Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Macri.
Hi Mike, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I always enjoyed preparing meals and entertaining. Anytime we were to host a holiday or have people over, I would take charge over the food and presentation. I loved it so much that I had joked on one occasion it would be great to do this for a living, but thought it was just a dream thought. My wife a couple of years later encouraged me to actually consider this, and even came up with the name – stemming from conversations she had with co-workers about what they made for dinner the night before. The women would all say “they” made such and such, while my wife said “oh my Mike made this or that”… A remark was made of “I wish I had a my mike!”. After a Facebook post about a daughter requesting someone to attend at a grill for a cookout at her moms, I took the job and thus #mymikecooks was born, the hashtag being used to pounce on the outreach of social media.
After a year, we decided to leave our life in Connecticut behind and move to South Carolina where we enjoyed the warmer weather and southern hospitality. It took a couple of years to establish my name but I started booking parties in the area. Then came 2020 when the world came to a standstill. SC was one of the few states that wasn’t as threatened from the pandemic (compared to other parts of the US) and believed its hospitality industry still needed to carry on. It was then that the beach vacationers market exploded. Restaurants were still limiting the number of patrons at a time. With a large number of families vacationing and wanting to eat, their trust was put into hiring me to come and prepare dinner for them. The Private Chef experience went from being a “luxury” experience to the next big wave of truly enjoying a vacation. Now that 10 years have gone by since that first cookout, I have proudly served thousands upon thousands of wonderful clients and their guests and shared in some wonderful, lasting experiences.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I would say there weren’t bumps but some hills… The hills are the volume of jobs that come at you. Sometimes requests all come in around the same week and sometimes the same day and then there’s days or maybe a week where there’s nothing going on… Staying on top of the calendar and promptly communicating with your clients is the most important way to book jobs ad ensure trust.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I have always focused on offering clients a variety of foods and cuisines to choose from. Rather than dictate a menu, I like to allow my clients to customize to their tastes or dietary needs. Because we get families from all parts of the country, each area has their own “creature comforts/area staples, etc.. and I like to either recreate that meal or perhaps expand it with maybe some southern flare…
When I do get the vacation families and there’s an abundance of kids, I like to do more fun themed meals such as a taco bar or a pasta bar… Or I love hearing how much kids love seafood. Murrells Inlet is well known for its seafood so I like to treat them to some local catches. When the ice cream sundae bar is being set up, the excitement and anticipation is on a high level from the kids and the adults!
The one thing I love to hear from my clients is the experience they got to share with their families/friends. For a few hours, they get to relax and share a meal with their loved ones and make memories that will last forever… not to disregard experiences at a restaurant but when it is in your home, it’s just your world and your world only.
As much as I put so much effort into the quality of the food, it’s also more important about the experience they have.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
To always be professional in every step:
to be well organized so that you have everything you need with you to produce the result promised…
to always be prompt and on time with everything from communication, arrival, eating times and departure
always be well kept, neat and organized in the space
understanding dietary needs of others and communicating with them so that they can enjoy without worry
to always put the passion into every job and smile.
Pricing:
- Cost of Food
- Service Fee
- Comparable to a restaurant
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mymikecooks.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mymikecooks/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mymikecooks
