle of lemon flavoured olive oil and black pepper.
· Frozen Smoked Salmon – De-thaws quickly which leaves me just the right amount of time to prepare all the other ingredients. I drizzled the salmon with lemon juice (even from the bottle!!), sprinkled some dried dill and popped a few capers on top. For some reason this is always my 6 year old’s favourite dish.
· Sparkling Wine – Even though it’s my drink of choice, it always makes any occasion feel extra special. Plus it matches all these different flavours the best!