Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Todd RDN.
Hi Jessica, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In 2014, my son Jaxon was born. Like any parent, we want the best for our children. For me, a quality preschool was important. After the purchase of our first home in 2016, I knew I needed to find a way to earn extra income in order to afford the preschool I wanted Jaxon to go to. My husband was just getting started in his career as an RN so we were both doing what we could. One evening, a couple of friends and I were sitting on the back deck discussing the challenges of everyday life the topic of dinners and healthy eating surfaced. I have always meal-prepped; I started doing it in grad school and loved trying new recipes weekly. I asked my girlfriends if they would be interested in letting me cook for them and they said yes. Fast forward to 2018 and I was cooking for 20-25 people weekly (alone!) In 2019, Perfectly Portioned Nutrition was born.
During that same year, I earned my promotion as Clinical Assistant Professor at Georgia State but knew that without a Ph.D. my ability to climb that ladder was gone so I decided to put my efforts into growing my own business. I hired a business coach who helped through the paperwork and started cooking meals in a shared commercial kitchen a few months later. Now, two years and two months later, we are producing up to 700 meals per week and growing. We still cook from the shared space but have a semi-private space to work from. I hope we will be able to afford a private space by next year. I am still working full-time as Director of the Coordinated Program of Georgia State while managing this growing business.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
NO! One of the biggest struggles is building a team. As a startup, I do not have deep pockets to pay for the talent that is needed. I have had to be creative and develop an internship program that has worked well for my admin team of nutrition graduate students. I have yet to figure out how to do the same for culinary students, but I won’t give up. Other struggles include space. Having the ability to work from a state-of-the-art commercial kitchen without having to pay ridiculously expensive overhead has been a blessing. But, as we grow, we are running into challenges with having enough space for the team to work efficiently. We are in a weird growth pattern. I have a network of professionals I consult with and I attack problems head-on but at times, I do fantasize about giving it all up, working for GSU alone and having a greater quality of life, but then I remember that this vision is bigger than me and I can’t even think about waking away from what I know can be very successful.
We’ve been impressed with Perfectly Portioned Nutrition, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Perfectly Portioned Nutrition is a one-stop-shop when it comes to nutritional food. Founder and registered dietitian nutritionist Jessica Todd and her team strive to instill healthy habits for their on-the-go PPN family. They create beautifully plated, ready-to-go meals for those who may not have the time or energy to cook—offering weekly menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner to keep your meals healthy, convenient and interesting. PPN recently launched a new line of casseroles called, Tasteful Favors. This is perfect for families on the go with children and for gifting during times of sickness, mourning, or celebration of life. All meals are prepared in Atlanta, GA and delivered fresh weekly to all locations within a 20-mile radius of Chamblee kitchen. I am most proud of staying true to what I know to be scientific and ethical when it comes to food and nutrition. We live in a society that is saturated with misinformation. As a registered dietitian nutrition, I am bound by a code of ethics to only provide evidence-based information to consumers. You will not find fad-diets promoted from us and our meals fit within most healthy eating plans.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I like to think I am a risk-taker but I am really more calculated and conservative. I have to be. I have a family that depends on my income and PPN has not been able to afford paying me yet. I admire those willing to put all of their eggs in one basket and go for it. It demonstrates a lot of courage and personal belief in one’s ability to be successful. I am truly blessed to have a career I love and the ability to build a business at the same time, my time for letting the comfort go and diving feet first is not here yet.
Pricing:
- Average meal price ~ $11 each
- Get 5% off when you order 5 or more meals
- Get 10% off when you order 10 meals or more
Contact Info:
- Email: help@perfectlyportionednutrition.com
- Website: https://perfectlyportionednutrition.com
- Instagram: @PerfectlyPortionedNutrition
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/perfectlyportionednutrition/
