Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Poley.
Hi Matt, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Oh boy. Heirloom LA was started in a one-bedroom apartment in Silver Lake in 2009. In those days, we would [very gently place] a pasta machine into a backpack and make Lasagna Cupcakes out of a commercial kitchen space in the hours after they closed. Within those first two years, we hired our first employee [Pako], who now, 14 years later, runs our kitchen. After that, we started co-hosting wine tastings at Silverlake Wine every weekend and slowly built relationships with the masses. Those days were so very special and so gritty.
There was an energy to that time, with so many businesses getting off the ground. Our journey continued after those Silverlake Wine days, of course. There was a food truck, a move to a bigger kitchen, a tasting room, parking lot parties, a pop-up lunch destination, the invention of drop-off catering, and at some point a second move. Today we can cook for thousands in one day, have close to 100 employees, and take up over 10k square feet of space. We are a catering company, yes, but we are also a company who focuses so much of our effort on our team and giving back to our community. There have been so many iterations of this place, and as we stand here in 2023, we are still so grateful.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
We’re in catering. Nothing is naturally smooth. Something always happens that clients aren’t planning for. Rain, a faulty oven, power outages, traffic, you name it. So we’ve spent a lot of time over the years developing systems to help guide people through the process of planning their events and attempting to make those struggles along the way happen less and less.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Heirloom LA was truly started with a slogan that still exists today: We Work Hard To Keep Food Simple. When the produce we use comes from farmers within driving distance who are working to better their own soil and environment, the goal is always to respect those ingredients. Similarly, our most incredible ingredient is our team. So fresh, so bright, so strong and ohh so flavorful. We try to nurture a train from within approach as so many of our people start in entry roles and grow to become partners in the company. The foundation of our company is based on those two ingredients, the best food and the best people so we would say that at our core, we are about the ingredients.
And with a foundation of sourcing the best ingredients, we are able to offer a variety of different services. With a kitchen open seven days a week, we’re constantly cooking up ready-to-eat meals for production crews or delivering food to private residences around town. Our Full-Service department helps plan and execute staffed events, both big and small. In the non-profit world, we host monthly cooking classes to youth transitioning out of foster care and those who come from insecure backgrounds because to cook is to nourish and to be knowledgeable about ingredients is healthcare.
There are many moving parts at this company, and sometimes we have to remind ourselves that at the end of the day, we’re throwing a party. That’s a line we use often to help us keep the weight of the world in perspective. Because it can be a lot, running a business in this time, after the heaviness of the last three years, and ensuring longevity plus balance while supporting our team. We all recognize that we got into this industry because we love throwing a party. We love sourcing ingredients from our local farmers, we love nourishing our community, and we love helping guests break bread together.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
Post-pandemic, we have hit the ground running with the idea that this company must be built on a foundation of collaboration or it doesn’t work. Whether you would like to work together on your next event or are interested in helping us give back, we’d love to hear from you. All of our non-profit efforts are supported by our for-profit catering business. THANK YOU for your continued support.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.heirloomla.com
- Instagram: @heirloomla
Image Credits
Haden Cadiz
