Mother and daughter cooking school
Anna Venturi and her daughter Letizia live in Buckinghamshire.
OLD JOB Anna was a deli owner. Letizia was a medical rep.
NEW JOB They run Venturi’s Table, a cookery school for corporate clients.
“Food has always been a big part of our lives. Growing up in Milan, I remember watching my grandmother make delicious meatballs, and Letizia and I enjoyed cooking when she was a little girl.
Still, it was a shock when she said she wanted to work with me. I’d given up my job selling advertising space to start informal cooking classes in my kitchen. Two years later, I opened up a deli and a catering service, and gave cookery classes in the kitchen at the back. But I needed a fresh challenge.
We decided to target the corporate world, teaching Italian cookery. No one was doing it and we saw potential. I sold the deli and Letizia started looking at premises. She found a building in south London and we designed the kitchen ourselves.
We wanted it to have a homely Sicilian feel, with top-of-the-range
equipment. It cost £180,000, which I financed with the money from the
sale of the deli, plus my savings. We’d spotted a
niche and after the first year and a half, we’d made back our investment!
At first, we clashed, but now Letizia manages the finances, Internet
advertising and sales, while I look after the staff, plan the events
and do the purchasing.
From small beginnings, we have ten chefs plus a kitchen supervisor and we've started Indian and Thai classes.
It’s extremely rewarding working with my daughter and we’re now closer than ever.”
For more: visit venturis-table.com
START-UP £180,000
FIRST YEAR’S TURNOVER £250,000
THIS YEAR’S TURNOVER £550,000
BEST MOVE Building a second teaching kitchen. It doubled the size of our business and increased the profits.
WORST MOVE Decorating it in a sleek, modern style - our clients prefer the homely style of our first kitchen.
TOP TIP Don’t take success for granted. Always strive to improve.
