How Fifth & Cherry® Became More Than a Gift

While the Fifth & Cherry® brand was in its infancy, I was working on my MBA at the University of Texas, Dallas.

The people that I met through that program and the things that I have learned (beyond the textbooks) have been pivotal to Fifth & Cherry®. All of my mentors have brought unique backgrounds and experiences to the table. But Jackie, a successful entrepreneur and a mentor of mine, gave me his time. He listened to my ideas for Fifth & Cherry® and engaged me on my thoughts about the kitchen and what I think it represents.

I believe that the kitchen is the heart of any home. It’s where life unfolds. The kitchen is where you celebrate with friends and family. It’s where generations come together and create the special indelible moments that we take with us forever.

I’ve never felt alone in this thought. I think there are millions that feel the same way I do. Take for instance photographer Dona Schwartz and her project that was featured in Smithsonian Magazine. She documented her newly formed blended family in the most natural spot possible...the kitchen.

She explains why when posed the following question:

“Why do you think the kitchen is such a central point in a family’s life?

The key factor is that everybody eats, so it’s someplace where everybody’s going to turn up eventually. I guess there’s also the bathroom, but that would be even more unwelcome! (Laughs.) And there is something magnetic about the kitchen. There were often other places in the house we could have gathered that were larger or more comfortable—I mean, we have a living room—but for some reason we didn’t. The kitchen just seemed the default place to be.”

During one of my meetings with Jackie, I told him that my cutting board was the device that preserved all of the memories created in the kitchen.

In the “heads down in our phones” culture, it’s the small moments that are being missed. These are the moments that make for the best memories.

I told him that posts on Facebook and Twitter are fleeting but my cutting board is forever. Every time someone takes the board out to use it they’ll always remember the person who gave it to them. They’ll also be transported back to the moment they cooked that first dinner for a date or make cupcakes for their child’s first birthday party.

I also told him that because we refinish the boards for free they’ll last forever. When the user is done they can hand the board down to a child or grandchild and all of those memories will be preserved and live on forever. The chain of memories will never be broken.

That’s when Jackie said to me: “This isn’t a cutting board, it’s a gift.” That statement changed the trajectory of Fifth & Cherry® forever.

As the conversation continued, he talked about how a Fifth & Cherry cutting board is what fathers give to their children when they’re learning how to cook or moving into their first home. Every time the board is used they’ll think of dad.

He said it’s one of the only gifts someone could give that won’t break, be made obsolete, end up in the garage packed away, get regifted, or be forgotten. It’s perfect for the couple getting married, he explained. They’ll always remember who gave them their Fifth & Cherry® cutting board.

And that’s the day that I realized we’re so much more than a cutting board company. We’re the gift you give when you want to show someone close to you how much you love them.

We’re what you give on your fifth wedding anniversary because wood is the official (and perfect) gift when you’re celebrating five years of marriage.

We’re what you give when you want your parents to bond with your children (their grandchildren) over the creation of a family meal.

We’re the gift you give when you realize that the most important hard drive in your house is the cutting board in your kitchen.