Brian Cheng & Alanna Fleischer, Co-founders, The Edible Story
Brian and Alanna are Co-founders of The Edible Story, a dynamic company that provides unique culinary experiences that encompasses catering, special event experiences, private dining and cooking classes.
Alanna and Brian first met in 2015 at George Brown College while taking the Italian Post Diploma program. Soon after graduation, Alanna started working in catering while Brian was working in restaurants. They kept in touch because they shared a passion for the service industry and also felt that there was a void in the catering business. The Edible Story was created in 2014 as a side business where they use to do 1-3 jobs a month. Then slowly the business increased and eventually they committed and started building the business full time. Like so many startups they started running the business in their parent’s kitchens, but soon they had outgrown the facilities. After a big property search they discovered a location which they could call home in Toronto and in 2015 they built a state of the art studio kitchen that houses all of their prep work, cooking classes and private events. The concept is built around the endless possibilities of throwing an event in an elegant but comfortable venue. The business continues to go from strength to strength having catered to many clients throughout the GTA and continue to grow, expanding into weddings and large functions of 500+ people. With plans to expand into a second location soon and continue developing their service as a household staple, the future looks bright!
We had the good fortune to ask Brian and Alanna a few questions!
Brian and Alanna, what’s your educational background?
Brian graduated with a George Brown College Apprenticeship and Post Diploma Italian and Alanna graduated with a George Brown College Culinary Management and Post Diploma Italian.
What made you both want to become entrepreneurs?
We always knew that we were not going to make it big by just cooking. We both shared a common goal to do something that was our own and something that had endless potential, but at the same time delivering a level of service and quality that we held true to.
Why did you create The Edible Story?
Our business came organically and over time we learnt how to do things properly and continue to do so in this “lifestyle” approach to running our catering company. We felt we could harness a niche in the market.
What successes has The Edible Story enjoyed so far?
The best successes are having happy clients. When we finish a big job and hear only good things from multiple people who attended is one of our greatest feeling of success. Another success is learning from our mistakes and treating the outcome with positivity.
What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs?
Ask for help, you can’t do everything yourself
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