You really enjoy good dinners with your family and friends, but your schedule is packed. There are never enough hours in a day to go grocery shopping, let alone prepare a healthy meal. And, when you have time, nothing is ever as easy as what you see on the Food Network.
So, who you going to call?
OGO Initiative.
At least that is what Grand Rapidian Ben Price is betting on.
Price, a veteran of the local culinary scene, founded the OGO (pronounced oh-go) Initiative, a business that offers a range of personalized, in-home services that develop culinary knowledge and foundational skills for a wide variety of customers.
“OGO was built with a mission to reduce stress and add value for meal served around the table. We help our individuals and families find balance,” says Price.
Services offered by OGO include:
- Culinary experience series: A mix of educational sessions, such as knife skills or how to assemble meals in the morning that will be ready in the evening.
- Taste and teach events: An evening cooking, learning and eating with up to 12 people (e.g., wine/food pairings or meal focused event)
- Co-host with OGO: Host the special event or holiday party with the assistance of Price.
Price explains his business is targeting four customer groups.
“One group are the individuals needing to learn new cooking skills in order to eat healthier; this could be diabetics or someone needing to lose weight,” he says. “The second group are people that need to learn to cook for someone else. The third group are people who want to cook for themselves, such as empty nesters or retirees. Our final customer market are people who want to cook for large parties and host events.”
To get the word out, Price says that he is relying heavily on word-of-mouth and recommendations from existing customers.
“Going into someone’s home requires trust,” he says. “We go into their kitchens, not a laboratory. We get to know their pantry, utensils and family.”
To learn more about the OGO Initiative, you can visit their
website here.
Writer: John Rumery, Innovation and Jobs News Editor
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