the work, he would do it instead, then hand it off to the customer to reheat at home. Melton said they started with about 30 or 40 of their friends, and it just grew from there. “Now we have about 300 on our mailing list,” he said, adding that they also get orders from their Facebook page. Menus are emailed out each week, and posted on Facebook. The meals are prepared, and then taken to Colonial House of Flowers each Tuesday for pickup from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Scratch Made Catering officially began in November 2016, and Melton says they have been busy ever since. “These meals have been a huge success. We have a ton of repeat customers. We are kind of blessed that we can make it work,” he said. Melton does most of the prep work, but his in-laws, Holly and Ricky Cassidy, also help. Cary is the marketing genius behind the brand, and he credits her with a lot of the company’s success. “She’s been great. That’s her thing, marketing. And being from Statesboro, she knows everybody. So that’s helped. Her knack for the social media thing and for organizing, that’s been great. Her network of people that she knows, and putting our name out there, she’s really helped things grow in a huge way. I can make things taste good, but she’s the one who can get it out there to folks and let them taste it,” he said. Right now, Melton is preparing meals at a house on Seaborn-Proctor Road, a property that is a gathering place for his wife’s family. The setup is perfect and the setting is beautiful. But he knows that he will soon outgrow the place, and he is eager to have a storefront. “Eventually, I feel like I’m going to have to leave this place. We’re growing and it’s happening fast. That storefront would be more of a five-day-a-week thing, where we could rotate the menu and have things on the shelf all the time, so people can just come and get it when they need it,” he said. From a chef’s standpoint, that would be a lot easier to manage than what he’s currently doing. He says each week, it’s a challenge to figure out what he wants to do and what he needs to get it done. It’s like starting over every time, whereas in a regular restaurant, there is much more consistency. But the process has helped him to grow as a chef. “As much cooking as I’ve done, it’s rare that you do it from beginning to end. Usually,
you’re somewhere in between. That’s been good practice. I’ve gotten a lot more confident in what I can do,” he said. He also enjoys the pre-prepared aspect of his business. Because of the nature of what he’s doing, he’s able to focus on making the taste the best and quality the highest it can be. “With this, we know exactly what we have to do, and that’s how we can afford to not charge so much for the amount of food you’re getting, because we don’t have the staff and the overhead. We’re just kind of handing it off to (the customer) and they’re finishing it off. I’ve really enjoyed that aspect,” he said. “You know you’re getting a good meal, but without all the work. It’s a win-win.” Melton sees a storefront in their future, and has even toyed with the idea of a food truck. He’s also recently added a second pickup day, on Thursdays, from 5-6 p.m. Items on
that day are geared more toward snacks and “weekend food.” The second pickup has been a hit as well, and he anticipates it will grow in popularity as well. Overall, the business venture has been a great learning experience for Melton. “We’ve had some ups and downs, but for the most part, it’s been a great chance to grow something and create it. I’m honestly excited with how it’s turned out. I did not expect it to be what it is. It’s just really taken off,” he said. But whatever comes in the future for Melton or for Scratch Made, don’t tell him the food tastes good. “Tell me what you didn’t like,” he said. “That’s what I want to hear. I want to know how to make it better.” Find Scratch Made Catering on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/scratchmadecatering. August 2017 • 15