Ep. 33 Creating a Resilient Catering Business feat. Matt & Ashley Johnson

Do you love delicious food and resilient people? Then, you’ll want to hear Matt and Ashley Johnson’s story about how they launched Mangia Mangia Italian Kitchen and pivoted during COVID. Learn more about the Carlsbad Chamber. The owners of Mangia Mangia Italian Kitchen, Matt and Ashley Johnson, come on the Carlsbad People, Purpose, and Impact Podcast to talk about family, catering, and business with Bret Schanzenbach. This husband-and-wife team has had successful experience in the corporate world, but, when their first child was born, they decided they needed a big change. In order to spend more time together as a family, they fulfilled their long-time dream of going into business together and, in 2018, Mangia Mangia Italian Kitchen was born. Originally, they served food at festivals, concerts, and parties through their food truck. When they recognized that this wasn’t the most sustainable business model, they pivoted and used their food truck to become a preferred provider in order to cater for weddings and events at various venues. Then… COVID hit. In response, Matt and Ashley applied for Great Plates, a government-funded program that helped those in the restaurant business to make and deliver meals to those 60 and older. Soon, Mangia Mangia was accepted as one of San Diego’s vendors and they were soon making and delivering over 600 meals every single day. Now, Matt and Ashley are utilizing all they’ve learned over the past few years, as they continue to cater for weddings and events and also provide locally-sourced lunches for multiple businesses through their Simply Lunch program. If you want to hear how this powerhouse couple and innovative business team launched their business, navigated COVID, and have bounced back to create even more opportunities to serve others, check out this episode! Interview Links Check out Mangia Mangia Italian Kitchen here! Learn more about Mangia Mangia on Instagram. Connect with Mangia Mangia through email. Resources Did you like what you heard? This show is produced by Imagine Podcasting dba Heard Not Seen Media, Inc. For more, visit Imagine Podcasting’s website. Did this episode have a special impact on you? Share how it impacted youCarlsbad Podcast Social Links:LinkedInInstagramFacebookXYouTubeSponsor: This show is sponsored and produced by DifMix Productions. To learn more about starting your own podcast, visit www.DifMix.com/podcasting