Meet Stella, our Franchise Partner in West London. Stella has been trading as Kiddy Cook West London since September 2018 having worked with us as a Class Leader for 2 years. Prior to joining Kiddy Cook, Stella had been working as a Paralegal in Panama before studying for her degree in Nutrition.

I’ve been living in London for the past 24 years with my husband & 2 daughters and I’ve been running the Kiddy Cook Franchise for West London since January 2018. However, until then, my career path had been a bit diverse. After working as a Paralegal & obtaining my Law degree back home in Panama, I moved to Canada & worked as a customer administrator, then married & moved to London where I was back working in Law with a Panamanian Law firm, before completing my degree in Nutrition.

By then, I already had 2 children and whilst I wanted to be with them both, I also wanted to do something for myself. I started a small catering and baking business supplying local cafe’s and restaurants. and whilst I really enjoyed the food side of the business, I wasn’t motivated enough and did not have the time to take the business to the next level. I found it hard to do it ALL on my own.

I came across Kiddy Cook through my friend Veronika who needed a Class Leader for some of her after school clubs in South West London, and although originally I offered to help for a school term I ended up staying for 2 years. During that time, I had the chance to get to know the business and I really enjoyed helping and inspiring young people to have fun with food whilst teaching them how to make informed choices towards a healthy lifestyle. Having a background in nutrition has helped me understand the effect that food has on our bodies and I believe passionately that starting good, healthy eating habits from an early age can be beneficial to a person’s life. Therefore, when the opportunity to buy the Franchise for West London came along I took the plunge as I knew it was the right move for me.

The last 2 years have not been easy as the Pandemic has had a profound effect on my business, but being part of a Franchise network means that we’re not on our own. Nikki has been a great support and has managed to adapt to the current market and as a Franchisor has helped move my business forward. Out of all the jobs I’ve done through my adult years, this is the most rewarding one. I love giving children the opportunity to explore and enjoy food knowing that I’m helping shape a healthier future for them.