The Mamalode Starter Series is an exciting opportunity for us to introduce you to some of the amazing people we get to meet. Starting something takes enormous amounts of work, faith, help and community. Every week we'll share another story of starting. So, community of Mamalode, read up, get inspired and check out these wonder-folk.
Tell us a little bit about your business and how you started it.
In 2005, I opened a chocolate business called Posh Chocolat. Prior to this, I’d been a chef for many years and wanted to open my own business and realized that Missoula needed a fun pastry and chocolate shop. We make artisan truffles, caramels, chocolate bars and other confections. We have a storefront in the Florence Building and sell in several other places in town and in the northwest. Because my husband and I are both chefs, we like to use savory flavors with our chocolates like curries and chilies—making our chocolates very unique. I’m also from Brazil, so I especially like to use tropical flavors in our truffles.
What do your kids think about your job?
We a have a 2-year-old daughter named Stella Blue and is still a little too young to quite understand what we do! I am sure she will think my job is pretty cool once she can figure out that her mom makes chocolate for a living! For now, she loves to come to the kitchen so she can play with measuring cup or some other fun kitchen equipment (the safe ones of course!) Her new obsession is play dough, so I let her play with all my wedding cake tools, cookie cutters, and make her play dough from scratch. She is pretty happy about that!
Tell us about a total mom + biz fail.
I make wedding cakes as well and sometimes the brides like to have an interview with me to talk about ideas, price, etc. When Stella was about 4 months old, I had a meeting with a bride and set it up around Stella’s nap time so we could talk and have a coffee while she napped in her stroller. Of course, that day Stella decided to, all of a sudden, wake up from her nap and scream non-stop for the whole meeting! It was awful and I felt so unprofessional. If the meeting was with another mom maybe she would have understood the situation but I guess I scared that bride away…
Share with us a total win (brag away!)
Stella was born on November 18th and I went back to work on November 28th (she was born right before our busiest season!) The fact that I was able to bring Stella to work at 10 days old meant that I was able to nurse her at work, which made me feel like Wonder Woman (although I was exhausted!) I was able to have Stella in the kitchen while I worked for the first year of her life—that was a total win situation. I felt lucky I could have my daughter with me as I never needed to pump because she was always there. That also made her a very easy going and social baby, and now toddler. She is so used to noises and people coming and going. She is just a very happy little girl, maybe because she’s been around chocolate since she was 10 days old!
What's your relationship with Mamalode?
Total identification! Mamalode shows us and keeps reminding us how powerful moms are. When people ask me how is it to be a mom I always say, “The best thing ever and the hardest thing ever.” After having a baby and becoming a mom, you’re faced with so many new challenges and a total change of lifestyle—so much to learn in so little time. Lack of sleep, no time to eat, shower, read, rest, etc. When you think you cannot take it anymore you remember that this is all happening because you are a mom now. And you are actually so freaking powerful and then everything is fine again!
About the Author
