Meet Megan Vaughan

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Megan Vaughan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Megan, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?

Growing up in a very education focused household, having a strong work ethic was incredibly important. My mother went back to college after raising 4 children to pursue her passion for education. This displayed her passion for self improvement. My father is a Professional Engineer and routinely impressed upon me the value in pushing oneself to our highest potential. They held me to appropriately high standards and taught me the value of setting goals and using honed in skills, determination, and focus to achieve those goals. I owe my strong work ethic to them- they set me up to be a driver in any industry I chose to pursue.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I was born in New York and raised in New Jersey and got my start in the hospitality industry working at local restaurants in both the dining room and the kitchen. As a 2005 graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, I joined the renowned restaurant, Eleven Madison Park, where I gained a passion and appreciation for local and artisanal cheeses. I oversaw and grew the program during the span of twelve years in my roles as the Service Director, Operations Manager, and Assistant General Manager.
My passion for cheese naturally led me to pursue my own business and I founded Vaughan Cheese in 2018. Vaughan Cheese began by curating and serving focused cheese plates for groups excited to eat and learn about cheese. The company’s motto, “Be kind. Eat cheese.” is foundational by channeling my commitment to genuine hospitality for my incredible staff, supportive guests, and passionate cheesemakers. By selling to restaurants directly through a wholesale business, retailing in a physical shop location, and curating private cheese tasting events, Vaughan Cheese satisfies guests’ desire to learn more about cheese while gathering around a table and breaking bread together.
I live in Lothian, Maryland with my husband, Tyler, my two awesome kids, Evelyn and Parker, and my dog, Annabelle. I love running and boxing, playing pinball, am an avid scuba diver, and believe in the joy of letter writing.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Business ownership is a crazy world and it absolutely takes a set of unique qualities in order to succeed. Having a strong work ethic ensures your drive to do the actual work required to succeed. A true passion for the work you’re doing is incredibly important- without it, work becomes a chore but loving what you do makes every day an adventure. Not getting locked into your path is also necessary and keeps you adapting and moving with trends and the needs of your business. These traits cannot be taught but should be truly thought but they can be exercised through focus and determination.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

It is so easy and common to feel overwhelmed as a business owner. Whenever I find myself feeling like things are too much or out of control, I first take a few moments to truly sink into my feelings. Trying to immediately tamp them down is a guarantee of a future overreaction. Then, I sit down and write through a list of the problem, making note of the the goal after working through it. Then, I’ll write through a list of specific, actionable steps in order to achieve the goal. Then, I’ve got my to do list and I focus on nothing but those actions. This process is incredibly helpful for larger overwhelming issues. For smaller issues or for a general feeling of overwork, I like to invest myself fully in a night of deep breathing and something that has nothing to do with my work- for me, that is pinball. I go and have fun at my local arcade playing my favorite machines for a few hours and find that my brain is refocused the next day.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.vaughancheese.com
• Instagram: @Vaughan_Cheese
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VaughanCheese/

Image Credits

Maureen Porto