We're all familiar with the expression, "Sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees." In my experience, this certainly applies to launching and managing a successful small business. For almost five years, we've been on an exhilarating ride as we've built Dish T'Pass into a bustling catering company, cooking school and grab-and-go café with a dozen employees. We've created our own family that shares both successes and challenges on a daily basis. Receiving the Chamber's Small Business of the Year Award last year caused us to briefly hit the pause button, come up for air and recognize our place as part of Chattanooga's incredible, supportive business community. This award flat out changed how we view our business.
We had been so internally focused on getting our jobs done that we forgot to admire the thriving forest around us. We're not just focused on the "trees" of our day-to-day operations now. We see our place in the broader business community and know that we can contribute to this forest. For example, we've partnered with Causeway to provide turkey and dressing for more than 1,000 people at One Table, a community Thanksgiving event, and we've worked with the City of Chattanooga to teach cooking skills to adults with disabilities.
Hardly a week goes by without someone calling to say they'd like to work with us because of this award. This inspired us to be more strategic about how we manage Dish T'Pass, recognizing that not every opportunity is right for us. We have to be thoughtful, and guide our business to be true to both our strategic goals and core values.
We like to say that we deliver "foodlove" to our clients with every morsel we serve. In the past year, we've received a lot of love, support and encouragement from our clients. It's been a time for us to strengthen old bonds and build new ones.
So, where do we go from here? What's next? Well, first of all, we don't plan to stop being grateful and joyful. The Small Business Awards demonstrate the importance of small business owners appreciating and celebrating each other. We love knowing that we are part of a larger community that has our backs every day. This year, we will continue to look for ways to engage with our city, give back where we can and, yes, grow our business to new heights. We want to continue to do well while doing good.
What will Dish T'Pass be when it grows up? Well, the Chamber Small Business of the Year Award has given our entire team the confidence to be the best that we can be. It's gonna be fabulous.