Meet Nicole Bernier | Chef

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicole Bernier and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicole, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I have worked in kitchens most of my life. From making food for friends at a young age to college culinary school to the local Atlanta restaurant scene. It’s everything I know. Then the pandemic changed the restaurant industry overnight, and like many, I was laid off. After two weeks of not working, I decided I wasn’t ready to quit cooking, but I needed a change in my life. I always wanted to open my own bakery, but I realized now more than ever I wanted to make people’s lives easier because things were already hard enough. So I decided to open my own meal delivery business made from scratch by me with local, fresh ingredients. And Whisked Away was born.

When I started my business, the thing I heard the most about meal delivery services was they weren’t really 30 minute meals as promised. You use every pot and pan in your house to saute and cook countless ingredients. Then at the end, you have all this plastic waste left over and a mound of dishes to wash. I wanted to offer something easier, cleaner and less wasteful. So I decided to make pre-made meals with little effort needed by the customer. All you need to do is heat and eat.

Whisked Away’s menu changes weekly and varies based on seasonal ingredients. I recently began offering family meal options with sides and I often sell snack packs on request. When I started Whisked Away, it was completely word of mouth and social media. I am very lucky to have amazing friends and family that have helped me get this business off the ground and keep it going. I can’t believe how far I’ve come and I’m so excited to where Whisked Away will take me!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My goal in starting this business was to help make people’s lives easier. Being a business that started during the pandemic, I thought about things differently than I would have prior. If I hadn’t started this in 2020, I don’t think my business would have started or became what it is today.

My passion in food starts local. I was not the only one struggling during the pandemic, I wanted to support my local businesses. So cooking with seasonal ingredients provided locally was a perfect way to support my local farmers, markets and businesses. Every weekend, I wake up to go to Grant Park Farmers Market, freedom farmers market, and other local locations so everyone who eats my food is also making an impact on our community. Everything is made from scratch and with love. I get to share all of my favorite recipes and treats with my customers. And I love when they love my food as much as I do.

I have learned, this business is not for the faint of heart. I have learned you cannot do it on your own and as much as I don’t like to ask for help, you need to be able to open that door. I’ve also learned you have to really love what you’re doing and what you stand for because it is a tough business but, in my opinion, the best. It hasn’t always been easy, but almost a year and a half into Whisked Away, I couldn’t be happier that I took this leap!

At the end of the day, I don’t know that my story is all that different from a lot of people in my industry. I have been in kitchens most of my life, I have paid my dues and I’ve done the time. Like many others during the pandemic, my priorities shifted and I decided I wanted something else. I wanted more balance in my life. I truly believe in what I do and have gotten so much joy from introducing people to new food and cuisines to broaden their horizons. This journey with Whisked Away has given me new life and reinvigorated my love of this industry.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This is a long list! I have so many favorites. Around my neighborhood I love Bocca Lupo, Glide Pizza and Staplehouse. Some others I’ve listed below, because they are countless!

Elsewhere brewing
No. 246
Brush Sushi
Brickstore
Calle Latina
Forza
Iberian Pig
SOS
A Mano
Glover Park
Spring
Deer and the Dove
Mali
El Tesoro
Victory
Inner Voice
Talat Market
Lees Bakery
lan Zho
Poor Hendrix
Beer garden
Sokongdong Tofu House

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would definitely like to give a shoutout to my friends and family. Without all of them I don’t know that I would have been able to make this business a success. They have done everything from creating my logo, setting up my website, helping with social media, ordering food and even helping to deliver! They are my biggest fans who tell anyone and everyone who will listen about Whisked Away. I am truly thankful for every one of them.

Website: whiskedawayatl.com

Instagram: @whiskedawayatl

Facebook: Whiskedawayatl