After a year or so of absence from the blog, I’m back to tell you why: I’ve been busy making and selling hummus and granola!
If you had told me that I’d be at markets in the hills of the French Riviera doing something other than buying a few years ago, I would never have believed you. Apart from the fact that the two products seemingly have nothing to do with one another, I just didn’t think I’d ever have the courage to leave the corporate world to become a food artisan and vendor. Somewhere along the way though, that fear subsided – in fact, I almost felt like I had no other choice but to take the plunge.
If you are one of my good customers or close friends, you probably know the story already. But if you aren’t, then here we go. In 2020, we came back to France after an almost 10-year stint in Dubai. For about 18 months, I was determined to work in the food industry but not sure what. I tried developing wellmamma.com, created a lot of recipe videos, wrote some e-books and gave online cooking classes and LOVED it. But it was hard. People who consumed my content or participated in one of my cooking classes liked it, but I just couldn’t get in front of enough viewers for it to become my main job. I cannot tell you how many long walks with my dog were spent trying to figure out how to grow the website and/or what else I could do with my life. I knew that food was the right direction, but I just didn’t feel committed enough to be a full-time blogger. On one beautiful Friday morning, Bali (my dog) and I walked to a beautiful little village called Valbonne. It is nestled in the hilly country side of the Riviera and extremely popular with locals and tourists alike. Especially on Fridays, when the entire village turns into a charming market. Every street and corner is occupied by vendors of all sorts, from clothes sellers to the guy who sells oysters and the lady who makes crepes on demand. It actually warrants a blog post of its own. Or more. But I digress.
So I was strolling along the streets, and there I saw a lovely tall blonde woman who was setting up her shortbread cookie stand. I could hear her speak English (I later found out she was Irish), and something just made me go up to her and struck up a conversation. She turned out to be very friendly. She explained that she was an interior designer by trade, but had decided to change career paths. She’d actually been on the verge of opening up a tea and cookie shop concept in 2020. But then the pandemic hit and she swapped her little boutique for a market stall, which in the end was becoming quite successful. We spoke for some time and I suppose, she could detect my interest in the idea of food-related business, so she asked, “What do you want to sell?” And what happened after was the strangest thing ever – I looked at her, and for God knows what reason, replied: “Hummus. Multi-colored hummus. Like a rainbow, like all the colors of the chakras.” I definitely had a thing for hummus and made a pet project out of it in Dubai, but hadn’t really thought of actually selling it anywhere – and I certainly couldn’t imagine why on earth I’d told a complete stranger I wanted to make it in all the colors of the chakras. So as soon as I uttered those words, I looked at her wide-eyed, expecting her to look at me like I was crazy. But she didn’t. Au contraire, she encouraged me. She described the process of getting a little food business up and going in France as simple. Red tape? Easy. Cost? Nothing. Getting a spot at the market? Anyone can do it. To this day, I will be forever thankful to her, because, on that Friday, I finally went home from a dog walk with an answer to all my existential career questions: I was going to launch a hummus business.
And in December 2021, I did. That is how Le Comptoir Well Mamma was born.
Today, you can find me most days of the week at my stall in the local markets – including in Valbonne, where the idea was born – and I deliver all around. You’ll find a variety of colorful hummus – from beetroot and cumin to coconut curry – freshly baked pita chips and a line of really tasty granolas. The menu is here if you want to take a look. And if you want to order granola, here is where you can do it.
And the shortbread cookie lady? She has become a friend and still sells great cookies. You can find her here. I’ve met a ton of wonderful folks since I got started, and have so many stories to share. And I will make sure to hop on here a little more often to tell them.
