This week, I thought it would be fun to take an adjournment from the Mompreneur blog series and feature a Dadpreneur in honor of Father’s Day. Itamar Abramovitch is the chef of Blossom Catering Company alongside Nate Smith. Itamar and Nate are classmates from the Culinary Institute of America and subsequently became business partners because they discovered they had similar work ethics and worked naturally around each other in the kitchen. This dynamic duo creates beautifully delectable dishes that will leave you happier than when you arrived. When they are not busy catering, Itamar and Nate are hosting pop-ups in the Napa Valley and San Francisco. You definitely want to reserve your seat for these sold out dinners!
Before his career as a chef, Itamar spent the previous 10 years as the deputy director of security for the government. It may sound exciting, but it was definitely not fulfilling or inspiring. The money may have been lucrative to allow for the lifestyle he wanted, but Itamar had greater ambitions and bigger dreams! When asked why he shifted to culinary, he commented, “I love seeing people enjoy food!”
Immediately after graduation, the last thing Itamar had envisioned was operating a catering company as his desire is to eventually open a restaurant. But as anyone one who has ever started a restaurant business knows, the capitol that goes into such an establishment is extensive. Nearing the end of his culinary training, he was approached by several friends to cater dinners and events and the inception of Blossom Catering Company fell into place in July of 2015. Since then, Itamar and Nate have been catering everything from small intimate dinners to large lavish weddings! No event is too big or small as long as it fits their values of bringing delicious, healthy, and sustainable food that delights the palate! This is a huge reason why pop-up dinners have become such an important portion of their production. They wanted to expand the accessibility of their food to everyone who enjoys an epicurean experience of an eight course meal, where every dish arouses your palate and delights your soul! Itamar and Nate found so much gratification from their business as it allows them to share their love for food with others. They have been working together successfully to witness the growth of their blood, sweat, and tears since September, 2015.
Itamar and Nate met each other on the first week of class when they were assigned a project and the two really hit it off! I have had the privilege to witness their magic in the kitchen and noticed how calm and focused they were when working together. The rumors that chefs were mean and angry was completely absent in their kitchen, and when I commented on how impressed I was with their work flow, he mentioned that it was important for him and Nate to create a work environment where everyone was enjoying themselves because happy people produce happy food.
Like most momprenuers I interviewed, a typical day does not exist for this dadpreneur. He recounts that his shortest day is still longer than most people’s longest day. As an entrepreneur with a brand new business, he still has to wear many hats whether it comes to marketing, accounting, cooking, serving, cleaning, or administrative. A typical day is just long.
The work-life balance is a constant struggle and what takes precedent is what demands immediate attention. He is well aware of the imbalance and trying to prioritize and decide where to outsource certain tasks in order to more efficient. There are many things that are beyond their expertise such as marketing and social media, but thankfully, word of mouth is the most popular and most reliable source of advertising. Itamar credits their success thus far to their community support. In return they often volunteer. Their latest collaboration was with a recent event in Los Angeles for the cause of Cystic Fibrosis fund. They believe that giving their time back to their community will provide them with good karma in return.
Itamar feels that cooking is an art, and creating art is an act of vulnerability. He says, “It is difficult to get wealthy from being an artist, but it is a way to express our art, how we see life. We don’t just grill you a steak, we try to make it say something about who we are and what we do, and have our values come through.” If he grilled you a steak, it would not be a huge T-bone because that’s not his personality, but he could tell you exactly where the meat came from, the rancher he spoke with, and that it was sustainably raised. Itamar’s business practice is reflective of his values and how he wants to serve as a role model for his son. He wants his son to be proud of how he lives his life.
When Itamar is not working on his business, he loves spending time with is 2 year old son, Geffen. Regardless of how they spend their day, whether it’s cooking in the kitchen or tending to their garden, it has less to do with the activity and more to do with the ability to bond. It is extremely important that when Itamar is with Geffen, he is present and not on his computer or phone. He treasures the time they have together and knows how fleeting these moments are. Itamar’s father passed away five years ago and Itamar mentions his father was a much older parent. This urged Itamar to start a family before he turned 30, so that he may have more time to see his children grow up. It was also his goal to shift careers and start culinary school before he turned 30, so he did just that and he started culinary school when Geffen was 3 weeks old, all just before celebrating his 30th birthday.
Itamar and his wife, Naama, are amazing at including Geffen in their recreational activities, but mentions that it is equally important for him to spend time with his wife for the overall happiness of the family. It is important to nurture their marriage since it can be easy to neglect marriage in the midst of tag-team-parenting. As a dadpreneur, he did not start a business just for himself, but for the well-being of his family, and he believes that if he doesn’t take time to be with them, then what’s the point? It’s also important for Itamar to give his wife time to recharge as well because he feels she works equally hard, and they could definitely use some date nights. However, it makes it challenging for him to take time for himself. Except, sometimes being up late and just to be in his own space, whether he is on Facebook, or watching a show to decompress, it’s an opportunity to recharge.
Itamar’s response to my words of wisdom question was encouraging entrepreneurs to do what makes them happy. He said, “Do something that really matters to you!” As he feels passionately about cooking and hosting, and that was never a feeling he had as a security guard. He believes that if you possess the ever burning fire to do something, use that as a catalyst to do what you love and money will follow. The love for what you do will be the main thing that will preserve your inner peace and enthusiasm. When the hard times hit, the money alone will not sustain you, you will need that innfer fire to carry you through. Itamar also encourages everyone to be open for change because he is thankful every day for the opportunity that was given to him to cater for friends and family. He is truly grateful for the trajectory of his accomplishments and cannot wait for what the future holds.
Website: http://www.blossomcateringcompany.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blossomcateringcompany
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aramati/