Work Smarter Not Harder: Elaina Vazquez of Boutique Bites

If you are new to Cedar & Rush, Work Smarter, Not Harder (WSNH) is a weekly column showcasing Chicago’s leading ladies – think CEO’s, entrepreneurs, and everyday women making a difference – and how they work smarter, not harder. I decided upon Monday so we can kick off the week as productive and as motivated as possible. If you love a particular piece of advice or have any tips of your own, please share by tagging #WSNH2015 on Instagram and Twitter.

Today’s feature is the definition of food and fashion all wrapped up into THE perfect bite. Elaina Vazquez of Boutique Bites, is the cutest and chicest caterer in all the land! Recently selected as Rent The Runway’s  “The Real Runway” women, Elaina is a woman that should absolutely be on your radar! She is also married to Executive Chef and Partner,  Anthony Martin, of Tru – one of the city’s finest dining restaurants. Can we say power couple? Not only have I been a fan of her mini creations for years, but she recently opened a gorgeous event space, BRIQUE, that will blow your mind. So without further adieu, take it away Elaina!

Elaina, please explain your job and any projects you regularly work on: I am the owner + culinary style director of Boutique Bites; I have recently opened a venue within our catering space called BRIQUE; and I have a video series called Fashion to Fork that we will be shooting more videos for this summer. To say I’m busy is an understatement but I truly love what I do, I get to work with amazing people, and I get to taste awesome food on a regular basis – pretty sweet if you ask me!

How did you get to your current position? I created my current position 7 years ago by starting my catering company. Two things have helped me get to where I am today: a lot of hard work and an excellent support system. I had to believe in my idea more than anyone else and talk it up like it was gold, and eventually people started to take notice. I like to say that I’m in the business of making it happen – and “it” is really anything and everything.

What time do you typically get up in the morning? I would say 6:30 AM, but my husband would say 8 AM – I’m a big fan of setting an early alarm and then snoozing like 8 times.

How do you take your coffee and what do you typically eat for breakfast? I don’t drink coffee. It makes me a nervous wreck. I prefer Bloody Mary’s, but reserve them for Sundays only. I really don’t eat breakfast during the week, but I insist on having a big lunch everyday if possible. Around 11:30 AM, I start asking what’s for lunch at work. “Feed Elaina” is the motto at Boutique Bites.

Quickly walk us through your morning routine: I typically browse social media and answer a few emails first thing in the morning. Then I pretend to exercise (meaning I think about doing it), and then get ready for work. I usually leave the house around 9am and my office is 5 minutes away.

What is the best way to get your foot in the door of your dream job? The best way to get your foot in the door is to take whatever job is available. I know this is not the best strategy at all companies, but at Boutique Bites, there is constant internal growth and promotion. So that is really the best way for me. For example, both of my catering sales managers started out as the office manager and moved up very quickly. And our staffing & production director started out as an intern and was hired on full time a week later when another employee was leaving. I’m all about promoting from within.

What resources do you use to stay organized and remember tasks? The “notes” icon on my iphone. I currently have 48 notes – no exaggeration. Anytime an idea or something I want to remember pops into my head, I write it down. It’s the only way for me to stay on top of all the stuff in my brain. I have a note called “Books to Read” and add to it whenever I get a book recommendation; same with “Restaurants to Check Out”; I keep notes on feedback from our events so I can talk to my team about it during our meetings. I’m obsessed with my notes.

What mistake do you see people constantly make that they should be aware of? Not realizing that their energy effects the whole team. It’s ok to have a bad day or to be upset about something. But I really don’t like when one person’s negativity starts to bring the mood down. I’ve run my company with 1 employee and I’ve run my company with 7 employees, and I can tell you that it’s a very valuable and professional skill to be able to maintain a consistently positive attitude at work.

How do you conquer your inbox? It’s a daily struggle, but I basically flag everything that needs a response and I try to respond that same day to all of my flagged items. And I’m a big fan of folders. I’m copied on almost every email at Boutique Bites, so my inbox fills up pretty quickly. Email does eat up a big portion of my day. It’s like Pacman – delete, delete, respond, flag, delete – it never stops.

How do you format your emails? I typically start with a warm greeting. I like my emails to feel personalized, but not too long. I feel like you lose people after 4 sentences. If I do have a lot to say, I’m the queen of bullet points. Sometimes I’ll have like 9 bullet points. But at least it’s in a format that’s easy to read. I don’t like when people send me an email with a bunch of questions within one paragraph. Break it out, please!

How do you make time for working out and staying healthy? I wish I had a better answer to this, but the truth is that I have zero discipline when it comes to working out or eating. Last year I did Shred415 for 6 months straight, so I thought I was awesome. But then I got busy, and haven’t been back. Since my job is to taste food (literally), I refuse to limit what I eat or put any restrictions on my diet. And when it comes to alcohol, pass the champs please ☺ In my head, I am a work-out machine (see answer #4), but in reality, I do about 3 sit-ups a week. BUT we do have about 75 stairs in our home (from the top level to the front door) and no elevator, so I’m convinced that’s what keeps me in shape. Plus the new Boutique Bites office/venue is 8,000 sq. ft, so I do a lot of walking and often times running around at work too. See, I do exercise!

What are your favorite tips for keeping an organized workspace? This is a great question. I am seriously obsessed with the look of organization, but when it comes down to it, I am not a naturally organized person. So I like to hire very organized people because they help keep me on track. I’m actually pretty strict with my team about staying organized, it drives me nuts to see chaos. And then they’re like, “um, look at your desk.” It’s kind of funny. Our kitchen at Boutique Bites is VERY organized and everything is labeled which makes me happy every day.

What other pieces of advice/tips can you share? I have found that writing stuff down (goals, ideas, plans, etc) really helps to focus me, and weirdly is the catalyst for accomplishing many of my goals. Once I write something down, I feel responsible to start working towards it. I have talked to other business owners who have similar experience with this. So my advice is to write your ideas down and get working towards them!

• Favorites: mashed potatoes, fresh pasta, Anthony (he should actually be first but my brain always thinks of food), Deebo (our Chihuahua) and my nook.
• Favorite Apps: our mini cheeseburgers, lobster tacos, and ramen shots. And if you mean technology apps, then Duolingo (I’m currently working on my French) and Instagram
• Favorite Resources: MarieTV, Ted.com 
• Favorite Books: Anything by Elin Hilderbrand – because of her I’m obsessed with Nantucket even though I have never been
• Favorite Programs: The Real Housewives of any city – don’t judge me
• Favorite Websites: The Everygirl, The New Potato
• Favorite Gadget: my new iPhone 6 Plus – my husband calls it my Zack Morris phone 
• Anything else? I am an amazing parallel parker

Elaina, such an honor to have you share your story with us today! I don’t know how you do it, but at least we have a better idea. To see more musings of Boutique Bites and her delectable nibbles, be sure to follow Elaina along on Instagram. And if you are planning a wedding or event, you know who to call. Your guests will be gushing for months!

Want more? You can find all Work Smarter Not Harder posts right here.