So you love to cook, and people say you're pretty good at it. But can you make a living from culinary passion? Jennifer Vogel believed she could. As she and Doreen Grontkowski became friendly at a Mom's Club in suburban Cincinnati, they both realized they were ready for something new after several stay-at-home years.

所以，你喜歡下廚，人家也讚美你廚藝不錯，但你可以靠這股烹飪熱情謀生嗎？珍妮佛．沃格爾認為她可以。當她和多琳．葛隆科斯基在俄亥俄州辛辛那提郊區媽媽俱樂部結為好友，兩人深有同感，待在家裡幾年，現在已經準備好來點新嘗試。

Both were in their early 30s, and both had marketing experience. “And we both had the same love for food,” said Vogel, who had become an avid Food Network viewer and received chef's training at the Midwest Culinary Institute in Cincinnati. After a year of planning, they opened The Learning Kitchen. Vogel spent the first day demonstrating how to make risotto and handing out free samples, while Grontkowski showed off top-line cookware in their retail boutique.

兩人都30出頭，都有行銷經驗。沃格爾說：「我們倆同樣熱愛美食。」她超愛瀏覽食物網站，並在辛辛那提中西部烹飪學院受過廚師訓練。經過1年規畫，她們創辦了「學習廚房」。沃格爾首天先示範如何烹調義式燉飯，並免費分送試吃樣品，葛隆科斯基則在她們的零售專賣店，展示頂級廚具。

Nearly three years later, they plan to expand their thriving business, which quickly sells out classes such as couple's “date-night” cooking for $150-$160 a session. Even in a sour economy, some people have been able to turn the joy of cooking into a sweet career, whether it's a successful small business or running a restaurant kitchen. It's a sizzling field; witness the ever-expanding lineup of cooking and reality TV shows such as “Rachael Ray” and “Top Chef,” and the increased interest in serving fresh food at home.

將近3年後，生意蒸蒸日上，她們計畫擴大營業，有些料理課，例如學費150-160美元（約台幣4320-4600元）、兩人一起上的「約會夜」烹飪初級班，很快預定一空。即使經濟不景氣，有些人還是可以把烹飪的樂趣變成甜蜜的事業，不管它只是成功的小企業或掌管一家餐廳的廚房。這是個炙手可熱的領域，明顯的表現在烹飪及電視美食節目，諸如《瑞秋．雷伊》及《頂級廚師》時段不斷延長，而在家烹調新鮮食物也蔚為風潮。

Surveys show that nearly half of restaurant employees aspire to run their own restaurant and, as employment and sales strengthen again in an improving economy, the National Restaurant association projects double-digit percentage growth for chefs' and head cooks' jobs over the next decade. Still, small-business failure rates can be daunting, with fewer than half of new businesses expected to survive five years.

多項調查顯示，近半餐廳員工渴望自己開餐館，隨著經濟改善，就業和業績有起色，全國餐館協會預測未來10年，廚師和主廚工作將呈兩位數成長。儘管如此，小企業失敗率仍令人裹足不前，預估新餐廳能挺過5年的不到一半。

New businesses can benefit from relatively low-cost marketing online and digitally. The Learning Kitchen got a jump-start from online bookings, and has expanded to include a Facebook site, and use of Groupon and Foursquare for mobile marketing.

新企業可以受惠於成本相對較低的行銷網和數位化。「學習廚房」受到網上預訂很大的助力，如今已擴大到包括臉書網站，並使用團購Groupon和社群網站 Foursquare來推行動行銷。

Another successful, Ohio-based cooking business, launched about four years ago, has been heavily dependent on its online presence. Cooking with Caitlin began in Cincinnati with a catering business and a web site with recipes. It now includes online cooking classes, a two-hour “Foodies Night In” with interactive cooking information via Twitter, a Facebook page, a radio show and live demonstrations.

俄亥俄州約4年前出現另一個成功的烹飪企業，也大量倚重網上曝光。《和凱特琳一起烹飪》美食節目在辛辛那提開播時和一家餐飲業合作並提供網路食譜。現在還包括網上烹飪班，並透過推特、臉書頁面和廣播節目及現場展示，2小時的「老饕來晚餐」提供互動式烹飪信息。

Chef Caitlin Steininger received classic Le Cordon Bleu training at the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago; when she returned home to Cincinnati, she formed the business with her sister Kelly Trush and a friend, Molly Sandquist. They started with catering, but found that working so many nights and weekends was tough on their families. So they focused more on marketing partnerships, such as becoming part of Cincinnati.com's blogger network and drawing people to their site with more tips, interactivity and videos, and with public demonstrations and appearances.

主廚凱特琳．史坦寧格在「芝加哥烹飪和酒店管理學院」接受經典藍帶廚藝訓練，當她回老家辛辛那提後就和姊妹凱莉．特拉許及好友莫莉．桑奎斯特合作創業。她們從辦外燴起家，但發現晚上和周末經常加班苦了家人，因此改弦更張，把重點放在行銷推廣夥伴關係上，例如加入Cincinnati.com部落格網路，並提供更多優惠、互動和影音及公開示範以及現場秀，吸引網友訪問她們的網站。

Now they're working on a cooking show for local cable TV. Trush said they were able to start the business with little debt, using catering revenue to build it, and got into the black in about two years. “You have to be patient,” she said. “You have to be flexible.” “If you're interested in starting your own business,” added Sandquist, “make sure you, love, love, love it!”

現在她們正著手為當地有線電視開個烹飪節目。特拉許說，她們在創業時沒有揹負太大債務，只使用了外燴服務的收入，大概2年就轉虧為盈。她強調：「要有耐心，保持靈活。」桑奎斯特也補充說：「如果你是志在創業，要先確定你愛、愛、愛死它了！」

Vogel and Grontkowski said they started making money before the end of their first year. They credit teamwork and a sound business plan developed with the help of Score, a nonprofit organization that offers free counseling for entrepreneurs. “People asked, 'Aren't you scared, how do you sleep at night?'” recalled Grontkowski. “But we did our research to a T, made no assumptions and had an evolving business plan.” “The only moment of doubt I had was just before we unlocked the door that first day,” Vogel said. “I thought to myself, 'What if nobody shows up?' ” Instead, they were packed from start to close.

沃格爾和葛隆科斯基說，她們在創業快滿1年時開始賺錢，主要歸功於團隊精神，及在提供企業家免費諮詢的非營利組織Score協助下，提出良好的經營規畫。葛隆科斯基回憶：「很多人問我：『難道你不害怕，晚上怎麼睡得著？』但我們做了充分完善的研究，沒有絲毫疑慮，而且有個不斷發展的業務計畫。」沃格爾說：「我唯一懷疑的時刻是在我們第1天開門營業前，我心想，『萬一沒人上門怎麼辦？』」相反的，她們的店從早到晚被擠爆了。

This photo shows Learning Kitchen co-founders Jennifer Vogel, left, and Doreen Grontkowski preparing for a sold out cooking class in West Chester, Ohio.

圖為「學習廚房」的共同創辦人珍妮佛．沃格爾（左）和多琳．葛隆科斯基，在俄亥俄州西契斯特準備上早已預定一空的烹飪課。（美聯社）