With the launch of her gourmet chef service, BonCBon, Montreal entrepreneur Caroline Ross found a way to unite her belief in the importance of family and her passion for cooking. While cooking for other people's families is labor intensive for Ross, the concept of BonCBon is simple: you order, she cooks and she and her husband deliver tasty, healthy meals right to your door.
Ross was in the catering business for almost 20 years before she decided in April 2008 to make the switch to her chef service which focuses on comfort food. She started to realize the importance of family dinners, something she didn't have much of growing up.
"I was a latchkey kid," she says.
"Family dinners were something I longed for."
Like many children growing up these days, both of Ross' parents worked outside the home. She explains that what often happens now in dual-income families is that everyone is left eating at different times of the day, rarely together.
Ross' husband, Michael Verrall, on the other hand, came from a family of six where family dinners were of utmost importance.
"They didn't even answer the phone during dinner," she says. "And you can imagine how often it rang with that many people in the house!"
What Ross' BonCBon offers is a variety of healthy, beautifully home-cooked meals, never frozen. On the website boncbon.com, Montrealers can view the weekly menu and order by phone or online before Wednesday at 4:00 PM to receive their meals on Sunday.
"We are offering the gift of time," says Ross. She believes families have a much better chance of eating together when meal preparation is removed from their to-do list.
There are no contracts to sign. Some customers order every week, others a few times per month, and some only occasionally. For example, when a mother is away on a business trip and a father comes home too late to cook, meals can be ordered for the entire family for the whole week. Customers can freeze whatever they wish.
Ross says orders are usually a minimum of $60. While not mandatory, orders under $55 incur a delivery fee of $5 to $7.
She understands people do not want to wait around all day Sunday for groceries. She offers a two-hour delivery window and the option of leaving a cooler outside if the family prefers spending the day elsewhere.
It is easy to see Ross is passionate about her work. One of her favorite aspects of the business is the personal contact with customers.
"Someone recently said it will be great once there is a delivery person," she says. "But we laughed. Delivering on Sundays is very enjoyable because we get to meet people and Michael and I get to spend time together."
However, for Ross, spending quality time with family ranks right alongside cooking and enjoying great food.
