Today we’d like to introduce you to Shelby Hayward
Shelby, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started Shelby’s Dae-ly Meals in 2016 as a way to help my mom, she had been personal training for about 5 years already and was having such a hard time with her diet. I started reading books and articles and attending online seminars to learn more about health and nutrition. It quickly became apparent to me that this was always the path that was meant for me.
Only two short years after launching my business I met my husband and it changed the whole dynamic of my business model. He had been an Executive Chef for over 12 years, and he brought so much to the table with knowledge and skill, that helped us to expand to what we are now. We have been able to partner with local schools, cater for parties and weddings, offer private chef services and so much more. Together we have 4 beautiful children, 2 daughters he brought into our relationship and together a daughter and a son. The ultimate goal was for us to be a full time family and business. We have worked endless hours to build what we have today. I find so much joy in cooking and serving others, that this never really feels like a job. During the weeks that we are running like crazy between kids activities, food prep, planning, baking and canning, it just brings me such immense joy. I feel like I am helping people make their lives easier, while also not missing such important moments in my children’s lives. The goal was always to be able to be a stay at home mom, but I wanted to be a business owner, too. Shelby’s Dae-ly Meals has given me both.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Not always, when I first started I only had my mom to cook for. The money I made didn’t always outweigh the cost of food and the time it took to prepare the food. The more I grew, the more I realized what an uphill battle it would be. Being in the food business is such a critical line of work so I knew I needed to have thick skin when it came to criticism or people who just wouldn’t like the type of food I created.
I have found that being in the food industry, there is always going to be someone you can’t please and that was a hard hurdle for me to overcome.
The biggest struggle for me, initially was balancing the guilt of being a stay at home mom, but a busy one. Over the last three years since I had my daughter, I have learned and seen what an amazing thing it is, though. My daughter is a little over 3 years old and she can make sourdough bread, it is her favorite thing to do with me. My son is only 8 months old but he is so interested in the kitchen. It makes me proud to be teaching my kids such a valuable life skill.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I think what sets me apart from a lot of other food businesses like mine is that we offer a little bit of everything. We specialize in serving healthy and beautiful foods. But I also can bake beautiful cakes and custom cupcakes. We customize everything we do to accommodate each person’s dietary needs, which is hard to find for people with really restrictive food allergies or needs.
My biggest seller is my sourdough items, I have so many things I offer from Artisan breads, Cinnamon rolls, crackers, granola bars, tortillas and so much more. There is not a lot I can’t make with sourdough.
I also recently got into canning, so I have been filling my spare time learning the art that is, canning. Most of the canned Items I offer are pickled but we will soon be expanding into jellies and jams as well. I love to experiment with food and there is not a lot that intimidates me. I am always willing to try new things, so I feel like my clients always know they can bring their crazy ideas to me and I always say yes.
I am definitely the most proud of my ability to be artistic in the kitchen. Everything I know is self taught and came from trial and error. I didn’t go get a degree, I read a lot of books and watch videos on how to do things, and just experiment. I come from a family of people who love to cook and growing up my grandma and mom were always people I watched. It was never a recipe, always just a dash of this and a pinch of that which makes for such a unique cooking style.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
My husband and I both worked in a restaurant when COVID hit, we both lost our jobs and that was tough. But it really just made us realize that having a business of our own is a great way to ensure that there is money coming into our household, even when it’s slow. But the most important thing I learned was that small businesses or family owned businesses became the bigger necessity during COVID, because those were the ones struggling. Since COVID we have seen that more people are willing to support those small local businesses over the big businesses.
Pricing:
- $12-$15 per single Serve meals. They come in 24oz containers and most all meals come with 2 side options as well
- $35-$70 for larger family Style portions. These will feed 4-6 people and also come in easy to reheat pans for the ultimate easy dinner plans.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://shelbys-dae-ly-meals.square.site/
- Instagram: @shelbysdaely
- Facebook: Shelby’s Dae-ly Meals
