Today we’d like to introduce you to Shawn Meeks.
Hi Shawn, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
We are a small local business that has a passion for bringing the focus of food and what we consume back to the local farmer. We spent many years in corporate life trying to make a change on a larger level without ever being able to gain traction.
We finally made the decision to make it as small as we could and start there. We are currently operating our small business with hopes to transition into a non-profit and begin making more of an impact on a broader scale.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road we traveled on was not a smooth road, we were also not in the lane we were supposed to be in. Our passion has always been for small farmers and people we just had to realign the vision that made us the direct connection. Once we made the decision to get in the correct lane as small as it is our road has smoothed right out.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Our goal is to help local farmer regain their place in the food we consume. We have an amazing community of farmers who want to grow the most delicious food we can find for everyone, at a price everyone can afford. The reality of that doesn’t meet most consumer expectations. It is our hope to connect our farmers with the right people in the community who do have an appreciation for that.
Once we get our farmers connected to the right consumers they can begin to grow more products making everyone’s economy better. We want to keep our farmers growing as much as possible, our goal is to simplify find the people. We believe we have done that through our small business, and hope to make a generational impact.
We feel most proud when we get a text and email late at night or so early in the morning you are wondering if they are eating a Pesto Chicken Bowl at 6 am, just to tell us how amazing a dish is. A text from a mom who said our meals “saved her week” because one of her Children went down with a stuffy nose and Chef Mom needed to become Nurse Mom for the week.
Knowing we are making a difference in people’s lives keeps us going when the nights get longer and the days start early. Being the connection between the families enjoying the Food and then sharing that back with the families growing it, we feel helps people know their hard work is appreciated. With the right love, food can be made into something that changes people’s days or weeks.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Reach out and ask! We want to partner with local farmers who don’t use any pesticides, chemicals, or fertilizers. It’s our goal to consume the cleanest food. If you are a local farmer please reach out we would love to hear your story. If you are a farmer who does not grow with those standards and would like to, please us know and we want to get you that support and information.
Support is always appreciated if there is a specific farm you want to partner with we will make that connection. If you want to support in a different kind of way just let us know what direction you are feeling led and we will figure out a way to put whatever support you are wanting to give to good use.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: (Under construction)
- Instagram: @Youknowchefshawn
- Facebook: You Know Chef Shawn
Image Credits
Carson Hatch
