Daily Inspiration: Meet Patrick Drake

Today we’d like to introduce you to Patrick Drake.

Hi Patrick, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.

After graduating from Oxford Law School and joining the world’s largest law firm, I quickly realized that the last thing on Earth I wanted to do was be a lawyer. It was really nothing like I’d been led to believe from childhood episodes of LA Law and Ally McBeal. Every day I would have breakfast, lunch, and dinner with colleagues to discuss potential escape routes.

I found that the more I talked about my fantasies of working elsewhere, the less likely I was to ever commit. And so when the craziest idea of them all came to me, I didn’t tell a soul. I’d gotten it into my head that being a TV chef seemed like a lot more fun than drafting contracts. I told a producer friend in Los Angeles about a TV concept I had and a week later she called with some incredible news: her network loved my idea!

They said we should film a pilot and I should play the role of the chef. So I booked my flight and started practicing being a TV chef (!). I’d never been in front of a camera before, so I started loudly narrating all of my household chores. If I was washing dishes I would explain to my imaginary audience that I was scrubbing in circles to most effectively remove grease from the plates.

My roommate (justifiably) thought I had lost my marbles. 10 weeks later I was in a studio in Los Angeles. Surrounded by lights, cameras, and microphones, the director shouted “Action!”. I froze. My heart was beating out of my chest. I was hyperventilating. The feeling of imposter syndrome was completely overwhelming. The director shouts “Cut! Cut! I can see the sweat patches on his t-shirt. We need a wardrobe change!”.

Needless to say, I didn’t get the part. But that was a crossroads in my life. Either my adventure would be a fun story to tell my grandchildren one day, or I would commit to making this dream my reality. And so I wrote at the top of a piece of paper “By 2010 I will be living in LA, I will have my own TV show and I will be working in food for the rest of my life” and underneath I wrote all of the small (achievable) steps I would need to take to get a shot at the top goal.

And so I got to work. Secretly cooking lunch for our clients in my law firm’s fine dining kitchen. Evenings working in London’s top kitchens for free. Eventually, I had to pull away the safety net, so I organized a meeting with the senior partner of my law firm. Before the meeting, I sent him the trailer for that cooking show in LA from my Blackberry. I was now committed. There was no backing out.

When I told him I wanted to resign, he didn’t seem surprised. When he opened up the link in his email to see what I planned to do next, his facial expression changed. A lot. “You want to do what?” “I want to be a TV chef”. Needless to say, things quickly got awkward after that. Everyone at the firm thought I was crazy. And so I entered the wilderness. Cooking in any kitchen would teach me. Starting my YouTube channel. Until, through many twists and turns, my dream came true.

Two years after leaving my law firm I received two emails in the same month: the first asked if I would consider coming to a casting for a TV show. It was from a girl who had seen a video of me on YouTube cooking a risotto. The only catch was that the casting was in Rome, the next morning. I knew it was my time. I booked the flight and arrived in Rome 12 hours later.

I passed the casting, we filmed a pilot, the pilot was picked up by National Geographic and we filmed 13 episodes all through Italy. The show ended up airing in 67 countries. But that was only half of the dream. In that same month, I also received an email asking if I would help a group of people start a new food company.

One month later I was designing the recipes and we packed the first paper bags of groceries in my living room, with a Clipart logo. And that was how I co-founded HelloFresh in the UK. HelloFresh was all about dinner and for my next chapter I wanted to focus on the meal that I believe has the greatest impact on a person’s day: breakfast. 90% of Americans drink coffee every morning and many use creamers and plant-based milks that are high in sugar, starch, seed oils, and fillers. It’s like starting the day with half a can of Pepsi.

The sugar spike causes brain fog and inflammation that’s crushing our productivity. And so I made something better: A functional creamer with zero added sugar, adaptogenic mushrooms, and L-theanine so that people can enjoy their delicious coffee moment and feel like the best version of themselves. And for people on the go, I created an all-in-one latte and matcha latte. Just add water and you’ve got everything you need to start the day feeling satisfied, energized, and ready.

When you put your heart and soul into a product or endeavor, it’s a vulnerable position to be in. But with all my heart I believe food products can be better. Better in terms of flavor and so much better in terms of their benefits. I named my new company AUTONOMY because that’s exactly what I want to give to people: the ability to put themselves in the driving seat of their day and live out their fullest potential.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?

Being back at the beginning of the entrepreneurial journey once more, I’m doing everything! Some days I am the operations manager, some days I am the sales team and whenever the phone rings, that’s when I am in customer care too.

The tricky part about being at the beginning of the start-up journey is that you don’t have the budget to hire lots of people. But there is a benefit: understanding how all the parts of your business work makes it easier and more effective when you hire people. That knowledge is so empowering.

I think if you asked people what sets me apart, it’s my obsession with incredible flavor. To me, food can be a transcendent experience and I want to create that experience for everyone who uses our products. I’m proud that AUTONOMY strikes that rare combination between function and deliciousness.

Any big plans?

My biggest plan for this year is currently growing inside my wife… we’re having our first baby in August and I’m so excited! And as for AUTONOMY, all of the groundwork to scale has now been done and so the next jigsaw piece is getting the word out to the world.

Pricing:

• Smart Creamer $21.60
• Smart Latte $23
• Smart Matcha Latte $29.70

Contact Info:

• Website: www.autonomyfoods.com
• Instagram: @autonomyfoods