Market Days & Midnight Ideas | The Taste Buds Required Origin Story

Taste Buds Required didn’t start with a business plan. It started with food.

Specifically: food made late at night, tested on friends, shared at markets, and slowly refined through real conversations with real people who cared deeply about flavor.

Before Taste Buds Required became a catering company, a brand, or a name people recognized at events, it was a question I kept asking myself:

What happens when food is made with intention instead of shortcuts?

From Home Kitchen to Market Table

Like many food businesses, Taste Buds Required began at home. Cooking for family, hosting friends, bringing dishes to gatherings—watching which trays emptied first and which flavors sparked conversation.

When I started vending at markets, something became very clear, very quickly: people weren’t just hungry. They were curious.

They asked where the food came from. They asked why it tasted different. They wanted to know what inspired it.

Markets became my classroom.

They were where I learned:

• Which flavors people remembered

• How presentation affected perception

• What felt elevated versus what just looked nice

• And how deeply food connects people to culture and memory

Midnight Ideas & Real Feedback

Some of the best ideas behind Taste Buds Required came after long market days—when everything was packed away, my feet hurt, and my brain refused to shut off.

That’s when menus evolved. That’s when recipes tightened. That’s when I thought through how to turn great food into a great experience.

Markets gave me something no focus group ever could: immediate, honest feedback.

People told me when something worked. They told me when it didn’t. And most importantly, they came back.

Flavor Was Always the Non-Negotiable

Taste Buds Required has always been rooted in one belief: flavor is not optional.

Not watered down. Not an afterthought. Not sacrificed for volume or convenience.

Whether it’s Caribbean-inspired dishes, small bites, or full menus, the goal has always been the same—to create food that people remember long after the event ends.

That philosophy hasn’t changed.

The scale has. The settings have. The menus have evolved.

But the heart of the brand? That’s still shaped by market days, late nights, and a refusal to serve anything forgettable.

Why This Story Still Matters

Taste Buds Required exists because people kept asking for more.

More depth. More intention. More food that felt personal.

And that’s still how every menu is built today.

Curious about where Taste Buds Required is headed next? Explore our menus or get in touch to talk about your event.