An interview with Ralph Saint-Dic of Creative Culinary Delights.
Describe your business.
Creative Culinary Delights takes pride in delivering freshly prepared meals with the highest quality ingredients available, mostly locally sourced. We offer catering and full dinner service with a variety of private chef packages and specialty menus to fit our clients’ needs for any and all occasions.
What brought you to the region?
I arrived in Canada about eight years ago and went for Culinary Management at Loyalist College. I pretty much fell in love with the quietness and community minded of the Bay of Quinte area.
What makes the Bay of Quinte a good fit for your business?
The location is perfect: it makes it easier to expand our services, travelling to places like Toronto and Ottawa. Also the support available for small businesses in the BoQ is amazing.
I have met some very talented vendors/entrepreneurs and people working in the same industry. I also find it interesting how many new restaurants and food-related events that have taken place in the last eight years I’ve been here.
What was the hardest thing about starting a business?
The fear to make the wrong steps/investment and getting the right advice. But with a bit more research online, I was able to find and participate in many workshops in the area, then finally able to organize my checklist and get started. Best lesson learned so far: “Fear is a temporary enemy, and regret lasts forever.”
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs in the area?
Keep feeding your passion. Love what you do and the people you serve. Don’t be afraid to start and always be ready to “get it done.” Mistakes are part of the journey, so be ready to take notes. And the most important: “Make time for yourself and loved ones.”
What surprised you about starting a business in a smaller community?
Honestly, the amount of support available for small businesses in the BoQ and people like you guys supporting us. I find all of that amazing. Most important is the advertising through word of mouth, especially in a smaller community. It’s powerful. And I’ve met awesome clients.
Describe your perfect day off.
Go for a hike, cook my favorite meal or try new recipes, meet/chat with old friends, read, pray and go to bed lol.
What’s your secret to surviving winter?
I mostly stay at home. If the house isn’t warm enough, I’ll start baking some pastries haha. But if I have things to do, I’ve gotta keep that “get it done” mindset.
If you were to have one word tattooed on you, what would it be?
It would probably be Forgiven. I think our life stories are so full of hurt and I believe in the power of forgiveness to help healing, to get over it, all the way through it and go on to live our life to the fullest. 🙂
Check back with us as we discover more BoQ Young Entrepreneurs.
And, remember to check out our events calendar, follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and sign up for our newsletter for more of what happens here in the BoQ.
