Business Spotlight: The Gaufre Gourmet

Delicious homemade waffles made by Charlene Wesler, Chef and Owner of The Gaufre Gourmet

Name: Charlene Wesler

Business: The Gaufre Gourmet

Involved In: IDA Program, Foundations Class

What inspired you to get started with your business? I love food!  The last eight years I have worked as a catering chef.  A major event of domestic violence in 2008 left me a single mom of three kids.  In early 2009 I lost my job.  Finding another job in this economy proved difficult so I took the opportunity to enroll at PSU to finish my degree in business.  It seemed like this was the time to follow my dream of owning my own business.  This is the time and place for food carts, people love them!  The potential was there for me to support my family while doing what I love, so most of this year I have spent perfecting my liege waffle recipe and developing the idea of a food cart as a way to create an income with a business that fit with  my life and priorities.  I hope to be a success story for other women in my position.  A portion of my profits will be donated to a local domestic violence charity.

What stage are you at in the process?
My business plan is complete and I am in the process of completing the cart. Opening day will be late September or early October.

What’s been a recent success for you?
My most recent success has been acquiring a loan for the remaining startup costs.

What are you working on improving?
I am working on getting my name out there and educating people on the deliciousness of the leige style waffle!

What are you looking forward to?
I am looking forward to seeing peoples smiling faces when they take a bite of these awesome waffles!

How can folks contact you about your work?
I can be reached at gaufregourmet [at] hotmail [dot] com

New Business Spotlight: Paobread

Sina Baking LLC’s founder, Jewelie Cordero Schultz, spent her junior year in High School as a foreign exchange student in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, the birthplace of pao de queijo. Jewelie loved pao de queijo so much that she learned the traditional way of preparing it during her stay in Brazil, so that she could recreate it upon returning home to Oregon. In the years following her return from Brazil, Jewelie perfected her recipe for pao de queijo, much to the delight of her family and friends. In 2009 Jewelie decided to turn her hobby of making pao de queijo into a business, and Paobread was born.

Jewelie and her Husband Derek founded Sina Baking, LLC in 2010. Their objective is simple: To produce an authentic and all natural pao de queijo (as well as a few of Jewelie’s delicious variations.) Paobread is currently available in Portland area markets. Julie is a recent graduate of Mercy Corps Northwest’s Foundations Business Planning course. Visit Sina Baking, LLC online.