Isabelle Mota, a passionate 40-year-old entrepreneur, swapped the streets of Paris for the dynamism of Dallas in 2017. A specialist in food marketing, she transformed her expatriation into a flourishing entrepreneurial adventure. A look back at the journey of the founder of MyFrenchRecipe, her challenges and her mission to promote French gastronomy in the United States.
In 2017, Isabelle arrived in Dallas with her husband and children, with a burning passion for cooking. Without a work permit upon her arrival, she took advantage of this period of waiting and reflection, in order to know what to do after obtaining the precious sesame. Passionate about gastronomy, she seized the opportunity to create cooking classes, initially intended to expand her social circle. The unexpected success encouraged him to professionalize the activity: MyFrenchRecipe. “I see that the courses are doing quite well, even if they were very amateur and with very little marketing. I told myself that there must be something to do, a little more professional,” she says, retracing her journey.
MyFrenchRecipe, a studio and preparations
Isabelle combines her passion for French cuisine with teaching and opened her Cooking Studio MyFrenchRecipe in 2019. She is also launching Baking mix products to meet the growing demand from her students: “Here there is really a craze for everything which is packed, and more than just cooking. I told myself that I could launch a range of French-style pastry preparations to help these people interested in French cuisine.” The products are now available at Whole Foods, Amazon and various independent sellers.
The pandemic hits MyFrenchRecipe hard, but the temporary closure of the Cooking Studio makes Isabelle grow wings in the face of uncertainty. After a period of refocusing on products, she decided to reopen the Cooking Studio in 2022, pursuing her dream of teaching French cuisine.
Demystifying French cuisine in the United States
Asked about the perception of French cuisine in the United States, Isabelle emphasizes that it is often considered too complex and haughty: “I would say that French cuisine is judged to be too technical, and that is not the cup. of American tea. For a majority of Americans, cooking is more of a necessity than a pleasure. His goal is to make French cuisine accessible by showing Americans that it can be as simple as it is delicious.
MyFrenchRecipe cooking classes offer popular recipes, such as macarons, as well as more complete menus like at the bistro: “I take great pleasure in showing people that they can make French cuisine that is very good and with ingredients that don’t cost $10,000.”
A gourmet future for MyFrenchRecipe
Isabelle remains faithful to her mission: to promote French gastronomic culture in an uninhibited way. Its objective today: to conquer all of the United States, slowly but surely: “we are established at Wall Foods in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana. We also launched on Amazon and we also work with French Wink New York and small French stores.”
Isabelle has a clear message for all those who, like her, wish to launch themselves in the United States: “Go for it, even if your project is small at the beginning. In the United States, there is no point in sitting at home thinking about a concept for years. You have to get started, take risks and above all listen to consumers in order to develop.”
2023-12-31 17:12:49
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