Meet Kristina Gutierrez of Fresh Cut Foods

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristina Gutierrez.

Hi Kristina, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
We started off as best friends and after college put our heads together to create a business. Thus, we formed a catering company in 2014 called “Fresh Cut Catering.” However, we didn’t go full-time until 2017 in which we quit our corporate jobs and went full-time with catering. With no money and no events coming in, we hustled and knocked on doors (literally) to get our name out there to the community and businesses. Slowly but surely, it was growing until 2020 in which in a matter of 2 weeks we lost everything. Then as a pivot to keep our business going, we started selling boxed lunches to the community which we called them “GrabNGo Cuisine.” Once 2021 came and we opened the online store for the GrabNGo Cuisine’s and went from a partnership to an LLC and called it Fresh Cut Foods, LLC. We now operate under the LLC but, still continue business under Fresh Cut Catering for special events and GrabNGo Cuisine for weekly meals and corporate lunches.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. Some things we found out the hard way and others were just regular growing pains of owning a company.

Some of the challenges have been that we are not taken seriously because of our age and maybe even our gender, not having enough resources offered to businesses in San Bernardino County as we have found that most of the states money goes to LA County businesses, then the obvious struggle was during COVID and after.

We were thriving in 2019, and 2020 was supposed to be our biggest year ever. Once COVID hit though, we lost all of our events for that year and had to give money back when money wasn’t coming in. As well as not to mention, it was very challenging trying to get the grant that all businesses were trying to get from the state. Then in 2021 business boomed all at once and we were not prepared for the amount of work that was coming in, not to mention it was hard to find employees to help us fulfill all the work that was coming in.

As of now, it’s a bit easier to find employees however, it’s a struggle to find good leads. As people are more money conscious now and COVID is still affecting the events industry from people canceling events to clients opting for smaller events rather than the large guest counts.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I own Fresh Cut Foods, LLC with my business partner and Executive Chef Sheena Rosell in which we offer event catering and GrabNGo Cuisine’s for Weddings, Birthday’s, Special Events, and On-the-Go Clients. We specialize in custom cuisines and decor presentations which include cuisines from around the world while incorporating alternative ingredients such as low sodium, lean meats and fresh vegetables.

What sets us apart from other caterers is our custom cuisines which we really hear and understand what the customer wants, our array of cuisines from around the world, we incorporate alternative ingredients into every dish so that it’s healthier and more delicious to eat, and our decor presentations that we do for buffets and appetizer stations.

We are most proud of that fact that we have two brands and two companies going and we hope that when people see our brands that they see professionalism, dedication and that we care. We care about our taste and presentation and most of all we care about our customers and what they want. Without our customers, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do so we appreciate them.

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?
There were a lot of lessons learned during COVID but, the one that taught us the most about ourselves was that we were stronger than we thought we were. When COVID hit, it was the first time in my life I did know what to do, how I was going to turn this around or get back up. I thought my career was over.

Then I started leaning on others for help and got into my local chamber and learned that others were feeling the same. It was then that I learned that this was the way out and as long as I kept doing what I was doing I would get back on my feet. I also felt the need to be an advocate for other business owners going through the same thing and went on to do a couple of podcasts and interviews to share my story and let them know that mental health was not something to be ashamed of or hide from. I learned that most business owners as well as myself were too prideful to admit that they weren’t doing well during COVID like other companies were so I wanted to help them out of feeling alone or that there wasn’t a way out.

Pricing:

• GrabNGo Cold Entrees – $7.50
• GrabNGo Hot Entrees – $8.50

Contact Info:

• Website: www.freshcuteats.com
• Instagram: freshcut_catering/ grabngocuisine
• Facebook: Fresh Cut Catering
• Youtube: Fresh Cut Eats
• Yelp: Fresh Cut Catering
• Other: www.grabngocuisine.com

Image Credits
Mindy Tanimoto Photography