Meet Annette Aluotto | Caterer , Dental Assistant & Mom

We had the good fortune of connecting with Annette Aluotto and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Annette, what habits do you feel play an important role in your life?
Consistency, and growth. I had to keep putting myself out there consistently in order to learn. There was many times I would look at other peoples art and think I should stop because someone else does it better. I had to persevere and understand someone does it DIFFERENT , not necessarily better. If I didn’t stay consistent I would not have let my creativity grow and show myself what I really could do. Stay consistent and don’t be afraid to try new things in order to grow.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
What sets Bella Charcuterie apart from Other I would say is the personalization , no board or box is ever the same. A lot of charcuterie boards are very uniform and so to speak basic. I make sure whatever my customers are celebrating is incorporated in each box. From date nights to family and friends to 50th bdays or graduation. I will make sure whatever you are hosting is celebrated through and through.

I’m most proud of myself , I am a 1 man show. From invoicing to delivering to prepping to shopping and having a full time life outside of this. I wanted to quit MANY times because I just felt exhausted and I pushed my self and amazed myself every single time . It’s hard saying you’re proud of yourself sometimes but I truly am.

Perseverance is what got me where I am business wise. Continuing to better myself and exploring everyAspect for the art of food. It was not by any means busy . When I started the orders were just almost to much to handle I had to reach my self as I went , I had to figure out how much to charge and dimensions of boxes and boards. But the most difficult part was doing this all while being the Main caretaker for my children . Many people don’t know behind the scenes I was bringing my kids to 3 or 4 different stores just to gain supplies , then dragging them
Home to give them a quick dinner and put them in bed while I stood on my feet until some nights 4 a.m just PREPPING the food , the boxes the crackers , the labels , the bags , cutting the cheeses , washing the fruits , making the dips , just to turn around 2 hours later and wake up at 6 a.’m before the children woke up and I would start to assemble the boxes and then my kids would wake up and I would still be working and have to stop and tend to my kids quickly and get back to work. Then I had to make a route for all my deliveries ,and make sure all orders were correct and packed with proper cooling and then loaded into my car. Then load the children in and drive around for 2 hours sometimes delivering with my kids. It’s still not easy . But when we’re done we celebrate and my earnings are for them. The feed back from my customers makes it worth it as well , some of them Genuinely love the what I do. The compliments pour in as soon as they open their order. That feels great . It really makes it easy to take on and overcome the challenges.

Lessons I’ve learned along the way are to never doubt myself . I always amazed myself . Also to take necessary breaks . Sometimes people would text me last minute and ask for an order I typically never turned down and order when I started. But I learned boundaries and when to say no. If I wasn’t rested or feeling creative i was no good for the job . To my surprise , people understood . It was me who had to learn to understand .

I want the world to know that my brand stands for beauty , and bringing people together . With great food brings great moments. My story is similar to a-lot
Of entrepreneurs , giving up is the easiest option. Working at something you believe in , letting yourself grow ,
Pushing yourself when you have nothing left to give is the hard part. But the feeling of accomplishment is priceless. It’s hard earned and no one can take that away from you .

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Truthfully Facebook helped spread the word and support from family and friends but I would be lying if I didn’t say Fulshear , Texas ..When I first started I just started taking pictures and getting the word out , it was during the pandemic. I happen to join a Page for this city and share what I was doing. Someone in that city shared my flyer to a private neighborhood page and the business took off like a wildfire. Truthfully till this day they are my most served customers. They are so supportive and grateful. It makes me feel good to bring there visions to life , I love to theme the boards and boxes to all of their events. I want to make the experience wonderful for them and show them how grateful I am for the continuous belief and support and love.

Website: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeKxq7RWs2C_RMEt7SgdKrGa_bv1-r7ABcWBA4Jl9CR-z93dA/viewform?usp=sf_link

Instagram: BellaCharcuterie

Facebook: @BellaCharcuterie