Today we’d like to introduce you to Caroline Mercado
Hi Caroline, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Since I was young, I had such a great love for the kitchen and cooking. Growing up watching my mom and sisters cook instilled such a passion for the art of food. In 2014, following some health issues, my mom wanted to take a holistic approach to healing and decided to go raw vegan after having been an omnivore her whole life. Two weeks after her switch, my family and I watched a documentary on YouTube about veganism and all decided to make the change. About 3 months into our lifestyle shift we had been having the same few meals on repeat and I was wanting to try something new. I knew very little about plant based eating having been someone who typically centered my meals around meat prior to that. The very first thing I made vegan was apple pie and I was truly blown away that apple pie could be made vegan! From there, the ideas for plant based cooking were unleashed and I was so excited to see what else I could do which, several years later, led me to experimenting with vegan yeast doughnuts. At the time, they were near impossible to find in the DFW area and I originally created them just a special treat for my family and after about a year of recipe testing, I finally got the recipe exactly where I wanted it and gave it to my family to try. They were blown away! My dad, who is the co-founder and co-owner of our company Chef Mercado’s Kitchen, had the idea that I start offering the doughnuts to friends, followers from my recipe page and offering a local pop ups and events. I then started collaborating with local influencers and restaurants to bring more awareness to our new business and within about 8 months it had become my full time career. Now, we offer fully vegan catering, wedding cakes, meal preps and daily cravings like our doughnuts and more.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Overall, I am grateful to say we have had a smooth road, consistency is my word advice to any entrepreneur. Making sure that we stay true to our brand while maintaining relevancy and evolving as a company is something that I have personally learned through entrepreneurship. Constantly staying on top of trends and creating new ideas is definitely something that can challenging at times however, ensuring that whatever we do and anything we put out is something that is new and exciting to our company and our supporters is our main goal.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
At Chef Mercados Kitchen, our priority is delivering, quality, hand crafted vegan food. Our goal is to replicate the flavors and textures that most of grew up eating but now in plant based form. Whether you are looking for cupcakes for a party, Texas bbq ribs, from scratch breads, a wedding cake or meal prep, we’ve got you covered with all the plant based alternatives! We pride ourselves in being a “one stop shop” and can create anything from raw plant based “cakes” to fried vegan yeast doughnuts and more!
What’s next?
In the year 2025, we are launching even more meal prep plans for those who are wanting to focus more on their eating habits or simply want to spend less time in the kitchen, specifically for those looking for high protein plant based meals. We will also be doing more “pop up” style events and offering seasonal menus, now more than ever and soon will be launching our YouTube channel with a focus on recipe videos and reviews.
Pricing:
- Our cakes start at $50 for 6-8 servings.
- Our vegan fried yeast doughnuts start at $30 per dozen
- Meal preps start as low as $9.50 per meal
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.chefmercadoskitchen.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chefmercadoskitchen/profilecard/?igsh=M3NkeTdqNHVpMWg2
