Valentines Day is fast approaching and we all know that a little love makes everything taste better. All of our Foodzie producers have a love for good food. But for some, their love of food goes hand-in-hand with their love for each other. Meet Jenna & Mark, the owners of Whimsy & Spice in Brooklyn, New York.

1. How did you decide to start a food business together?
Our story is one of those recession stories. A layoff presented us with an opportunity to start our own business when we we didn’t have the courage to do so before. We had vague ideas over the years of eventually starting a business of our own, but when we were faced with a sudden financial crises, we hatched a plan and moved really quickly to open up shop 2 months later. We developed the products as we went along. Between the 2 of us, we luckily had all the skills we needed to do this completely on our own – the products, the packaging, the photography, design and branding. Desperation has a way of lighting a fire under you, but we’re actually now grateful for that fateful day.

2. What is the best thing about working together?
We get to fulfill this dream that we’ve had for awhile. Mark’s been in the restaurant industry forever working as a pastry chef, but it’s a nice feeling to be able to build a company from the ground up. It’s also liberating to not be a slave to the kind of schedules that go along with working in the restaurant industry. Even though Mark puts in the same amount of hours as he did when he was working as a chef, we’re in charge of our own schedules now and it’s nice to be able to have that flexibility so that we can pick up the kids from school or take an afternoon off to go do something as a family.

3. Any funny stories or challenges that have resulted from working with your significant other?
The most challenging aspect of working with your spouse is not being able to separate work from home life. It’s really easy to to be tempted to talk about work stuff wherever you are, whether it’s doing laundry or making a trip to the grocery store. Our lives are intertwined with the business. It’s not uncommon to have to swing by a supplier to pick up 10 dozen eggs and bags of flour on the way home from an outing to the zoo with the kids.

Stay tuned for another great Foodzie Love Story tomorrow!