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We are thrilled to highlight Laurel Holmes as our Franchisee of the Year.

“I love food and connecting with people, so TBK is literally my dream job!”

Laurel’s first Kitchen in North Andover, MA was the first of its kind in the Northern Suburbs of Boston as she introduced the community to culinary entertainment for kids, families and adults. The Kitchen garnered so much business that she soon turned her thoughts to opening a second location in Beverly, MA which just opened this Fall. “There may be a third as well, ask me once we’ve gotten TBK Beverly up and running”, says Holmes.

Laurel works with drive and passion to make her Kitchens a success. “I am a crazy perfectionist, the systems and support at Taste Buds Kitchen created a blue-print that I can follow to achieve success“, says Holmes. She knows what she needs to do and she’s hired a great employee team to help her get there.

Just this year alone, Laurel and her amazing team have entertained over 9,772 budding chefs ages 2 to 99. Judging Battle Cupcake competitions is her favorite thing about Taste Buds Kitchen. Seeing her Kitchen full of budding chefs presenting their culinary creations is “what it’s all about.” And of course, tasting what they created is the icing on the cake.

Family First

As a single mom, being home with her two young boys was Laurel’s top priority and she loves that she’s been able to make that happen. Holmes says, “I get to see my kids everyday, which is the best thing ever!”

Laurel’s background in sales and marketing has been a great asset, something that she carefully considered before opening her kitchen. While surfing the internet looking into franchise opportunities in 2014, Laurel found Taste Buds Kitchen. “I was looking for something that would allow me to stay closer to home but was still challenging and leveraged my work experience to date,” says Holmes.

After contacting the Taste Buds Kitchen team, Laurel arranged to take a trip to NYC to attend Discovery Day to learn more about becoming a franchisee. Holmes says that, although she was pretty much sold on the idea of a Taste Buds Kitchen franchise, her experience at Discovery Day sealed the deal.

During her time at Discovery Day, Holmes had the opportunity to meet with the Founder and Corporate team, and she also was able to attend a class. Holmes says, “seeing the kitchen in action convinced me that owning a TBK was something I had to do or I’d regret not moving forward forever!”

Connecting to the Community

“We’re really becoming a part of the community.” Earlier this year, Laurel’s Kitchen was thrilled to be awarded the prestigious Best Cooking Class of the North Shore by North Shore magazine. “I think it’s a mutual love affair, the communities are happy to have us and we’re so happy to be able to connect with clients new and old in both locations,” says Holmes.

We are excited to see what’s in store for Laurel and her team in the years ahead and we are ready to help her reach her dreams! Holmes advice to all current and future Kitchen owners, “be relentless in pursuit of your goals and you will achieve them!”