Lizzie Marie is the founder of Lizzie Marie Cuisines. She was inspired to start a culinary business at the age of six. At this point she started backing for her local farmers market to help her pay for horse back riding lessons. Then after launching her blog at age 8 she then went on to win the Del Monte grant (Foods Company Shareholders Litigation) , and make appearances on Rachael Ray Show, Fox News, CNN Money, and the Huffington Post. At the age of 11 she turned a love of healthy cooking into Lizzie Marie Cuisines, a successful website obtaining videos, recipes and blogs to help children eat/cook healthier, and include projects, such as “Healthy Cooking with Chef Lizzie,” an online TV show for WebMD. Whats next on her branding agenda? A cookbook and dreams of a cookware line. Lizzie is currently a senior in high school and is balancing the complexities of attending school and running a successful website at the same time.
What were some of the initial reactions from customers?
“A lot of people were surprised at how young I was, because they didn’t think a 6-year-old could be in the kitchen, baking breads and cookies. Once they got over that, they were pleasantly surprised and said the food was good and healthy. A lot of people are also skeptical at first because my recipes are creative and use interesting ingredients, but once they taste them, they realize healthy foods don’t have to be boring — they can be yummy and exciting.” -Lizzie Marie
Was your business also inspired by your parents’ combined 100-pound weight loss?
“When my parents lost their weight, I was probably like 2 or 3, so I didn’t really take notice. My dad had a healthy-living business, and when I was older and started to learn more about why he had the business, I realized it was a pretty big deal to have a combined weight loss of 100 pounds. It was inspirational. It helped spark my interest. I thought if my parents could do it, anybody could do it.” -Lizzie Marie
This is so inspiring to seeing Lizzie at such a young age to do what she loves and make a profit while doing it. They say if you love what you do then you don’t work a day in your life and Lizzie has found her passion
I am learning that cooking is not as easy as it may seem. Without a recipe, I can only make eggs and bacon, so it is impressive to hear of someone so young creating their own recipes and cooking amazing meals at such a young age. I was also impressed to hear she is managing school and her business, which seems like a daunting task.
Cooking is a way of expressing yourself, what your like, and what you visions are. It is simply another form of art and what she has here is outstanding because since she is 12, her imagination is still limitless, therefore she has more than enough room to grow.
The culinary industry is such a niche market, so it’s amazing to see such a young entrepreneur make such a large impact. I think its so cool that she is getting the younger generation interested in good and healthy cooking!