Rishona Myers - Olive Lucy
Rishona Myers knew early on in life that she has a passion for cooking. One of her earliest memories is the time her mother turned her loose in the kitchen to make blueberry muffins – at five years old! “I remember looking at those blue muffins, wondering what was wrong,” she says. “Later, I learned that you need to drain canned blueberries before adding them to batter. They were so wet, no wonder they wouldn’t bake!” She also rushed home to watch Julia Child’s television program and decompress after a long day of elementary school while other children were watching cartoons. When her mother questioned her about her viewing choices, Myers answered “I like her voice.”
Although her career path actually took her into corporate event planning, and eventually into her own event planning business, Myers came full circle. She retired from that professional life to go back to school for culinary arts, which she currently attends part time. “The goal was to do more cooking – as a private chef, perhaps,” she says. “And another original intent was to write a cookbook. As a mom of young children and working long hours, my family ate junk all week!” To increase healthy choices and variety, she developed and implemented a meal-planning routine. Cooking for the week was done on Sundays. She figured she wasn’t the only person in this situation so she started photographing her dishes and eventually which she turned into a small blog known as The Sunday Cook.
Her current business, Olive Lucy, was started in 2013 by its previous owners, Harold and Sharon Kaytes, Myers’ long-time family friends, in the Valley Court Yard in Huntingdon Valley, PA. Although she was recruited as a potential partner, Myers says she simply wasn’t ready. “I had a four year old and a newborn, so I became a customer, started researching the products, and I was hooked!” She also began working at the store part time in 2015. When the owner became ill, Myers “instantly knew I had to step-up and help.” Her friend did not win his battle, and in March of 2017 Myers purchased the business from the family and opened a second location in Jenkintown.
Myers totally redesigned Olive Lucy, which offers food lovers a place to explore the exotic tastes of Ultra-Premium 100% extra virgin olive oils from areas known for their excellent olives, like California, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia, Australia, Chile, Greece and more. All of Olive Lucy’s balsamic vinegar offerings, both dark and light, are from Modena, Italy and barrel-aged 12-23 years.
Customers looking for ways to use these fresh and fabulous products need look no further than Olive Lucy’s website. There they will find a wide variety of recipes with instructions for main dishes, sauces, soups, sides, salads and desserts. In addition, Olive Lucy holds store events that educate both brain and taste buds, like the Olive Oil 101 class slated for June 27 at the Jenkintown location. Participants will learn the difference between grocery store olive oils and Olive Lucy products through a 6 course olive oil tasting which also includes one 375 ml bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil/Flavored Olive Oil, tasting notes and a recipe card.
Myers also initiated the “Pantry” in her stores, where customers can select from a range of gourmet items such as dried pastas, kitchen utensils, dipping bowls, dips, flavorful tapenades, honey and much more. These items, as well as the wonderful olive oils and vinegars, form the basis for her on-line store and large and growing gift basket business. “Our gift baskets are an extension of our store offerings,” Myers says. “We can design a gift basket for a man or woman, and since we have staple items all the time, we can also be a great ‘grab and go’ resource for busy people looking for a last minute gift.”
NAWBO members who attended the Leadership Conference saw a number of lovely Olive Lucy gift packages on the raffle basket table. Gift packages range in price from $30.00 and up, and during peak gift seasons like the holidays, are pre-made and ready to go. Olive Lucy also offers corporate gift packages for companies and organizations that want to give unique gifts to clients, tenants, and employees. Gift packages can also be ordered online.
NAWBO has been important to Myers as she grows her business. “I like the idea of women supporting other women business owners,” she says, “and for me it is a natural fit. NAWBO is where I put my networking dollars, and I have met many great women through this organization. It’s a great place to build a core of business resources and relationships.”