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EDITOR’S NOTE: In recognition of Black History Month, The LaGrange Daily News is writing stories on Black owned businesses in Troup County. 

For seven years, Tara Ogletree has been the one-woman team behind, Tara’s Personal Chef Services.

“I created and built my business to reach out to small networks of personal chef services that cater to people in their homes and also corporate America events,” Ogletree said. “Many have asked me, ‘Do you have anybody to help you?’ and I say, ‘No, it’s just me’ — and that’s what I love about it. I can promote it and market it the way I want and take out all the stress of depending on someone else to do it.”

As a chef, Ogletree said she loves being able to introduce clients to different types of food.

“Everybody’s taste pallet is different, and I love being able to bring that variety to my clients,” Ogletree said.

Tara’s Personal Chef Services offers personal catering for private and corporate events, healthy meal prepping, small intimate weddings and cooking classes for children through the LaGrange Art Museum.

Ogletree said she is currently working to introduce cooking classes for older kids and couples.

“Cooking from a young age has always been a passion of mine. I love food, I love different types of food and giving people the opportunity to experience them all,” Olgetree said. “Eating the same food all the time gets boring, and I want to spread my love through it.”

Ogletree said while eating out is fun, there is a certain power that comes with knowing how to prepare a home-cooked meal on your own.

“I think the best dishes come from our kitchen,” Ogletree said. “We can be creative and do it exactly how we want to. Cooking and learning the basics is like therapy — it feels good and feeds the soul.”

“I look at food as art,” Ogletree said. “When I was little, I used to come right by the art museum all the time and say, ‘One day I’m going to be in there’ and guess what, here I am. Food is a way I express myself like the way an artist expresses themselves with paint.”

In the community, Ogletree has been busy, as she was a winner of the Chairman’s Gala Award for “Best Small Business of the Year.”

“Our community needs someone that is positive and loves and appreciates its people. We have a beautiful city here that is growing and is filled with good people and it’s given us different opportunities. — if I can be part of that, I’m in,” Ogletree said.

Ogletree said she wants to be known as someone who has helped another gain confidence in the kitchen.

“My journey or goal is to keep spreading the love through good food, and there’s no limit of what I want to do — I want to do it all,” Ogletree said.