Meet Danielle Lavallee | Founder & Head Chef

We had the good fortune of connecting with Danielle Lavallee and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Danielle, do you disagree with some advice that is more or less universally accepted?
“Work Smarter Not Harder” -I believe this advice gives aspiring entrepreneurs the wrong impression of what it takes to succeed at what they are pursuing. You have to start by working harder than everyone else around you. Most people are not willing to truly do the hard work; sacrifice personal time, take on inevitable stress, go without, work more hours than everyone around you, not take all the money you have earned all at once. Sometimes you may even have to do things for less than what you are worth, because the pay off and the benefit is in the exposure you are gaining. This is what’s hard…at first. But if you can do all of these things, then eventually in time you will get to a place where you can work smarter and a little less hard. But you have to do the hard work to get to the smart work.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I started a in-home private chef business. Though this is not a new concept by any means, I do feel like what we offer our guests is unique in terms of the experience. We focus on blending the concept of a restaurant experience with the intimacy of dining in-home with friends/family . When guests book with us, they can expect for us to take care of it all. We bring all the decor to set the table beautifully, a speaker for music, all the dishes, flatware, glassware, cookware, ingredients to cook a 4 course plated meal for each guest , along with serving them. At the end we clean up everything before we leave. For our hosts, they get to actually enjoy their own party and their time with family and friends. For our guests as a whole, we are able to truly facilitate this magical moment for them where they feel as though they are a part of a special experience, yet they have the subconscious relaxed attitude one would have when they are at a friend or family members house, versus in public. The laughter is a little bit louder, the conversation is a little more raw , and the energy is so incredibly special at these dinner services!

It was easy for me to know that this is what I wanted to do when I started doing it. It was not easy to make the leap from my corporate job of 10 years. Not only did I have to process the fears that surround the idea of owning a business versus serving another persons business , but I also had to work 7 days a week at 2 jobs for about a year and a half before I was ready to make the leap. There was a lot of sacrifice once I decided that I wanted to transition from serving someone else to serving myself. I had to build one thing before I was able to quit the other and that meant having to work everyday, late into the night or early in the morning, juggling , balancing , until I got to a place that I felt confident and comfortable that I could let my previous career go.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

I grew up in Tampa FL so even though that is no longer my home, it will always be home to me since all of my family and 2 best friends live there. So when my family and friends from Boston want to come to Tampa to visit us when we are down there, this is where I take them :

– First day I would take them to Alessi Bakery in the morning to. This bakery has been in Tampa for a very long time. Its a staple. They have a phenomenal Cafe con leche coffee and they make this Sicilian pizza called Scachatta that is literally the best cold pizza on the planet and great for the beach! Then I would take them down to Clearwater Beach to the beach bar at Opal Sands , a beautiful Hotel. We would get a drink and then head down to the beach so that they could enjoy the soft powdery white sand and the 80 degree ocean! The ocean in the gulf is the best. Always so nice and warm ! I love that. That evening we would hop over the bridge back to Tampa where I would take them to CW Gin the amazing speakeasy style bar and restaurant. The drinks are incredibly crafted and the food is all from scratch and thoughtfully put together. its small and intimate and the design feels very roaring 20’s. After our dinner I would uber down the way to Berns steak house and take them o the desert room. Berns is one of the oldest restaurants in Tampa. The inside is like the Haunted Mansion. Its very unique and the desert room is an area upstairs that is specifically for guest who only want dessert, cocktails and to listen to a pianist who has been playing there for about 30 years. Their dessert menu is extensive and each party gets their own little cocoon seating area, so it feels very private and intimate in a way. You just feel like you’re a VIP there.

The next day I would take them to Hyde Park village for the guava and cream cheese donut at The Salty Donut. These donuts are pretty much the most unbelievable donuts I’ve ever had. Very unique. Then we could walk around the shops of Hyde Park a bit before begging one of my friends to take us out for the river tour on his boat. The river tour is one of my favorites because it really feels like the heart of Tampas energy and history is on this river. The Hillsborough river drop in is at the Lowry Park Zoo and takes you all the way to down town Tampa before dumping you out in the golf. You get to enjoy all the beautiful homes, the mossy trees, the soft sounds of the river and the life around the river. You get to see areas of Tampa from a different perspective.

Last stop for me would be Sunday brunch at Oxford Exchange. This is an old building turned hip cohort of cafe, restaurant and home boutique store. On the upper level they have offices for rent. The design in this building is stunning. Very masculine, yet comforting. Lots of historic photos and energy. I love the boutique bc they have what feels like very carefully curated home goods, bar essentials and an incredible collections of cook books to purchases

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My husband , Eric Szczepkowski, deserves this shout out 100%. He supported this idea from the beginning. He had faith and believed in my ability so much so that he didn’t even blink an eye when I said that I was quitting my high-level corporate job of 10 years to pursue something completely different from what I was doing. He has and continues to endure the immense level of sacrifice that comes with being married to someone who is building a business and putting everything into that dream. He sees the vision, he sees me, and he appreciates me for who I am.

Website: SocialTableExperience.com

Instagram: @SocialTableExperience

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Image Credits
Credit to Josh Adam Photography for all photos