Today, we’d like to introduce you to Julia Wann.
Hi Julia, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I grew up in a family that LOVES to cook. From my immigrant great-grandmother, who used every last scrap of food and taught me about zero-waste cooking, to my other side of the family, who lived off the land and cooked with simple, delicious ingredients. That was passed to my grandparents and parents, who all love cooking. Yes, we love food, but it is so much more than that. It is the hospitality, the gathering around a table, the planning a meal and the esthetics of it all. It is special and something my family has always taken seriously. Sunday family dinners were nonnegotiable, and we grew up with healthy, home-cooked meals around the table every night.
I walked a different career path for years; I went to school in Australia & then moved to California when I graduated for work. I was so inspired by the culinary environment in Australia and loved the cafe and restaurant scene in LA/OC. It was a deep dream to always have my place. That sat on the back burner as I began having babies & then moved to Tennessee for my ex-husband’s work. Not long after arriving here, my world began to crumble, and everything I thought life would look like now didn’t. I had to make quick decisions and decide what life would look like. A stay-at-home mom then, I didn’t want to rock my kid’s worlds by going and getting a corporate 9-5. I felt this deep whisper in my gut that if I was re-writing my life, it was time to take a chance on what I love.
So I leaped!
I launched LEMY’s, a play on my two kiddos’ names, Lennon & Myles. I started with a few private chef clients who have been the biggest blessings, taking a chance on me. From there, I got the word out about what I was doing, which evolved from there. Today, I still carry a few private chef clients but also do catering for corporate offices or events like parties/weddings, stock items in a few local markets and cafes & most recently launched a program called Locals Only. Locals Only is the middle ground for folks who can’t afford a private chef but don’t want to do those typical meal prep programs. It has no commitments, no minimums & the menu rotates monthly. Simply pop on & place your order by Sunday night & can pick up your meal on Thursday. These primarily come frozen, except for our signature cookies & chicken salads, which are always fresh.
I still dream of turning LEMY’s into a brick-and-mortar one day, but in the meantime, I get the blessing of momming while my kiddos are still so young AND running a growing business.
Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
I don’t think any small business owner would say it was an easy journey. I face new obstacles and learning curves every day, but it makes me grow as a leader.
From finding clients early on and building a brand, pricing out items (not my forté), packaging and sourcing products, keeping the menu fresh, all the admin involved, and the actual labor of cooking in bulk, it can be taxing. Throw in going through the hardest emotional season of my life while single momming; it was and still is HARD at times.
I am forever grateful to be able to balance the two but it doesn’t come without the price of my sleep most days. I know this is just a season and I will forever happily pay the price to have the flexibility I do now.
I attest LEMY’s to so much of my healing journey. Keeping my hands and mind busy helped me not sit and wallow in my feelings but forced me to put my big girl pants on and press onwards to create a beautiful world for my babies & myself, showing them that lemonade can come out of a sour situation.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Specializing… I would simply say “food,” ha. When people ask me these days what I do, I used to answer private chef but now it has evolved so much I usually just reply “food” & then can laugh and explain all the endeavors of what LEMY’s has become.
I am most proud that I built this business from the ground up while my personal life fell apart. It took grit and tons of hard work, but seeing just the beginning of my dream come to pass will forever keep my jaw on the floor.
Sets me apart.. hmm.. there are so many wonderful chefs and restaurants/cafes around. Sumner County is beginning to evolve more, but I see so much potential for what is to come for our county food-wise. I think I bring something special to the table with the inspiration from Canada to Australia to California to Tennessee.
I love the hospitality side of what I do, equipping moms with a quick meal and providing people opportunities to easily bless those who had a baby or are sick. As a busy single mama, I struggle to get my family fed amid school, extracurriculars, work, etc.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
It is funny because I don’t necessarily think of a risk-taker type of woman when I think about myself. I like my routines and am a huge homebody.
But when I look back over my life from moving from Toronto to Sydney, Australia, as a fresh 18-year-old to moving to California with only two suitcases at 24 to landing in Tennessee for the first time in my life at 29 with two small babies. So I guess when I was going through a divorce and decided to start LEMY’s instead of taking the “safe” route, it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, ha!
So, to answer your question, I don’t consider myself a risk taker. I look at myself as a simple mama who runs a business and enjoys being home, BUT the facts show I am a huge dreamer and big risk taker simultaneously!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lemysgoods.com
- Instagram: @lemysgoods
- Facebook: @lemysgoods
