Today we’d like to introduce you to Richard Myers.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
During Covid I received word there were a few families who were sequestered in their homes. Since I was in good health and I was a cook, I was asked to help by providing meals for those in need. I did this for about a month as most people I delivered food had recovered. A few of the people I helped asked if I could continue this service.
Having worked in two nursing homes and then interacting with parishioners at my Greek Orthodox church, I found out first hand there are people in need of such a service. I did a little research into the Richmond area and could not find any such service that catered to people who were homebound due to health disabilities. It was at this point I made a firm conviction this need must be filled.
Since May of 2022 I officially started Drive By Gourmet LLC. Although I had clients I wanted to expand upon my base. I started by engaging in word of mouth. This turned out to be fortuitous as it attracted clients but most of those only had short term needs. So, at this point I spoke to Patrick McFadden who owned Indispensable Marketing. He built up my online presence. This elicited greater interest from the public. Although initially most of the queries were strictly curious, as time passed I began to receive calls that needed my service. Although my business is still young, I realized notoriety is not something that will happen overnight; it will only happen through perseverance. One of the keys to my success is to keep fulfilling the need I started — to satisfy clients appetites with nutritious home cooked meals. In other words, keep my mission simple and purposeful.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has not been a smooth road. When I started my business I was working full time at Flemings Steakhouse as a line cook as well as other odd jobs in the mix. I was always at war with time because I had so little of it. I had to wake up early and prepare meals for the clients and sometimes finish off late at night. Needless to say I was under a lot of time constraints to hold it all down. It was like having two full time jobs at once.
Fortunately the hard work paid off. I was, over time, able to attract enough clients so that I could leave work as a line cook. Since March of this year I have devoted all my time to building up my business. I feel very fortunate and happy to be in this position.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Since I am working with individuals who are in different states of health it is vital that I provide each with the nutrition they need. To those who have never engaged with people suffering from health related issues it might not seem such a big deal. However, when one is not in optimal health, getting one to eat can be a major challenge. Although I am a cook, it would perhaps be closer to reality to say I am more of a personal chef. I say this because while I plan a weekly menu, that does not mean every food is equally liked. In order to get clients to like what I prepare, I need to do some digging so that I understand how to cater to their needs. This requires me to personalize each and every menu item I provide.
One challenge I face is getting clients used to my cooking. I have one client recently lost his wife of many years. He primarily only ate her cooking for well over 60 years. He was attached to her cooking. He also was a very picky eater. It was a bit discouraging because he left over 80% of his food untouched. One of his family members called me and said perhaps we should call it off. I felt as though I had hit the wall. So, I stopped cooking for that client. I went on a short vacation and when I returned I received an e-mail from the clients family. I was told their father is not eating well and is living primarily off of carbohydrates. I, along with his family held an intervention with him. We stressed that he has to start to eat healthier. I fine tuned all his menus by providing him with a protein and a vegetable. Ever since he has been eating much better. When cooking for clients I strive to find the balance between comfort food and healthy food.
Another client I cook for had great difficulty with portion sizes. Since she suffers from dementia her sleeping and eating cycles are way off. Initially I gave her what I considered a medium size portion of food. I later found out that the portions I considered medium was giant to her. I had to cut way back. In general, portion sizes are one of the biggest challenges I face. The majority of people, as they age are taxed with health concerns and no longer eat as they did during their younger years.
Perhaps the biggest problem I have to combat, is working with clients who can no longer communicate as they did during when younger. Sometimes I have to be a bit of a detective. One client was not eating much at all. I and her husband were concerned she wasn’t getting the nutrition she needed. I tried cooking various foods but to no avail her responses were lukewarm. I looked into this person’s background and found she was raised by a family from Russia and later in life settled in Southern California. I took a shot in the dark and cooked Mexican food for her. It was a success. She liked anything Mexican. Then, later on I made a fried cabbage dish. I was also pleasantly surprised she ate it with gusto. I could only imagine she must have grown up on cabbage with her family and then later, living in Southern California ate Mexican foods in restaurants.
One thing I have found, the type of service I provide is not like a government program that drops off meals and goes away. When I arrive it requires some interaction. It’s vital that I keep on top of their health and stay in tune with each doctor’s recommendations. In order to do it effectively I found I must have patience and understanding. Cooking skills alone are not enough, personal qualities such as listening are vital. I believe food, no matter how good, is not a panacea. When one is compromised in any way, each and every quality of life is very important. I believe the nuances in life can sometimes go a long way.
As I build up my business my plan is to be more self-sustaining. Starting in October I will be getting all my beef from an organic rancher in Virginia. Later I plan to have a garden of my own and deal strictly with chicken and beef organic farmers. Based upon the state of the world, I believe being as self-sustaining as possible is the best way to go.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
One of my earliest memories was spending weekends with my grandparents. As I recall, it represents an idyllic time when life was filled with wonder and childhood amazement. When I was 6 years my mother took me to my grandmother and grandfathers farm in a small town called Tunnelton, WV. She allowed me to spend the night. I roamed the fields and gardens with my grandmother. She told stories about her family who hailed from the Czech Republic. Then at night, as I was going to bed she told ghost stories. What was thrilling to me, these were ghost stories that happened to her family. I am not sure if they were true or not, but as a child, I didn’t care. I was enraptured by every word.
The next morning we went hiking in the woods visiting ponds and swinging on a nearby grapevine. My grandmother then prepared a round of pancakes. I ate at the table with my grandfather. I didn’t like sitting with him because he was a bit of a food-Nazi. He sat like a big king in his chair, making sure every bite of food was eaten. Then he introduced me to coffee. I tired it and didn’t like it so I added sugar. In his idiosyncratic world-view sugar was verboten in coffee. He laid down the law that coffee should never include sugar. I had to drink every bit of the coffee with no sugar. Due to his uncompromising influence I cannot drink coffee any other way today. Those early years, I believe my grandmother inspired my love of cooking. My grandfather, on the other hand, passed on a more quixote trait — if you believe in something, do not care at all what the world thinks.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.drivebygourmet.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/richard.myers.3110
- Twitter: @Richard98594231
