

Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Cahill.
Hi Laura, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
It’s funny, GEWL completely started out of the blue in April of 2020, an idea of selling food came to mind late at night and I just ran with it. Like so many people, I found myself out of work due to COVID and about three weeks into being unemployed and completely restless, I took a gamble and started selling my homemade sandwich creations and chips on Instagram. People have always told me for years, I should start a blog, sell my creations or get more involved in the industry so I figured it couldn’t hurt, so I gave it a try.
I got started by going to the store one day, getting enough ingredients to make three different sandwiches, one vegan option and of course, my famous homemade chips. I came home, went to town in the kitchen and made them as if they were already sold, photographed and posted it on my social media basically saying, “hey who’s hungry, I got food.” I sold out in an hour and there was a waitlist the next day. I couldn’t believe it, my heart was beating out of my chest, the excitement was like something I never felt before. I honestly had no idea what I started.
When we first started selling, we were only open every other week, orders had to be placed in advance via Instagram on a Sunday or Monday for a Wednesday or Thursday delivery; I started to realize quickly that I needed to move this to a more advanced platform. While building the sandwich shop, I was also taking some time to build out a website and finally have a space to host my recipes. Squarespace ended up being the perfect platform to move my sandwich business too. I have been able to grow GEWL from bi-weekly to weekly but keeping the same ordering schedule still to this day with hopes of expanding in 2021.
In late spring, we started to work on branding, coming from a marketing background every little detail mattered to me. I had to think of something to make the shop unique, fun and somehow different than our competitors. First thought was to name the sandwiches famous movie titles or quotes, but I finally ended on a music theme and ran with it. Our three original sandwich creations going from a Cali Club to “2Pac’s California Love” and our Italian Club is now known as “Big Poppa from Notorious BIG” and the list goes on and on. I honestly think naming is the best part of it, who else can call their chips “The Groupies” or vegan desserts “Blurred Limes.” It makes it a fun, enjoyable experience not only for me but for our customers too.
Social Media played a huge role in keeping GEWL alive, we are so thankful people started to order, share and repost. While the food is excellent, knowing people kept coming back and telling their family has brought us to the level we are today. We have gotten noticed by some amazing brands and have been able to cater for Whole Foods Market, MeUndies, & Live Nation to just name a few. I started Good Eats with Laura just as a passion project with no real intention on it being where it is today and while we shorten the name to GEWL, got ourselves a catchy tagline, “because good food deserves a soundtrack” and added some amazing people to the crew, we are still a small business, creating art through sandwiches and enjoying every minute of it.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
We have faced so many obstacles especially starting a restaurant concept in 2020, in the middle of a pandemic. Gosh, I can’t even begin with all the problems we faced just finding groceries, supplies or even bread throughout this whole time. I would find that one week, lunchmeat was in stock and the next it’s completely gone and I would have to drive around town for hours finding the proper number of supplies to fill the orders that came in each week. I mean at one point, I was borrowing materials such as paper towels from family just so I could dry my potatoes to make chips each week. I always knew I could and would make it work, failing was never in my vocabulary when it came to building this dream. This year has taught me to be resilient and has given me the ability to consistently grow.
One obstacle I faced almost immediately was even the growth of GEWL from opening a storefront and trying to manage the quality of the food and delivery of all orders in a timely manner. After doing everything nearly solo for two months, I quickly realized I can’t do this alone and started to bring on a crew who are still with me to this day.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about GEWL?
GEWL is the deli with a soundtrack specializing in gourmet sandwiches located right in the heart of Orange County. We are woman owned and operated and have the love of music behind every menu offering. We will continue to grow and change our menu on a seasonal basis so customers can find new offerings to fall in love with. All our items are made in house, from freshly made chips to sauces, cookies and more.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
It’s funny, I never considered myself a risk-taker, I normally follow standard protocol. When I first started selling sandwiches, I was taking a huge risk, it’s pandemic primetime, shelves are empty, people are told to stay home and here I am delivering, shopping and selling food out of my home. It’s like I jumped into this crazy idea as if I was 15 years old with not a care in the world and just kept telling myself “just say yes, just say yes.” I have learned by saying yes it has opened so many doors not only for me but the business as well, it has given me the ability to take risks beyond what I ever thought I was capable of. Seems crazy but everything I have ever done has honestly built me for this moment. I never realized how much I have started to “awaken” during this time and started to remember who I am and why I am here. I reconnected with parts of myself that were creatively muted for so long and started to find my true passion just by making sandwiches. It can be so hard to take that leap of faith such as building a brand, business or gosh even a restaurant concept in a pandemic but one thing I have learned is that I’m glad I did. It has provided me with the ability to see how strong I can really be and understand what I’m and the GEWL team are capable of. As we always say this is just the beginning.
Pricing:
- $15
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.goodeatswithlaura.com
- Instagram: @goodeatswithlaura
- Facebook: @goodeatswithlauracahill
- Twitter: @gewl18
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/gewl-tustin-2
Image Credits:
Aubrey Lao