Excited to help other people, throughout the world, to discover the how wonderful they are too In all honesty, if I had not had the good fortune to have discovered this job, I doubt if I would have realized what a difference good kitchen tools can make to one's work in the kitchen. Considering that I spent a good proportion of my day for the past 35 years stuck in this room - I could deduce that I am a slow learner!!! I am not the most enthusiastic of cooks, but having these gadgets and gizmos, make my life much easier, less stressful and far more fun. I can see why so many "foodies" have joined my team - more out of interest in "stocking their own kitchens" than the desire to have "unlimited earnings" in a fun and flexible way. I have the best of both worlds and thought it would be useful if I used these pages to pass on some labour saving gadgets and ideas that I don't normally have time to talk about at my cooking shows and Fundraising events. These pages will also disciple me to try out new recipes. It is sometimes so easy to fall into the pattern of cooking the same old thing. If you have stumbled upon my pages and do not know what Pampered Chef is about or what Pampered Chef can do for you, I will attempt to give you a brief overview. Pampered Chef was born in Chicago in 1980 through a home economist and teacher - Doris Christopher. She invested $3,000 of her savings to buy some products that she believed were helpful in the kitchen and set out to teach people how to prepare fast, nutritional meals in their homes. Along the way, she met people who wanted to join her and so the company grew and grew. It is now approaching annual sales of nearly the billion-dollar mark and is owned by Warren Buffet and the Berkshire Hathaway empire. Pampered Chef arrived in the UK at the end of 1999 and I nervously joined in August 2000. I was not a trained chef - just mum to Heather and Allan and wife to Graham - cooking family meals for them and occasionally entertaining family and friends. I understood the concept of direct sales and liked the idea of having my own business - to work hours that suited me and the chance to build my own multimillion turnover while learning and developing new skills on my adventure. It was such a revelation for me to suddenly be cooking with the right tools - to have a good knife!!!! Why had I not done so years beforehand!!! Maybe it was the Aberdonian in me - not wanting to spend money on myself. What a shame, as it might have saved me more time in the kitchen that I could have spent on the family. The formula that Pampered Chef uses to market the products is by cooking demonstrations to groups of people, in their homes, workplaces, clubs etc.The guests can try out the products themselves as the recipe is being constructed and then taste the finished results at the end of the demonstration. People will book a demonstration for lots of reasons: - sometimes to see a new recipe or new product - sometimes to raise money for charity - sometimes to get free products for themselves - sometimes as an excuse to gather their friends and family together. To "host" a cooking show, they just have to provide a few ingredients and a venue for people to gather (home - garden - hall - all kinds of places). The demonstration can take place at any time of the day or evening and can last from 1 hour to 4 hours - depending what the host wants. I love the adventure of visiting people in their homes and meeting all their friends and family. I have grown in confidence and made so many friends through this experience. I have helped raised thousands of £'s through Pampered Chef for all kinds of charities and causes. October is the company's pink month where we pull out all the stops to raise money for Help Whip Cancer. It is a fantastic campaign to be part of. Over the past 4 years we have raised over £1 million for Cancer Research UK. People buy from me online, over the phone, at my front door and at the fetes, fairs and trade exhibitions that I do throughout the year. I still get a kick every time someone contacts me. One of the best part of my job (and there are loads) is to help other people develop their own business. It is fantastic to see a new person realise what a brilliant job they have. I love sharing in their journey and help them to see the opportunities that there are for them with this job. Some people just want something to give them the chance to get out and meet people in a fun way. Others have a more goal oriented drive - maybe to pay off credit cards - or a holiday or even to build their own multi million £ business. What is great about Pampered Chef is it gives everyone the chance to do what is important to them and teaches them the skills they need to do so. Enjoy my pages and let me know if I can help you in any way. Happy cooking xx
