A Love Of Cooking Turns Into A Career For Tewksbury Woman

When Terri Battaglia began her career as a Pampered Chef consultant in September of 1998 she never dreamt how far it would take her.

Today, fourteen years later, Battaglia is doing exactly what many people dream of.  She is working for herself, setting her own hours, meeting new people and, most important, enjoying every minute of it.

Of course, like so many work from home careers, Battaglia’s start as Chef Consultant came when she needed the scheduling flexibility that a full or even part time career can rarely provide.  With a six-month old baby and another on the way, Battaglia quickly realized how difficult it was going to be for her to be a mom of two as well as a full time accountant for a large brokerage firm.

When her second son arrived Battaglia left her full time career behind and decided to stay home with her children.

“I really didn’t want to send my boys to daycare,” said Battaglia. “It wasn’t long, however, before I wanted to be doing something new.”

Outgoing and social, Battaglia knew that she needed an outlet and, when an opportunity to become a Pampered Chef Consultant came along she jumped at it.

“I’m a very social person and I knew that I wanted to be doing something,” she recalled. “Pampered Chef meant going out, meeting new people and, at the same time, a chance to share my love for cooking.”

These days Battaglia does approximately 4–6 shows a month, has a steady flow of repeat customers and takes orders directly on her website.  So, with a tough economy and many home based businesses failing, what does Battaglia think has helped her succeed for so many years?

“Pampered Chef is a great, quality business.  Their products, their representatives and their customer service are all terrific,” she mentioned.  “Lets face it not everyone likes to cook but everyone needs to eat!”

With a catalog and new products coming out every six months, Pampered Chef is able to constantly improve and vary their product line.

“Every six months we get a new catalog filled with between 30 – 50 new products.  This time we are able to offer 56 new items,” Battaglia said.  “There is always something new for the ‘Pampered Chef junkies’ to enjoy.”

On that same note, Battaglia stresses that no two Pampered Chef Parties are quite alike. “Every party is a little different.” She explained. “We do themed shows, catalog shows, bridal shows and even fundraising shows.  Each one is totally customized for the hostess.”

Battaglia’s goal is to provide a casual, laid back atmosphere where customers can learn more about the Pampered Chef product line but, at the same time, enjoy a fun night out. “Everyone is so busy these days that they don’t always have a chance to go out and have a good time.  I love giving them a chance to get out, catch up with friends and, at the same time, learn a few new recipes and tips.”

For Battaglia nothing quite compares to presenting her products to a group and watching the hostess earn products.

“I love to see my hostesses get so excited when they realize they get so many free, half-price and discounted products for just having a friends, family and neighbors over for a few hours. How else can you get together with friends, have fun and earn free stuff all at the same time?" she said.

Another aspect of Pampered Chef that Battaglia is particularly proud of is their generous fundraising program.  She often works with hostesses who take advantage of the program and are able earn of portion of the show’s proceeds for their charity or cause.

“May is Breast Cancer Month at Pampered Chef and that is especially important for me,” Battaglia pointed out. “We will have a number of specialty products available and a portion of each purchase will be donated directly to The American Cancer Society.”

Fourteen years after starting with Pampered Chef, Battaglia is as enthusiastic and committed to it as she was in the beginning. Her customer’s are her number one priority and being able to share her love for cooking keeps her inspired.  You can learn more about Pampered Chef by visiting Terri Battaglia online or by contacting her at (978) 423-5454.