Chris and Laura Patrick with children Finley, Camille and Isabel. Photo by Jessica Turner
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Vchicken Laura Patrick stayed at home with one child, her husband’s job as a culinary director of Abacus worked well for their family.
But five years later, when they had two more in two years, his classes began to take a toll on her. Except late at night, the job required Chris Patrick to work every Saturday, no matter what.
“I could no longer work alone five nights a week,” says Laura. “It got to the point that it was very stressful for me, and the way of life no longer suited me.”
The youngest, Isabel, was born in 2019, and then they decided to join their talents in order to start a business that would enable their family to be together at night and on weekends.
Chris, 42, is a culinary genius; Laura, 33, is a fan of digital marketing and a “complete extrovert”.
They launched Bright Bock Foods at the end of 2019. The service provides meals prepared by chefs that are delivered to homes. They come in the fridge and can be heated as needed. It’s not cutlery, and it’s not Schwann’s. They have found their niche, providing meals made from scratch for busy families who are used to quality restaurant dinners.
“I’ve always been super entrepreneurial, even as a child, and I’ve always wanted to run my own business,” says Laura.
Their timing was happy, because the company was just starting work when the pandemic hit, creating an unprecedented demand for meals delivered to their home address.
“My goals are to help manage stress.”
The early pandemic also caused unprecedented anxiety for Laura, as well as many people.
“Only stress and anxiety due to the pandemic and having children at home - that was a bad place for me,” she says. “So I told myself in 2020 that as soon as it was safe, I would go out again, that I would make it a priority to go out and start practicing again.
She entered the gym as soon as she was fully vaccinated.
“Just to feel better and have more energy. I’m not trying to lose weight or anything like that, “she says.” My goals are to help manage stress. “
This has led her to a strict self-care regime that includes taking time for themselves every day, and she says it makes their home and work more harmonious.
For more than two years, Bright Bock Foods is still just the two of them. Chris buys, prepares and cooks all the dishes for the customers, and Laura is turned to the clients. She deals with the business side, including payment, scheduling and marketing. They both deliver, and have free Fridays and Saturdays. Chris starts preparing on Sunday afternoon, and from Monday to Thursday they are unsuccessful.
Patrick’s three children go to three different schools. “It’s not like I planned it that way,” she says.
The youngest is in pre-K at Casa de Paz Montessori. Finley, 5, is attending kindergarten at PL Prep, a preparatory school for personalized learning in Sam Houston, Oak Lawn. And 10-year-old Camilla is attending Jesus Moroles Expressive Arts Vanguard, a campus in West Dallas that was renamed last year as an internationally renowned artist who was Laura’s uncle.
Between running a business and driving a child, this is her self-care routine.
Take time for 30 minutes of exercise each day. She does high-intensity interval training or Pilates at Edge Fitness five days a week.
Eating food that is “healthy” means at least eating something green and low in protein every day. “I am against children,” she said. “If you’re trying to work on your mental health, don’t go on a diet. He also appreciates attractive plates and snacks. “I like a good cheese board,” she says.
Indulging in a Nespresso machine adds a little luck to her life. Laura says that she starts each day with two cups of espresso, which she drinks in the car while she takes the children to school. Sometimes it’s three o’clock around 1 p.m. Once, when Laura admitted her addiction to coffee, her sister said: “Caffeine is taking care of yourself.
A friend included her in Go Easy, a Bishop Arts boutique that cures products like legal cannabis for a health-conscious clientele. Laura usually eats CBD chocolate from Go Easy to sleep better. “It’s delicious and it actually works,” she says.
Laura’s extroverted personality means that she must give priority to time with friends. He talks on the phone with his sister every day. “If I don’t have a relationship with the people I love, I’ll notice the difference in my day,” she says. “I will not perform well for my children, and that is my number one priority over everything.”