Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Carline Bengtsson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Carline, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I’m not sure I would have found my purpose, without my purpose finding me. It was a lifelong journey that I was not aware of, although I was experiencing and learning things along the way that put me on the path to this purposeful destiny of giving back. As a young girl, I would help my mother in the kitchen, making meals, especially for Sunday dinners around the kitchen table with my siblings. This stayed with me throughout my adult life and translated into hosting friends and family for dinner often.
But in taking a step back, while in college, I studied business and art graduating with a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Concordia University, St. Paul, that provided me the opportunity to work for several companies. One of these companies was Medtronic, where the company’s Mission really resonated with me, and it was here I embraced one of the mission’s tenants about being a good citizen.
I’ve always had a desire to give back in any way I can through my time, treasure and talent serving on many non-profit organizations’ boards throughout the years; but the idea of being a good citizen was very much a part of the culture of the company. It’s easy to forget what we’re passionate about and not pursue that as part of our daily lives, due to varying circumstances.
Sometimes others know us better than we know ourselves so don’t be afraid to ask friends, family, or close confidants what they see as your strengths or what they see you do that inspires you. You may be surprised and come to find out that what you see as simple joy can bring extraordinary joy to others as well in numerous ways. Reaching out to my circle of contacts small and wide – sharing my ideas, and thoughts, one or two contacts presented themselves with a willingness to elevate my idea and help to make it happen based on their background or knowledge of others who could provide guidance and support. What I’ve come to know is that once you share your story, you are compelled to make it a reality. There are people in your corner who will help to defuse the obstacles or remove the barriers if you are willing to go the distance with positive intent.
I realized that obstacles come in all forms large and small, and everyone’s obstacles are unique to their situation. The ones we need to look out for are the self-inflicted obstacles that can place you in figurative quicksand, where you feel incapable of moving forward. And again, that is why it’s important to be transparent with others about your journey and to maintain a positive attitude.
Toward the end of my career at Medtronic, my life came full circle. Life presents many opportunities to get us to our purposeful place – destination – a calling that tugs at your very being until clarity gives way to that which becomes effortless in living out your mission and purpose. Every encounter, experience, situation, nagging feeling, encouragement, or divine encounter led me to my purpose.
In the weeks prior to my retirement from Medtronic, I had a handful of recognized points that I wanted to consume and searched the recognize system as to what these points could be utilized for – two food organizations came up on the list. One which I was very familiar with, Feed My Starving Children, which stated that my remaining points would feed a child for Nineteen weeks. At that moment I knew what my purpose was – to give back in this way utilizing my culinary talent to give back to those in need of daily nourishment. I never knew that my love of cooking and presenting good eats would translate into a bigger purpose. The message was clear, and I just needed to work through a plan of action to make it a reality.
I decided to become a personal chef after retiring from corporate life following careers within the insurance, military avionics and medical technology industries at Blue Cross & Blue Shield, Honeywell and most recently Medtronic, where I was a people/program manager.
I immigrated to Minnesota from Jamaica as a child. Later in life, grew up to marry a native Swede which sealed my affinity for the culture, language, and country. Following the death of my first husband, Lars, I published my first cookbook “Carline’s Fork & Cork, Simply Delish!” which is dedicated to treasured moments together in the kitchen creating and partaking in good eats with my mom, siblings, husband, extended family, and friends.
I have always had a passion for cooking. Being a leader in the community and giving back to others, came later in life, through understanding how to serve others from a place of empathy and goodwill. The pivotal moment that bridged my two passions of cooking and giving back came from a decision to donate a gift of recognition points to a local food organization – giving them the opportunity to provide 400 meals to feed the hungry. I realized my calling and blended my two loves: creating memorable meals and helping others to nourish their bodies and souls. Dine4Dinners® was born and launched in June 2020. The business model benefits both foodies and people in need of daily nourishment. Through the company’s initial flagship model of sharing an intimate in-home restaurant-style dining experience, more than 200,000 meals have been donated to feed the hungry.
Imagine, the next time you sit down to eat a meal, that you are also feeding another family. 25% of the cost of a Dine4Dinners® dining experience goes to a food organization of the client’s choice – paying forward the memorable dining experience to feed those in need.
The review received from a most recent Dine4Dinners® dining experience put my work in perspective – “Well little did I know…how amazing you are! You have a heart to SERVE! So gracious. Even more impressive than the meal you served was your spirit of SERVICE! ‘…your dedication to giving back to others leaves us inspired.”
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about your business before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Dine4Dinners®, focused on giving back to combat hunger, hit the milestone of 200,686 meals donated in thirty-six months of operation. Dine4Dinners® was launched to pursue my passion for helping others by creating memorable meals through intimate in-home restaurant-style dining experiences. In the thirty-six-plus months of operation, more than 665 individuals and 84 curated experiences benefited several food organizations, locally, regionally, and nationally.
Local donations included but were not limited to Meals From The Heart, Second Harvest Heartland, and VEAP. Regional donations included Feeding South Florida and Food Bank for NYC. And nationally, Feeding America.
Dine4Dinners® engages in supporting community and charities alike through donated dining experiences in support of their annual fundraising for their respective causes. These organizations included Second Harvest Heartland, Ordway, St. Agnes School, Feed My Starving Children, and the American Heart Association.
Because of the unwavering support of our customers, the mission is lived out by making meals accessible to those in need of daily nourishment. Dine4Dinners® is dedicated to combating hunger in Minnesota and beyond through partnerships with organizations that provide meals for those in need of daily nourishment through dependable, reliable, and sustainable sources.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Three important qualities are self-awareness, resilience, and being steadfast in the dedication and effort it will take to meet your goal. Stay the course, not losing sight of your passion, continue to push forward bringing it to light any way you can. Today, social media provides a platform for sharing one’s passion. Be bold, focused, and positive in making a difference. Be open to learning about what interests you, whether it’s through self-taught or formal educational opportunities.
Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?
Over the course of one’s life being a well-rounded individual makes navigating the world, cultures, and situations easier on many levels. I think one’s innate strengths or educational background will always be at the forefront in navigating one’s place in the world. However, being open to foreign aspects of life broadens our comfort zone while still understanding our limitations. It’s much easier to assimilate in unforeseen situations that present themselves.
I’ve come to realize this throughout my travels around the world that culturally we may be different but as people we share many commonalities to make the world in which we live a better place for generations to come, whether passed down through lifelong traditions or deliberate informative decisions.
I was born on the Caribbean Island of Jamaica and moved to Minnesota as a child but consider myself a citizen of the world as I worked and lived in Europe (Switzerland), spending lots of time in Scandinavia and many travels throughout Asia Pacific.
I grew up to marry a native Swede which sealed my affinity for the culture, language, country, and the American Swedish Institute (ASI) community at large, where I am a member of the Board of Trustees.
My passion for culture is the catalyst behind the mosaic culinary creations brought forth in the food presentations shared.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dine4dinners.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mosaicdelish/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carlinesforkandcork
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carline-bengtsson-small-business-owner-6079755
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/mosaicdelish
Image Credits
All photos by Carline Bengtsson