Today we’d like to introduce you to Vitalina Chizh.
Hi Vitalina, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
How it started…. My name is Vitalina and I am now the owner of a coffee catering business, a mobile coffee cart in Jacksonville, FL. As I am writing this, I still have butterflies in my stomach! A long-awaited project finally coming to life!
It started with my sisters’ weddings over 10 years ago. Organizing the event, and bringing the joy of seeing every planned detail coming to life thrilled me. And I was hooked.
At that time my church was starting a lot of events and conferences. I knew I had to be part of the core planning team and almost right away I overtook the Guest Experience department. Food catering, coffee catering, decorating, I got a chance to try it all. As the events grew in the numbers of guests and influence, so did I. All of a sudden, our small pop-up coffee shop was serving over 1200 people. Seeing that spark of excitement in the eyes of every person served and the need for that picker-upper in the middle of the event, it hit me, I have got to spread this joy. And so the idea was born.
As you probably know, the risk, the challenge, and the fear keep entrepreneurs away from starting businesses every day and so it kept me. I can’t pinpoint a specific moment, but I realized I am ready to embark on this journey! I want to pursue my dreams, I want to overcome challenges, I want to defeat fear, and I want to serve that perfect cup of coffee.
My 10 years of experience in event coordinating provided me with every skill needed to make your event smooth and successful. I am thrilled to be able to provide local coffee catering in Jacksonville, FL in the form of a mobile espresso cart. I’m excited to be part of your journey, to be part of your story.
So please welcome Vital Brew – a mobile coffee catering cart bringing the coffee shop experience to your event.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I have received a lot of support from my community and the people that I have met throughout the process. The road has been smooth; however, I am struggling a bit to get more into the wedding and event planning industry. I really would love to get connected to more wedding planners and let them see how much a coffee cart can enhance those types of celebrations.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
This was actually a hard category to select. I have had many various career and hobby paths in my life. I love to be creative and create logos and designs and I also can paint or sculpt. I do photography on the side, and print custom apparel and signs.
As a career, I have spent the last 4 years working for a local public K-12 school, as an HR Director. I really enjoyed my task of seeing our employees excel in their career fields and in return, having a great impact on the students.
I also worked for 14 years at FSCJ, in the Student Financial Services Department, Leading the office at the Deerwood Center off Southside Blvd. I loved helping to guide the students and parents towards the best suitable path in their educational experience. In general, I try to help wherever I can and try to leave a positive impact on all of the people that I cross paths with.
I love to inspire others to discover their talent and hobbies and pursue their dreams. I think it is important to have a goal and to strive and achieve it, no matter the obstacle. My parents came to the United States as refugees from Ukraine and I saw the struggle that we had to overcome as a family to start over in a foreign country. We had a big family of 9 kids at that time, but my parents wanted a better way of life in America and tried to pursue the “American Dream” so that their kids can thrive and be successful as adults. They worked hard to achieve their dreams for our family and I saw the reward of going all-in to accomplish their goal.
I am most known for my hospitality and passion. I love to help set an atmosphere where people feel welcomed and as though they are right at home. I enjoy meeting new people and hearing their stories of struggles and accomplishments.
What were you like growing up?
As a child, I was chubby and shy at school! However, I did love school and got all A’s and was on the dean’s list for all years in my college life.
As a sibling of 11, I was very protective of my family and proud of who we were. We were big enough to have a sports team, and in which, we actually tried to do. I was very active as a kid, enjoyed all sports, and especially tennis and lacrosse. I was very outdoorsy and even helped build our own fort with my siblings.
I would like to thank my family and my community of friends for their support and encouragement and most importantly, God, for never giving up on me and showering me with His fatherly love and giving me hope.
Contact Info:
- Website: vitalbrewcart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vital.brew/
Image Credits
Vitalina Chizh
