Inspiring Conversations with Makayla Smucker of Casa Meal Prep

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Makayla Smucker.

Hi Makayla, I’m so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed with your story and how you got to where you are today.
When I got married in 2016, one of the things I was looking forward to the most was having my own kitchen and getting to cook for my husband and me. I was excited to meal plan, go to the grocery store, pick out the best ingredients, and then come home and cook nourishing meals. Cooking has always been a creative outlet, and I’ve always felt inspired in the kitchen. 

Experimenting with my recipes and learning more about cooking quickly turned into a passion for me. I started researching different ingredients and how I could make a meal more nourishing while still being full of flavor. I started a food blog in 2017 – it didn’t last long, but my friends and family recognized my growing love for creating healthy meals. One day, one of my friends – a busy businessman who had little time to stop and eat during the day, let alone prep healthy meals for himself – asked if he could hire me to cook him some healthy meals to eat on the go – breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks. 

“You mean you’ll PAY me to cook for you?!” I was shocked and SO excited about this new opportunity to share my passion with others in a way I had never thought of. For about a year, I cooked for several friends, acquaintances, and even some strangers. It was such a fun hobby and was slowly turning into a business. Along with cooking for a few clients, I was always experimenting in the kitchen, and I started making my own smoothies (nothing original, I know, lol). Still, I had the idea to start a pop-up smoothie stand in Lancaster, PA (where I grew up and was living at the time). 

The smoothies were a hit! I would jam-pack my small car with everything I needed – prepared smoothie packs, cups, lids, straws, garnishes – I even splurged on a Vitamix Blender to make sure I was serving the best smoothies in town. I was so passionate about my recipes. Each was made with real fruit, hand prepared, and frozen with added “superfoods” like hemp seeds and maca powder. This little pop-up gave me the push into entrepreneurship I needed. 

After running the smoothie stand for the summer of 2018, my husband and I started thinking about moving out of our hometown of Lancaster, PA. We discussed many locations but decided on Nashville, TN. We made the move in the spring of 2019, so eager to both pursue business in a new, booming city. I made flyers for my custom meal prep service and posted them anywhere that would let me! I expected to be bombarded with calls and emails from excited prospects, but… I heard nothing. For weeks! 

I ended up taking on some side jobs cleaning houses. I also did my best to reach out to people in the health and wellness world here in Nashville. I even searched #mealprep on Instagram to find people who might already have success with this type of service. I connected with Lara Harris of The Well Fed Guide, who was already successful in doing what I was dreaming of doing! She was kind enough to meet with me for coffee and offered me a freelance position cooking for clients on her waitlist. It was a dream! After about two years of getting settled in our new home state, I was excited to start building my own client base. 

One day at the gym, I met another member, and we started talking – he asked me what I do for work. Although I didn’t have my own client base yet, I responded, “I own a Custom Meal Prep company!” He was intrigued and wanted to hire me right away. I was ecstatic! My first official Casa Meal Prep Client. Since then, I have worked with many families and individuals. Some of them have been with me since the beginning! I’ve learned so much about myself and about business. I’m still learning every day! I get to work with my ideal clients. 

Now when people ask about my company, I describe it as sort of a meal prep / private chef hybrid. Each client on my schedule has a weekly spot – I suggest menu ideas based on their food preferences and dietary needs, and they can choose from that list or make specific requests. It’s tailored to each individual client, so no batch prepping the same meals for tons of clients. I love building relationships with each of my clients and providing a nourishing service to take something off their plate for the week (or put something on it I guess haha). 

Lastly, a newfound passion within the realm of nourishment for me has been providing a niche postpartum service. This is tailored specifically to nourish a mother after giving birth. Seeing my sister and several of my friends experience postpartum made me realize there is a huge gap in this area. It is incredible how healing food can be! 

Getting to be a part of someone’s healing journey in this way will always mean so much to me. I’m so excited to continue growing this part of my service and connecting with more mothers and families here in Nashville. 

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?
Mindset: You never feel like you’ve made it. It’s so easy to doubt yourself, question if you’re doing the right thing with your life and business, and feel insecure about your service. Imposter syndrome is so real, and it still is even today, years into being a business owner. 

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about Casa Meal Prep?
Casa Meal Prep is focused on the individual. I love connecting with each person and learning how I can support them or make their life easier when it comes to food. I know cooking is not for everyone. Being in the kitchen can be taxing and not enjoyable for a lot of people, but for me, it lights me up. 

I am currently a one-woman show – I do the onboarding, the menu planning and confirmation, the grocery shopping, cooking, clean up, and delivery. And bookwork (my least favorite part). This, of course, limits the number of clients I can take on, but I’m happy with keeping things small. I’m able to pour more of my passion into each individual client session – this is so important to me. I specialize in creating healthy-ish meals. Meaning if you’re craving a creamy pasta dish, that’s what I’ll make! And I’ll suggest nourishing add-ins like coconut cream instead of heavy cream. Or a protein pasta instead of a generic one. 

Soups made with Bone Broth in place of regular stocks. What sets me apart from others? My passion is to serve and give the best possible product to my clients. Sometimes, this means working late hours or coming home to a lot of dishes – before I even get to make my own dinner, but that’s just business, haha. 

Probably the consistency of providing a quality product. I can always improve, but over the years, I have received so many messages from clients about how much they love the meal they just ate. And I think that’s something to be proud of. I would love for readers to know that I am taking on Postpartum clients! It can be for themself or as a gift to someone they know who is about to experience postpartum. 

What does success mean to you?
Being happy. Being present and happy in the moment you’re in. 

There is always this standard of needing to do more, be more, and make more money. But I have gotten lost in this so many times and it took away from me enjoying the process of growing. Success is being tired but fulfilled at the end of the day, knowing I served someone well. 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makaylasmucker/

Image Credits
Kassidy Slaven Photo