JACKSONVILLE, Fla – A local woman is beating the odds in more ways than one.
Jordyn Bass started a meal prep business during the pandemic without experience in the restaurant industry. She left her office job to do something she was passionate about: cooking.
That started with an online bakery, but in July 2021, after her wedding, she started meal prepping and realized people didn’t have enough local options.
“When you hear ‘meal prep business’ you think of bland, boring food,” Bass said. “Like a rice, a vegetable, and meat.”
Bass started Simply Mealicious to give people a variety of ethnic foods, but also to help people in her community live a healthier lifestyle.
“We actually have had a lot of people tell us they lost weight. They lost a significant amount of weight. They feel like they’re not hungry later on, you know, not snacking as much,” Bass said.
She opened her business without a commercial kitchen of her own and without experience in the industry.
“I’m completely self-taught,” Bass said. “Without that background, people don’t take you seriously. Most chefs are men, seems like, so coming into this industry as a woman it took time to get people to respect me.”
Her work goes beyond her business. She also donates meals to an organization that provides food to children on the weekends.
“We just wanted to do something that gives something back to the community,” Bass said. “It’s important to us to be more than just a business. It’s about providing more for everyone.”
Bass encourages other small business owners to put themselves out there and not be afraid to try new adventures.