Name and Title:
Jennifer Chow, mom and co-founder of Nurture Life
Company:
Nurture Life
Contact info:
email: jchow@nurturelife.com and ph.: (312) 517-1881
How many years have you been in business in NYC?
We launched our business in August 2016 and have been in business in NYC since November 2016. We are so excited to be shipping to NYC and have received an incredibly warm reception from parents in the area who are using our service. We are grateful to have the opportunity to make the lives of busy New York families who want to feed their kids fresh, healthy meals just a little easier.
How did you get your start and what was your initial inspiration?
I got my start in the technology industry, right out of college, and worked in the industry until co-founding Nurture Life. While working in tech, my partner and I had our first child, who is the inspiration for Nurture Life. With our busy work schedules, we found it challenging to find the time to plan, shop for, prep and cook fresh, nutritious meals for our son, as we wanted to spend all of our free time with him, and not in the kitchen.
When we looked around at the different options that were convenient and accessible, we didn’t love what we found, so we decided to cook all of his meals. To accomplish this, I often found myself cooking for hours late at night, a few nights a week, and after a few years, we thought there had to be a better way and the idea for Nurture Life was born.
What do you feel differentiates you from others in your field?
Nurture Life is the first and only company that provides fresh, wholesome, organic, ready-to-eat meals for babies, toddlers and kids and delivers them straight to families’ doors. All of our meals are prepped, cooked and packaged in our state-of-the-art production facility that was built just for Nurture Life. All of our meals are created by our culinary team and pediatric dietitian to ensure the proper nutrition, balance and portions for growing kids. Lastly, we never, ever compromise on the quality of our ingredients and meals.
I believe what differentiates our team from others in our field is our experience and passion for children and food. With over 18 years of experience working in operational roles in companies ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500, I’m able to bring to Nurture Life deep operational expertise in how to create and scale a great business. Myself and the entire team at Nurture Life have a passion for impacting the healthy development of children, which makes me so excited to go to work every day and make a positive impact on the families who trust us to help feed their kids.
What is your favorite part of your job?
I love so many different parts of my job. I love working with a great team who shares our values and beliefs for Nurture Life. I love the challenge of being in a start-up that is the first of its kind and paving a completely new path. Most of all, I love that we are providing a service that helps impact the healthy development of children.
What is your favorite secret NYC spot?
I have so many favorite NYC spots! Because I lived in Soho for many years, it’s the neighborhood I know the best. Piccola Cucina on Spring Street is a cozy little restaurant with incredible pastas and a really warm, inviting atmosphere. Brunch at the Crosby Street Hotel, especially in their outdoor spaces when the weather’s warm. Vesuvio Playground on Thompson Street is a wonderful park with a great climbing structure for children and parents! Our four-year-old son loves to play hide and seek in and around the climbing structure and it’s open enough that we rarely lose sight of him.
How do you benefit mamas?
We benefit mamas by enabling them to feed their kids fresh, wholesome, nutritious meals without having to do it all themselves. We save mamas the time and stress of having to plan, shop for, prep and cook so that they can have more time to focus on the things they want to focus on while still feeding their kids great food.
What is the most memorable feedback a client has given you?
We love getting feedback from our customers and appreciate every conversation and email. One of the most memorable messages we received was from a busy, working mom of two, both under three years of age. She was struggling with the time it required to make her son, who just started eating solids, fresh baby food and was feeling guilty about serving him store bought baby food. After she tried Nurture Life, she emailed to let us know how our service had empowered her and given her something invaluable: the time to focus on enjoying and bonding with her family, without the guilt of feeling like she’s feeding her children anything less than the most wholesome, delicious and well-balanced meals.
Pay it forward and name your top colleagues in the same field or related field:
Lara Field, our Pediatric Registered Dietitian - We’ve been working with Lara since we started Nurture Life. Her expertise and knowledge on children’s nutrition has been invaluable for our business and the experience she brings from working with so many families with different feeding challenges helps ensure we continually create offerings and meals that work for babies, toddlers and kids without compromising on nutrition and quality.
David Katz, founding director of Yale Prevention Research Center - We have been following David’s work for years now. His work in the fields of nutrition and prevention, two areas that we’re passionate about, have always informed and inspired us.
What is the best advice anyone has ever given you? Or what is your "mantra" / words to live by?
The best advice that I’ve received has been from my mother. She always told me to believe in myself, but support that confidence with hard work and knowledge. I learned from her that whatever I want I can accomplish, as long as I am ready to put in the “blood, sweat and tears” to make it happen. My mother was incredibly ambitious and aspirational but also practical. I believe so much of what I’ve been able to accomplish in life is because of her advice.
As moms, the day can escape us, what is your best time-saving trick?
This isn’t really a time-saving trick, but accepting and asking for help. As an individual, I’ve always wanted to do everything myself, never ask for help and never impose on anyone else. As a mom, I’ve had to force myself to accept help when it’s offered, ask for help when I need it and most importantly, not feel guilty about others helping me and not doing everything myself.