Cooking Up a Business: Lessons from Food Lovers Who Turned Their Passion into a Career -- and How You C an, Too

One of the most inspirational books I have ever read! Rachel Hofstetter knows exactly what a new food entrepreneur needs to hear. I devoured every page and this booked confirmed to me that I'm on the right path. It's bulshit fee, easily accessible and authoritative. The only downside is the case studies are from the States but the journey to success is very transferable to the UK.

I am not sure which I am enjoying more - this very interesting book about food entrepreneurs or the food itself. Rachel Hofstetter's account of how roughly 10 food start ups made success from their idea is a fast paced, informative and thoroughly enjoyable read. Her criterion was that each company had to begin in the last 10 years and still be majority owned by the founders at time of publication.Hofstetter's background at a food editor at O and Reader's Digest has exposed her to possibly hundreds of interesting companies competing against the big food conglamerates that now dominant the shelves of our main stream grocers.She has chosen wonderful David vs Goliath anecdotes of start ups working both against the popular conventions of the market place and entrenched products by largely working with elbow grease, a belief in their products and incredible fortitude.The products range from wine, chocolate to granola, chips. burritos, baby food and flavored waters. In each case there are both competitors and an opportunity to redefine the space. Cameron Hughes' wine business is big and completely challenges the contradiction of cheap high quality wine. Evol's burrito's and prepared frozen plates both taste good and won't kill you with chemicals, nor will the innovative Popchips or new style microwave popcorn.The book focuses on the challenges of successful start ups. Each chapter both profiles the founder's and their product and provides some unique learning lessons for the reader ranging from patience, budgeting, research, marketing and of course hard work.It's meant to inform, inspire and make the reader feel good and it certainly does. It also succeeds in raising one's awareness of brands and health. Given the appalling job the FDA is doing at regulating and educating the public on the use of drugs, chemicals, pesticides and hormones in all strains of our food chain it's imperative for us to have more food entrepreneurs that bring us the food that tastes good and won't kill us and writers that can equally keep us informed on their progress and important trends.

I read this from cover to cover and found it to be extremely applicable across countries and businesses.Written for the food business, I found it could be easily applied to other businesses.Sound, sage advice. I've read it three times already. 5 out of 5.

Good book...lots of good information to be gleaned from everyone's story - although the different approaches sometimes gave conflicting advice (one says don't bite off more than you can chew - no pun intended - while another suggests saying yes to every offer and figuring out the logistics later). Still, one thing that doesn't change - you can create your dream.

A good read with several people explaining how they made it. Well worth it.