Alumni Spotlight: Kim Gregory Pure Pastry

STARTING WITH A PASSION

Kim Gregory Pure Pastry is an organic pastry shop in Beverly, MA. A graduate of the first EforAll accelerator in Lynn, Kim has operated Pure Pastry out of her home for the last three and a half years. As the apple tree, chicken coops, and beehives in the backyard indicate, everything created by Kim Gregory Pure Pastry is made from scratch.

Kim’s passion for healthy cooking began early on. As an athlete, body model, and cheerleader, she says, “I needed to make my body fit and stay fit. All my life, I wanted low fat, I wanted organic, I wanted clean, but I wanted my pastry too. I’m Italian – I want a piece of cake, I want a cannoli!” 

Her journey into the world of entrepreneurship started because of her daughter, Kiana.

“When I got married and had a child, my daughter was born with over 300 food allergies. On her first birthday I was like, what does gluten free mean? How do I make a cake with no eggs? How do I make a cake with no dairy?”

As a new mom, Kim started to research substitutions and experiment with different recipes. “20 years ago, no one was taking away gluten.” By Kiana’s 2nd birthday party, Kim said, “I could make something that looked like a cake but didn’t taste like a cake.” But as she kept trying new approaches, she got better and better. At gatherings with friends and family, people began to ask where the cakes came from. And the orders started rolling in. She quit working for someone else’s business and licensed her home kitchen to become the site of Kim Gregory Pure Pastry.

INGREDIENTS MATTER

What sets Kim Gregory Pure Pastry apart is the attention to high-quality, specialized ingredients. Kim explains: “We have a line of naturally gluten-free products. We do research on better grains to use in our cooking, like quinoa, whole grain, brown rice, and oatmeal flours, that are high in protein and low in carbohydrates.” Her commitment to quality is apparent in everything she does. “I’m proud of Pure Pastry and how we stay rock solid on our morals and our integrity. We truly believe in what we do and don’t let anything out of this kitchen unless it’s exactly the way we have envisioned. I was out last night getting wild asparagus for our scones in the middle of nowhere at nine o’clock at night. This is who we are. It’s not just about eating.”

JOINING THE EFORALL FAMILY

On June 19, 2017, Kim was selling her products at the Beverly Farmer’s Market when two EforAll staff members approached her and told her about the accelerator program. She stuck the application in her back pocket and then, without thinking, threw her pants into the wash that evening. But that wasn’t the end of it. “In the middle of the night,” she says, “something woke me up and told me to fill out that application. I pieced the application back together like a puzzle, then ran to my computer, filled it out, and sent it in.” She explains why she applied: “I needed a lot of guidance and I felt as an entrepreneur that I was really lonely. I felt like this would be a great fit because I need a sounding board.” She was accepted into the program and became a member of EforAll Lynn’s inaugural cohort. The benefits she gained from the program were almost immediate. As someone used to working long hours and doing a lot on her own, one of the key takeaways was learning how to balance her tasks and delegate to other people more effectively, allowing her to use her own time more wisely. The program also helped to combat the loneliness she felt. “I have such deep admiration for all of my fellow cohort members. It’s like we became brothers and sisters.”  

EforAll’s mentorship support was also extremely valuable. “My mentors and I are really tight, they are my everything. I know no matter what happens, every single day I have my invisible team behind me. They are a wealth of information and they’ve got my back. They have taught me to truly learn to reach out and ask for help. That was probably the hardest thing for me, I would wake up and say ‘Oh my God, I’m alone’ and then I’d be like, ‘No, I have EforAll.’ EforAll was better than college. It’s lifelong. You have a forever partner.”

Kim’s experience impacted her in a lasting way. “I became less fearful. [Before EforAll], I would wake up every single day scared, not knowing what direction I was going to take. As I became more knowledgeable in classes, EforAll kept bringing beautiful subjects that pertained to my business. I’m not afraid anymore. Being an entrepreneur to me means truly believing in yourself and what you love to do. I believe more in myself than I’ve ever had in my whole life and I know now I have people behind me.”

This story is a part of EforAll’s Spotlight series. Written by Christa Brown Video content by Vanessa Gallant