Monica Notaro is the founder and owner of URTH Meals, a plant-based, delicious, organic, meal prep company, ran by a female team! In her spare time (wink wink) she sings the National Anthem for the Detroit Red Wings- all with her adorable daughter, Mila, in tow. Read on to learn more about this beautiful, inspiring, talented mom!
Instagram Handle: @urthmeals
How many children do you have and what are their names and ages? One little diva- Mila, age 4
What made you decide to live here? I grew up here, and have lived in other cities, but I keep coming back to metro-Detroit- the last few years I’ve lived in Royal Oak, Huntington Woods and now in Orchard Lake. I absolutely love it here- there is so much to do in a city atmosphere, and we are surrounded by such beauty. We can grab a quick brunch in downtown Birmingham (pre-covid) and there’s so many outdoor activities to do. We are surrounded by lakes, trails, and we can escape “up north”. We live on a lake, so it’s nice to escape to that, and also have everything else at our fingertips!
What are your favorite places to eat in the Detroit area? I love Cafe Cortina (Farmington hills), Leila (downtown Detroit) , Market (Birmingham), Bills (Bloomfield hills), Toast (Birmingham), and Commonwealth Cafe (Birmingham). Those are just a few of my favorites!
Tell us your story. Anything! Well, where do I start! I grew up in Shelby Township- went to Notre Dame Prep for high school, and went to college at GVSU! I got my degree in biomedical sciences/biochemistry and went on to be a chemist at DuPont! I have been singing my whole life and I also was in a band at the time (singing weddings and corporate events), and doing a ton of studio work! I ended up leaving my job and started singing full time with my band– and had my daughter Mila!
I also sing the national anthem for the Red Wings now! It’s what makes my world go round- singing is truly what keeps me going! My daughter comes to all of the Red Wings games with me, and has been to many of the public events I’ve sang at– and she is just as in love with music as I am! I also love to cook- and am Italian, so I was surrounded by amazing food as a kid!
What is URTH Meals? Urth is a plant-based, completely organic, gourmet meal prep company. All of our meals are prepared and packaged- and delivered straight to your doorstep! URTH is for everyone. We are plant-based, but our food really is for everybody. Some of our clientele include Detroit professional athletes, meat eaters, busy moms and dads, strict vegans, medically compromised clients, and even toddlers! We are a female owned and operated company, and we truly care about our clients and their health and wellness!
What gave you the idea to start URTH? URTH started when I had a friend ask me to meal prep for her because of her busy schedule. I loved to cook, and would always post on my social media- she loved the meals, and asked if I could do the same for a few other people she knew. I sat down with my sister one day, and she had mentioned that this could be something big (especially with all plant-based food), since I was vegan for over 10 years! So, I started this business, made an Instagram, and it exploded! I now have an awesome team of amazing ladies, and we have our own commercial kitchen that URTH operates out of!
What has URTH grown to? Our menu goes out to over 1000 people weekly- and we serve all of metro-Detroit and more! We now have an amazing team! We also have a great app that was just created to make ordering a breeze!
ORDERING URTH:
Go to https://urthmeals.com/, and click on ORDER NOW. Or there is an app you can download- Urth Meals LLC. The menu is listed each week. Order by FRIDAY at 11PM each week for delivery the following Tuesday!
Use the PROMO: MOMS10 to get $10 off your first order, plus a wellness shot!
What has surprised you the most about starting a business?
There’s been a lot that has surprised me about starting a business. You work 24/7 and it really never stops. Even when your work is finished, it really isn’t. This business started from nothing and it turned into something amazing. There have been a ton of obstacles but all you can really do is figure them out as you go! It takes a ton of hard work and you don’t realize how invested you get. I’m so invested in this company even though we have a huge clientele at this point. I still recognize everybody’s names and I check in with my clients weekly– and it really is me just being fully invested. I support my clients businesses and I’ve met some really amazing people on the way. But I started this company as a way to be home with my daughter and still manage to work while being a single mom. I truly love what I do and I think that shows to my clients and my passion for this company.
What do you do to balance your own life and motherhood? What do you do for “me” time?
I try to really focus on planning times to work. When it’s not a dedicated work time I make sure that I’m not working so I can spend time with my family. As far as motherhood, I just take things as they come and I try not to take things too seriously. I know Mila won’t be this little forever so I try to savor that time with her. I also try to allow her to be curious- she loves going to see me sing and she also loves learning about cooking. So I try to incorporate that in her life as much as I can. For me time I love to be outdoors and be active but I also love what I do so I do consider that as me time! I really include my daughter in all of my “me” time. Being a single mom I want to instill such a confidence in her, and I want her to see how strong women can be! She’s my sidekick with everything.
Anyone special you’d like to thank for helping you through parenthood?
There’s so many people, but without my parents I wouldn’t be where I am. They got me through extremely hard times when I was figuring out how to be a single mom, and they have supported me to the fullest. They help out with my daughter so much so that I can still have time to myself. My parents, my partner Bernie, my sister, my friends and loved ones- they have supported me through motherhood and I wouldn’t be able to do it without them!
Thank you Monica, for sharing your mom life and URTH with us! We admire your strength as a #momtrepreneur and a single momma, who is figuring out how to do it all- and absolutely succeeding!! XO
