April 5, 2018

Meet Sarah Lopez of Freshly Prepped

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Lopez.

Sarah is the founder and owner of a nutrition-focused meal prep and full-service catering company called, Freshly Prepped. The commercial kitchen also serves as a commissary kitchen for local bakers, personal chefs and hosts cooking & baking classes as well as private events.

Sarah has been married for 14 years to Daniel Lopez, who is also a business owner in their community of the South Bay of San Diego. Sarah is the mother of five active children, ages ranging from 6-13 years old. She was born and raised in Northern California and moved to San Diego to pursue a Masters degree in Social Work administration at SDSU. She graduated as the first in her family with a graduate degree in 2003.

As a child, Sarah was always involved in cooking fundraiser events with her mom and family for their church. This is where she learned the love of food, business, community and being of service to others. After the birth of her last child, Sarah was looking for a healthy way to lose weight, increase her energy and feel good! She began meal prepping for herself, then with friends and eventually for the public when she formed her business.

In 2015, Sarah created Freshly Prepped with the support of her husband, children, parents and a lot of great friends and community resources. Although Sarah’s commercial kitchen has only been open since October 2016, she has seen a lot of growth and opportunity to expand. Due to Sarah’s social work background and her love for people and community, Sarah is always looking for ways to give back and share in her opportunities to support other women in her sphere of influence. Sarah’s motto is to let her light shine for others to see the goodness of God.

Sarah’s desire is to become a pillar in her community and is in the brainstorming phase of creating a business center focused on supporting local women in business through the process of business start-up to expert leadership. For more information and to follow Sarah’s story, please reach out through any of the Freshly Prepped social media platforms or swing by the kitchen to check out all that is cooking!

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been an easy road! It has been an uphill climb. I have had several moments when I thought I could not continue, from the lengthy build out and permit process, to financial challenges to the sense of being just a very small fish unequppied in a large pond of corporate business BUT, I continue to hold tight to my authentic vision of why I have been called to serve families and my community with healthy food options and quality services with a focus on community.

My heart continues to propel me forward when my mind and my pocket begins to doubt the process. I have largely been able to push through the valleys with the support of local resources, friendships, family and my faith. I am learning that everyone’s story looks different and that I am called to be the best steward I can possibly be of the gifts, talents and responsibilities that I have before me right now and as I build I will be equipped for future growth once the time and season are ripe for the harvest.

Please tell us about Freshly Prepped.
I am most excited about what Freshly Prepped represents in our community! Our brand relates to the active family, busy professional as well as the elite fitness enthusiast. Our kitchen provides convenient healthy meals which enable our monthly members to sustain a health-focused lifestyle. The majority of our clients rely on our meal plans to carry them through weight loss goals, plant-based lifestyle transition, as well as supports their medical and dietary restrictions.

Our catering services provide an elegant chic farm to table fresh vibe for any occasion and our most prized resource kitchen is a staple in our community. The commercial kitchen space is available for to rent and allows small business to prepare and market their food product or cooking and baking instruction to the public. What sets Freshly Prepped apart is the way we do business in and with the community. My model of business is not self-centered, on the contrary, it is faith-based, community giving and focused on elevating the quality of life for our community and collaborators.

We thrive in seeing our partners grow and are excited to say that we are 100% woman-owned, and completely supported by a full woman staff and all of the businesses that rent our kitchen space are woman-owned as well! We support women in business by providing meeting space for mastermind groups, training workshops and we look forward to becoming the next “go to space” as we plan to build out a business centered event space for our community and surrounding neighborhoods.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite childhood memory is time traveled with my amazing parents and younger and incredible sister. We often camped, took road trips and traveled to visit family. These memories are my most treasured because they were a quality time where we explored together, experienced new adventures and built lasting bonds.

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