Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
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Though Effie's didn't launch until 2007, the two founders' connection started years before when they both attended the same high school. Later, Costello enrolled in Boston University's Certificate Program in the Culinary Arts. A mutual friend sug- gested she reach out to MacIsaac, one of the program's very first graduates. Catering as a Trial Ground After working as a chef in both Seattle and Boston, MacIsaac had started her own cater- ing business in Boston. Costello came from a corporate background, her interest in the food world originating from a solid business perspective. And because they were both drawn to the same program at B.U., they shared a foundation of culinary knowledge. In 2005, Costello began to work with MacIsaac on her catering business, which quickly expanded to include cooking classes. They worked well together and began to set their sights on something new—their own restaurant. MacIsaac's catering business was suc- cessful, but she felt stif led. "I'd already had my own endeavor and was spinning my wheels a little bit." She and Costello kept up the cooking classes while raising capital and looking for a restaurant site. Both had a passion for environmentally and agricul- turally responsible food, so they thought it would be perfect to buy a farm and start a restaurant on it. But finding an affordable farm in the Boston area proved to be more diffi- cult—and expensive—than they had antici- pated. To make things worse, they were losing access to the kitchens where they hosted their cooking classes. Plus, trying to juggle everything was taking its toll. Costello remembers, "We finally reached the point when we realized it wasn't sustain- able." "Yeah," MacIsaac interjects, "we were broke." Costello laughs, agreeing, "We were broke." Confidence in a Classic They went back to the drawing board. MacIsaac didn't want to expand her current business, so they began to consider specialty food. In order to be successful, their product would have to be unique, producible, and marketable. MacIsaac immediately thought of her mother's oatcakes. The oatcakes were a staple of MacIsaac's upbringing. Not only could she count on her Winter Fancy Food Show Booth 987 producer profile 60 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com