Meet Mike Vasquez of North Phoenix

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Vasquez.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Hello my name is Mike and I am 43 years old, I’ve worked in the food industry for 20+ years and Ive worked my way up working in many types of restaurants and genres of food. I’ve always had a passion for cooking ever since I was little I would ask my mom to help with the cooking at home, food just always seemed fun for me. I started working in breakfast houses in my early twenties which led into other type of food along the way. I’ve mostly done short order line cooking for most of my time but around 2009 I was hired at French /americana restaurant in the west valley by a woman named chef Aurora who opened and owned Vogue Bistro at that time. She took chances on cooks who had the passion for cooking and would mold us and teach us her techniques. She was a French chef from Paris France that graduated from le cordon bleu Paris. Working at Vogue under chef Aurora taught me a lot. It taught me the science behind the food, it taught me how to open up my palette to wild and bold flavors, and pairing those flavors to create some of the most delicious dishes one could eat. I learned how to artfully plate these dish to look like a work of art with bright vibrant flavors and colors. I learned how to put a touch of elegance on a dish that would have people taking pictures and sometimes not wanting to eat their dish because it was such a work of art. I can say that’s where I really started my journey and having a different kind of relationship with food. I looked at it differently. After doing that for some time I started to wonder what I could I do if I ever owned my own restaurant after seeing and tasting all the dishes that inspired me, what could I do on my own? Well, starting your own restaurant from the ground up is a daunting task and it can be extremely difficult and expensive so I thought I could start small and work my way into it someday. So I decided to take a small chance on something like charcuterie and started my own business called the Crafted Platter. The Crafted Platter is a mobile charcuterie service where I show up to your party or event and serve charcuterie boards. It elevates, it elegant, it allows me to see what it’s like to own my own business without a huge risk. It also keeps me working with food and creating works of art. It’s a fluid type of business that can work with almost anything from baby showers to gender reveals, weddings to birthday parties, sporting events to holiday parties , farmers markets and much more. I’m hoping to grow this into something great one day and i don’t know maybe it’ll carry me into bigger things. But for now I love bringing joy to people by engaging with them on a personal level, I love seeing people that are having fun and also while bringing a certain flare to someone’s gathering. And that what The Crafted Platter is all about bringing people together and enjoying some good charcuterie while doing it

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has been a struggle getting started but the actual execution is not hard at all. Obtaining licenses and permits can be rough but once you get through all that you can focus on achieving your goal. Marketing can also be a tough one to figure out but if you insert yourself into the right markets you’ll might find everything falls in like cards

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in pairing meats meats and cheeses and bringing a unique experience to my customers. Creating works of art on a board that’s both appealing to the eye and appetite. Being able to meet people in their space and bring them an experience that’s both unique and yummy!

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
That the journey to owning your own business can be a difficult task weather big or small it really takes alot of effort. But with hard work,tenacity and drive almost anything can be achieved

Pricing:

• Pricing depends on how large you party/event is
• Usually lands between $20-$25 a person, but can differ depending on product used

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thecraftedplatter.com/
• Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574996339358&_rdc=1&_rdr#

Image Credits
Jadalynn Reed, Sara Vasquez