Today we’d like to introduce you to T A B L E Ghost Kitchen.
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?
We, Stevie Andujar and Ryan McKenzie, started T A B L E Ghost Kitchen in September 2020 while in the midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Ryan was laid off from his job at Tiffin’s in Animal Kingdom and Stevie lost her video & photo editor job the next month. We decided to bake chocolate chip cookies because baking was one of the many hobbies taken up by everyone during quarantine. We began posting videos on social media and sold them to friends & family.
As the months went on, we developed new flavors and continued to sell cookies. We continued to create our brand and make T A B L E into a business we could be proud of. Currently, we are settled into a commissary kitchen in Casselberry at Alex’s Fresh Kitchen. Our menu has expanded to include savory food such as Mac & Cheese, Chicken/Shrimp Satay, Coconut Curry, and more. We are a very inclusive company that strives to support people of all spectrums. Two of our newest cookie flavors are called “Black Cookies Matter” & “Proud AF” of which we donate 15% of the proceeds to various charities. “Black Cookies Matter” is made with black cocoa powder with a hint of coconut flavoring. “Proud AF” is a sugar cookie with strawberry and a silver glitter sugar.
Just prior to the pandemic, Ryan got COVID in March and lost ten pounds. A couple weeks later, Disney shut down and he drove to his sister’s house in Virginia. During his stay, he became the private chef for his family to compensate for rent. He grew a greater passion for cooking over the five months he stayed with his family. During a year of trauma, from pandemics to protests, he wanted to make something of 2020. During this time, he met Stevie online. They instantly connected and shared their creative passions.
Stevie was a photographer & videographer working full time for a company when she met Ryan. She wanted to grow a photography business of her own. She loves making video content and co-hosts a podcast with Sarah Johnson called From Under The Bed. When T A B L E Ghost Kitchen started to take off, we wanted to make it more than a food establishment. We are currently working on the debut of our video content. Videos will feature Orlando-based small businesses participating in games & challenges. They will also have video content featuring T A B L E’s food & cookies!
We sell our cookies nationwide by the dozen and participate in various markets such as MAM Events & Magic After The Ears. We want to build a business of our own with no limits on creativity. We are really excited for what’s to come and how much T A B L E Ghost Kitchen will continue to grow.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There has definitely been a number of challenges. We started a food business during a pandemic as a new couple. In July of 2020, we met online. T A B L E started as a project to simply just pass the time. As ideas grew, the business grew. A major struggle was, obviously, running a business with your new SO. We are so grateful for what we’ve done with this business and where it is heading. It was hard to balance between your SO and your SO as a business partner. We’ve since split up romantically but continue the business day to day. We’ve had to overcome the normal decision of stopping the business and have since become great friends. Neither one of us has ever ran a business before. Time management has been a huge challenge for us. There’s only two of us doing everything. If one person isn’t doing the task, the other has to.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are T A B L E Ghost Kitchen. Ghost kitchens are a new concept in the restaurant industry, allowing restaurants to produce meals via a virtual-only platform. In other words – they are restaurants without seating. We stand out because our food is real. What you see in our pictures are actual meals. We love meeting new people and learning new names. Making an actual connection with everyone we encounter is extremely important to us.
We are known for our cookies and Mac n Cheese! We’re also known for our photography. We can’t wait to see how our videos come out! We want everyone to know we offer nationwide shipping of our cookies and offer private cooking classes. We don’t consider ourselves as a restaurant. We are pioneering towards a part of the industry that we, personally, haven’t seen before.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
The ghost kitchen industry, at this rate, is projected to be a trillion-dollar industry. In 5-10 years’ time, we would love to have our own studio and facilities to ship cookies, create our videos, and have a place to call our own. We are constantly evolving our vision.
Pricing:
- Private Cooking Classes start at $150 for 90 minutes.
- Cookies range from $20-$25.
Contact Info:
- Website: tableghostkitchen.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/table.tgk/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/table.tgk
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/tabletgk
Image Credits
Stevie Andujar; https://www.instagram.com/mocandoodle/
