In the Press

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Kendrick’s food delivery service is Good to Go

 Cameron Kendrick made her first cheesecake – with no recipe – at age 14. Cooking became her passion, and though she spent 15 years working in Atlanta real estate, she was just waiting for the right time to switch careers.

“I’ve always known that if I could have a business involving food, I would be thrilled,” she said. After getting married and moving to Greenville in June, she made that dream a reality with the October launch of Good to Go, a delivery-based business offering frozen appetizers, casseroles, sides, soups and desserts, wrapped and tagged with heating instructions.

“I can take the work out of it for people, and it’s fun for me,” she said. “I just love feeding people.”

How did Good to Go get its start?

 It started two years ago in Atlanta. I was working full-time, but I always made casseroles, dips, appetizers. I kept noticing people asking me, “Can I take your corn dip to a party? Can you whip up your chicken-and-rice casserole?” It occurred to me I could do this and make some money doing it. Since I was working, I had to figure out a way to prepare and sell the food without being in the kitchen all day. I made some things and put them in a freezer, but I didn’t know if it would work. I sold out of everything and it just grew from there.

Did you deliver in Atlanta?

 I had a house with a carport, and I would stuff 120 to 150 items in the freezer every week tagged with pricing. People would come and use it as a retail shop, write down what they took and put money in the box. Some people would take 25 or 30 casseroles at once. It was on the honor system.

Since I moved here I don’t have a carport, so I can’t have the freezer. I am not working in real estate and I’m doing this full time, so I’m doing delivery and it seems to be working well. People can leave a cooler outside if they aren’t home. I’ll deliver for free within five miles of downtown, and I’ll deliver anywhere – I just ask that the order be more than $50 if it’s outside the downtown area. I won’t drive to Lake Hartwell every day, but my 9-year-old, Piper, is my assistant and we are happy to make deliveries.

 What are your top sellers?

The chicken-and-wild-rice casserole is the most popular item. It’s comforting and has that Southern feel, but also includes fresh Parmesan and sautéed vegetables. All of the dips are very popular for tailgates. The Brunswick stew is a big seller and the chili won first place at a cook-off.

One thing I’ve noticed in Greenville is the demand for healthier items. People are concerned with their health and are feeding their kids things that are more health-centered. The Paleo Lasagna, made with sheets of zucchini instead of pasta, has been a big seller, along with the spaghetti squash au gratin.

Do you find more customers are buying as gifts for others or for their own families?

 I’d say both sides get about the same number of customers. People buying for themselves buy more, maybe eight or 10 casseroles and that’s their food for the week. I had one lady in Atlanta who would even bring me her dishes and I would cook the casseroles in them so it looked like she made them!

Gifts are usually smaller orders, one or two items. These can be custom-wrapped for game day, for a friend in need, or It’s a Boy or Girl. I recently delivered to a woman with cancer and she was so appreciative. It was purchased for her by a friend, and I got so much satisfaction out of taking her the food.

Who has influenced you as you build your business?

I was raised by a single mom and she has been a big influence. She’s a developer and a sales and marketing consultant for builders. She has a great business mind. … I get carried away with the creative side, especially with cooking. I would do it for free. She’s been helpful with ordering and telling me how much to price things. She never enjoyed cooking and I don’t think she’ll mind me saying she is not very good at it – we ate a lot of pizza growing up.

What are your plans for Good to Go?

What I would like to happen is to have a freezer stocked with most of what’s on the menu. People can see what’s available and place an order. I want to come up with a schedule, maybe deliver to North Main on Tuesdays, Augusta Road on Thursdays. If growth continues the way I hope, I’ll switch from my home to a commercial kitchen and I’ll probably hire someone to help with food prep. I really enjoy the deliveries but I might end up needing help with that.

 

How can people find out more?

 They can call 770-366-1915, but the best way is the Facebook page. They can see the menu, pictures of the food, delivery dates, seasonal specials. Right now I’m running a new customer special, and I’ll be making my grandmother’s famous rum cake through the month of December.