We recently had the chance to connect with Erin Fletter and have shared our conversation below.
Erin, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
As the founder and CEO of Sticky Fingers Cooking®, being named one of ColoradoBiz Magazine’s Top Women in Colorado Business this year was a proud moment — but not just for me. That recognition represents every child who’s tried a new food in a Sticky Fingers Cooking® class, every chef instructor who shows up with creativity and joy, and every team member who works tirelessly to grow this mission.
I can’t take that award as mine alone. We earned it — together. We’ve spent years building a community that believes in making cooking accessible, fun, and meaningful for kids everywhere. And we will keep pushing forward, because our collective success is what makes the greatest impact.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I started my business, Sticky Fingers Cooking®, at my actual family table with my family in 2011! My husband, Ryan Fletter, and I own Barolo Grill, an award-winning restaurant here in Denver. I am the mother of three amazing daughters and I am the author of five cookbooks for kids.
Sticky Fingers Cooking® teaches children how to cook in after-school enrichment classes and summer camps using our own original globally-inspired recipes that are allergen-friendly. As the business expands through our franchise model, what really matters is how each student engages with a new food or learns something that builds their self-confidence in life (and the kitchen).
It is “PHO-nomenal” to me to see how Sticky Fingers Cooking® has grown! In 2023, we re-launched as a franchise model and and now there are close to 20 locations and we continue to grow.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
A moment that really shaped how I see the world happened when I was young, traveling with my mom. She was a true bohemian spirit, passionate about making everything from scratch, our food, our clothes, and mostly about exploring all corners of the globe. Our first big adventure was to Tahiti in the 1980s. When we landed on Bora Bora there was just one hotel on the island. My mom fell to her knees and cried tears of joy because she had dreamed of that place since her childhood. That moment stayed with me and sparked a pull to see every corner of the world.
As a child, spending weeks in East Africa or Southeast Asia, I realized quickly that you don’t need to share a language to connect. Travel taught me early on that food is its own language, and when you sit down to a meal, understanding and sharing begins. Mark Twain said, ‘Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness,’ and I tell my daughters the same thing. To me, food and travel are the great connectors. If you can cook, you will always have friends. Those experiences shaped my worldview and eventually laid the foundation for Sticky Fingers Cooking®. Today we get to share that same love of food, travel, and connection with kids across the United States — no passport required — right in their schools.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
Don’t be too hard on yourself! As a young person I couldn’t decide on a college major—or even on a college. I wanted to travel, to be with my friends, to learn and explore, but I didn’t want to commit. Looking back, I realize those experiences were invaluable. My success hasn’t come from a degree on a wall but from connections, curiosity, focus, stamina, and grit.
Everyone struggles with self-doubt, even the people who look like they have it all figured out. Imposter syndrome is real, and most of us are faking it until we make it. Bravery is not the absence of fear—it’s feeling the fear and moving forward anyway. So go for it. Follow your wild dreams. You’ll fail 100 percent of the time if you are too scared to even try, but if you follow your curiosity and take that leap, you can’t go wrong.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes, absolutely. What you see is what you get. I bring the same energy, passion, and tea-rrific food puns to interviews, classrooms, and at our headquarters that I do at home with my family. Authenticity is powerful, and it is what got me here. Sticky Fingers Cooking® is an extension of myself and the values I hold most dear. If I want our franchise owners to follow their dreams and our kids and families to be brave and curious in the kitchen, then I have to and want to show up as my true self every single time. Every day.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. How do you know when you’re out of your depth?
I know I’m out of my depth when I feel uncomfortable. It will always be part of the recipe for growth. Just like lifting weights tears muscle so it can rebuild stronger, starting and growing a business stretches you beyond what you think you can do. Pain or discomfort is just an ingredient telling me to pay attention. Negative feedback works the same way, it helps me adjust course. When I feel overwhelmed or anxious, that’s my cue to slow down, ask my team for support, or shift something.
The truth is you can’t start and grow a company like Sticky Fingers Cooking® without being out of your depth most of the time. You have to believe in yourself and take the leap before you’ve proven you can do it. And with every level of growth, new discomfort arises. You have to learn to embrace that discomfort and feeling out of your depth. But I’ve learned that’s where the magic happens. When you lean in, get gritty, and keep going, that’s when real progress shows up. They don’t call it growing pains for nothing, and at Sticky Fingers Cooking® we turn those pains into something delicious.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.stickyfingerscooking.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stickyfingerscooking/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sticky-fingers-cooking-llc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StickyFingersCooking/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7eHBg7oDKChxsn4DC-69QA/featured
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@stickyfingers_cooking
https://www.stickyfingerscookingfranchise.com/
