1. The Overview

When learning how to cook, Chef Mike is a guy you want in the kitchen with you! He is thoughtful, creative, supportive and makes cooking fun for the whole family. Chef Mike approaches cooking as a way to bring people together by eating healthier and having family time take on a new dimension.
While Mike’s passion was evident, his challenge was converting those ideas online. This is where The City Mix came in to help Chef Mike out. Building a web experience for Chef Mike was a fun challenge because this was a true collaboration. Secure the domain name and pair it vision with top quality execution provided by The City Mix’s turned this into a recipe for success.

2. The Challenge of Refining his Vision

While I provided the technology and the social media perspective of how to engage his customer, he needed to identify who he wanted to be and what he wanted to be known for. While I have mentioned “refining your elevator pitch” to my audience before, this time it took on a greater context. It was more then just displaying his craft to the web. Mike needed to define his identity and what he wanted to be known for.
Over a series of phone conversations, we worked hard to lock down a concept. What Chef Mike noticed was that many people wanted to cook healthy and have it be fun, but didn’t have the basic kitchen skills to make a meal. He also noticed that a lack of basic kitchen skills led to a time consuming project. When those projects take longer than expected, doubt and a lack of confidence derails family time before it even begins. He knew what he wanted to target.
Chef Mike started removing the mystique of a kitchen by teaching basic culinary skills, like chopping, cutting and food prep. When the entire family started handling individual components of a meal, the family started working together as a team. Families, kids in particular responded by appreciating and being proud of what they made in the kitchen. Mike found his inspiration and mission.

“Our mission is to bring people together through food, inspire families and friends to get into the kitchen, and create long-lasting memories” ~ Chef Mike

3. The Process and Insight

Once his mission, tagline and elevator pitch came into focus, Chef Mike was off to the races.
The next step was to provide a vehicle to identify with his audience. We collaborated and came up with 3 key topics that he felt was lacking from new cooks.
1. Chef Mike wanted to create awareness and consciousness of what they were putting in their body. Eating healthier needed to be fun again!
2. He also noticed that families were becoming more and more disconnected with electronics and distractions. He wanted to bridge that gap and bring people together by cooking together as a family.
3. Chef Mike wanted to take the intimidation out of cooking. He wanted to make cooking fun and accessible by understanding basic kitchen skills and how those skills can translate into great meals.
The City Mix had the vision of what Chef Mike wanted to accomplish. His assignment was to identify parts of websites that he liked (colors and layout) and companies he personally used. The City Mix had to take all of the input to create the canvas, palette and connection to families and local grocers that Chef Mike personally felt.

4. The Results

Chef Mike gave us the building blocks we needed to deliver Chef Mike digitally! After revisions and engaging conversations The City Mix was able to provide a clear concept focused on his point of view that featured local produce he used himself and how he wanted to make a difference in families lives. The result was a vibrant web experience that was uniquely Chef Mike! Wine About Food  was born!
Wine and Food is the ultimate pairing! The result was a cohesive, focused website that showcases his passion for cooking healthy while sprinkling in a little fun for the adults. Stay tuned for amazing meals and cooking tips from Chef Mike!