Patrick and Linda Baldwin
Founder and CEO of Intelligent Gourmet, a “clean” lifestyle food company, Linda Baldwin started in the business 15 years ago with Amore Catering. Since then, she has worn many hats as a Manager, Chef, and Managing Partner. In 2010, the company’s focus shifted to preparing prepackaged “clean” meals and “clean” food products under the brand name, Intelligent Gourmet.
She had the good fortune of growing up watching her mother, father, grandmother and aunt prepare weekend and holiday meals. The care and effort they put into their cooking ignited a spark in her. She says, “Sometimes I think this profession is just in your blood.” She began her culinary career managing fine dining restaurants in the North East training and working with some of the top Chefs from around the country.
Intelligent Gourmet’s, Linda’s brain child, uses food that is all-natural, low-sodium, low-fat, gluten-free, and low-glycemic-carbohydrate. Their “clean” food line includes snacks, salad dressings, sauces, and individually prepackaged gourmet quality meals and “clean living” meal plans. Traditionally, consumers wanting to eat healthy had to put up with low quality, small portion, and bland meals. Now everyone can eat healthier and make changes that will improve the quality of their lives. Liz Keiffer, Certified Holistic Health and Nutrition Counselor, describes it as “Solving a problem created by food with food.”
The biggest difference in Intelligent Gourmet’s food is not a weight loss specific diet; weight loss is merely a byproduct of eating “clean.” Eating “clean” is also not about fueling your body; it’s about satisfying your taste buds, it’s about learning to eat well, and most importantly it’s about an eating/dietary lifestyle change. The company changes the menu every week with a large variety of items that include wild caught and fresh fish, prime beef tenderloin, pork tenderloin, all natural chicken breast, as well as vegan and vegetarian options. Nothing gets served or put on one of the menu unless it meets her expectations.
The restaurant is a fun upscale environment where one can always find an expert to talk about meals, allergies, and specific likes and dislikes so customers can build a custom meal plan. Everything is made onsite from scratch so it is easy to adapt a recipe as necessary for sensitivities to allergies with family and kid friendly meals under the Intelligent Gourmet and Amore Catering (Amore ToGo) brands.
Linda plans that within the next five years that the company will expand throughout Florida and regionally to satisfy the growing demand for high-quality healthy food products and prepackaged meals. She is actively seeking strategic investors who share the same vision. Her long term goal is to see Intelligent Gourmet products distributed nationally through retailers. For now, service is offered to Tampa, St. Petersburg, New Tampa and Lutz and they also can ship overnight anywhere in a 400 mile radius of their current store.
A member of the Culitvar Team, a group of chef’s hand selected to help support recipe development within the online community for Kraft Foods, Linda keeps busy. She is the community blogger in the neighborhood for WTSP and writes the dining out series for Panache Vue’, South Tampa. She holds a C.P.C.E designation from the National Catering Association and is a member of the American Association of Nutrition Consultants and is in the process of finalizing her C.N.C. designation. Amore’s Intelligent Gourmet was selected by Fit Kids Playground to provide the nutritional and educational component for the grant they received from WE CAN. Amore is recognized as a leader in the field of healthy cooking through Intelligent Gourmet and have written a curriculum that is used to educate pre-school and elementary children in Hillsborough County about the benefits of eating “clean” healthy.
In her personal life, Linda is a wife, mother and grandmother. She is blessed to be married to her best friend. Their shared love of the water gives them an escape to run around in the bay on their Boston Whaler whenever there is free time. Her children live in Gainesville and when she gets the opportunity to sneak out of town, she loves spending family time her children and grandchildren. She loves cooking in her kitchen for family and friends as well as at work.
She owes her success to God, her family and parents. Her Faith provided the confidence to pursue her passion. Her family never questions Linda’s dedication to them despite long work hours and her parents set the example for hard work. Her mentors, Dr. Joseph Guggino and His Son Joseph Guggino gave her the necessary “hand up.”
Being passionate about food and people, she owns a business that allows her to combine both. “Every day I get the satisfaction of helping customers to achieve their goal of taking a proactive approach to their own health by eating “clean” healthy meals!” says Linda with pride.
PV: Why did you choose your line of work?
