Today we’d like to introduce you to Michaela Starling.
Michaela, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Food has always been a pervading force in my life, but it was always more of a hobby for me – a way to decompress, pass the time, and allow the creative juices to flow. I enjoyed baking cookies, cakes and other pastries for close friends and loved ones, but I never took myself too seriously. After I was laid off from a corporate job in 2015, I took my first job in the Service Industry, working as a waitress. I worked at one Restaurant for three months before quitting – the working conditions were awful, and it wasn’t a great environment. At the time, a friend of a friend had just opened her first Restaurant in the Dallas Farmer’s Market- as the Executive Chef – and she let me know that she was looking for Wait Staff. I immediately applied, was hired, and I started the next week. I feel + know that I have always had a love of Fresh, Flavorful, Local Food with a Story – but this love was fostered and nurtured at Mudhen Meat & Greens in the Dallas Farmer’s Market, which is where I worked for two years. Throughout my tenure there, I would often speak with Friends & Co-workers about how I wanted to take certain aspects about what I was doing there at the Restaurant, and apply it to different situations, on a larger scale – but for a long time, I was allowing fear to hold me back. One day, I just got tired of talking about it, thinking about it, and decided that I should take a leap of Faith and start LIVING it… and from that point on, there was no turning back. I realized that I had all of the support, encouragement, and vision that I needed to make my dreams become my reality.
Has it been a smooth road?
The road has not been smooth, but it has most certainly been full of learning lessons. Some of the things that I would say have been major learning lessons:
-Learning to speak up for myself, whether it be in a situation wherein I had to voice my opinion on a matter that I found to be unacceptable, to seek a better understanding of a matter, or in a situation wherein clear boundaries had to be set in order to honor a newfound Business Relationship. Speaking up and learning to communicate with others in an effective manner has been a big opportunity for growth on my part.
-Learning to trust self, and in turn learning who else is trustworthy. I found myself being faced with many lessons that led me back to the fact that I had major trust issues within myself. I won’t say that I am perfect and/or that I have it all figured out, but I will say that I have learned to trust myself a little more and to rely on myself a little more.
-Learning the power of consistency, and seeing the fruits of my labors! Things don’t always pan out or work out how I envision them to, but I have learned and am continually learning to be consistent in my endeavors and they will eventually pay off. For example, I have had some Cookie recipes come out terribly, and then with consistent practice and recipe development, I was able to create something magical.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Cooking 4 Cost – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Presently, my company Cooking 4 Cost is making a name for itself in the Dallas-Fort Worth Community as a Plant-Based + Gluten-Free company. We host Pop-Ups, Cooking Classes, Private Dinners, and accommodate small-medium Catering Orders. Through this work, I intend to shift our mindsets of what food is, and what a well-balanced meal is. I care about saving People money and I aim to show the Community how to create Plant-Based + Gluten-Free meals from simple everyday ingredients. I strive to break the stigma that living a Plant-Based lifestyle is something that is hard, unattainable, and costly – something that only folks with a higher Socio-Economic standing can attain. I intend to help people to become Empowered & Autonomous, and to show that Cooking Costs Money, but it doesn’t have to Break the Bank!
– Why gluten-free/why vegan:
It just makes sense to me. Given my background in the Service Industry, I’ve seen & tasted so many types of cuisine, and I’ve spoken to so many different types of people. One thing that I realize is that food brings people together, but also food has the ability to drive people apart! My focus with Cooking 4 Cost is Inclusivity, Sustainability, and Impact. We all love good, tasty food, right? I want to be inclusive of all People, those with Allergies, different Lifestyle choices, and preferences. I want to have a SMALL footprint when it comes to environmental effects, and I want to make a BIG impact on people, so once again – Vegan + Gluten-Free simply makes sense. Local, plant-based, holistic living has been proven to have a positive impact on the environment & our overall health. Fresh, local, flavorful food that’s not only plant-based but also safe for people with gluten intolerances, people without, meat-eaters, and the whole lot is the name of the game.
– Why the focus on affordability:
My childhood. I am the oldest of five children, and we grew up on a tight budget in a single-parent household. Honestly, most days, I could not tell you how my mother made things work. After she married my step-father when I was nine years of age, I would say that things were still tight simply because there were so many of us. We didn’t go out to eat often – if at all. I remember day-dreaming about the day that we would get to go to the trendy places of the time (circa. 1999/early 2000’s) such as McDonald’s, Burger King, Cici’s Pizza, and Checkers. (Children and their priorities!) I do recall that we always had food in the house, a roof over our heads, and clothes to wear – not the latest brands and whatnot, but our basic needs were always met. I recall that both my mother and step-father worked a lot as well, so I was usually the one left in charge of my siblings. Whenever I would complain to my mother about there “being nothing to eat” at home, she would tell me “Sure there is, you just have to put it together. Make something out of nothing!” These are not her exact words, but they were something along those lines. These words, or simply this notion has stuck with me for some time now and has morphed and transformed the way that I approach most things nowadays. I decided to build this company with a focus around affordability because I hope to educate & inspire others, especially the children of our community “to create something out of nothing”, and to help others to understand that it is possible to live well, be well, and eat well even when you feel/think you don’t have much. Oftentimes in this society, specifically in Lower-Socioeconomic areas, people will use their last $5 to buy 5 burgers for $1/each, which is probably ONE MEAL, and then what? That’s all that they know! I want to change this, one plate, one interaction, & one smile at a time.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and the least?
What do I like best about Dallas? The constant changes taking place at any given moment. The consistent opportunities that continually present themselves to you if you are open to receiving them. The multitude of people coming to the city, whether it be for a month of for a decade. I’ve met so many BEAUTIFUL souls here in this city! I love all of the memories that I’m making, on a daily basis.
What do I like the least about Dallas? The traffic & highways! Haha, but in all seriousness, the weather! It’s too hot here most days, and it can be very frustrating because I feel as if it’s hard to plan for the weather here! At all times, I’ll have a jacket with me because I don’t know if it’s going to randomly start raining for 15 minutes in the middle of a heatwave.
Pricing:
- Vegan + Gluten-Free Cookies (various flavors) – $36/dz
- Vegan + Gluten-Free Cupcakes (various flavors) – $44/dz
- Mini Vegan + Gluten-Free Cupcakes (various flavors) – $22/dzs
Contact Info:
- Phone: 9725036740
- Email: cooking4cost@gmail.com
- Instagram: Cooking4Cost
- Facebook: Cooking 4 Cost
- Other: Owner+Operator IG: @MichaelatheStar
Image Credit:
Photo of me in the green shirt – Photographer: Raii, IG: @Goddess.Feniiixraiii —
Photos of Food + me in a yellow scarf – Photographer: Katherine Tejada, IG: @ThFlwrGrl
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
