Gourmondo’s Beginnings
The story of Gourmondo begins in 1996, when, at just 25 years old, Alissa Leinonen refinanced her car for $4,000 and set out to build her dream business. She found a 470-square-foot café tucked next to Madame Lazonga’s Tattoo Parlor in Pike Place Market, and she opened the doors with her two friends (and now business partners), full of ambition.
Then came reality. Gourmondo’s first day’s sales totaled just $36 ($24 being from her mom). There were no guarantees of success, no major investors – just a belief in her vision and a willingness to take risks.
Alissa was determined to make high-quality food more accessible, and she and her partners navigated the early obstacles with grit. Their small team did whatever it took to keep the doors open, flipping coins to decide who did the dishes and making deliveries in a 1967 Plymouth Belvedere.
Every day, she and her partners experimented with new recipes and found creative ways to get the word out. They slowly built a devoted local following. Then came a defining moment.
One afternoon, Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, walked in to get change for a parking meter. Alissa had worked as a floor manager at a restaurant he frequented, and he recognized her. He casually asked if they did catering, and as luck would have it, Alissa had printed her first-ever box lunch menu the night before. She handed it to him (not truly believing something would come of it). The next morning, Schultz's assistant called and placed an order for 50 box lunches.
That single order was the beginning of what became Gourmondo’s corporate catering program; Gourmondo shut down the café for the day just to fulfill it. Nearly 30 years later, Starbucks remains a client.
With time, Gourmondo grew beyond a small café. Alissa bought out both her partners and expanded into corporate catering, launched a wholesale grab-and-go line, opened an in-house bakery, grew to 15 cafes, and built a full-service event catering business. Through thoughtful growth, strategic partnerships, and of course, reliably providing high quality food and service, Gourmondo became a trusted name in Seattle’s food scene.
The Toughest Times
Success did not come easy. In 2006, an ambitious expansion put the company close to bankruptcy. Alissa had opened three corporate campus cafes overnight, burning through all her reserves. When her bookkeeper walked into her office in tears, telling her there wasn’t enough cash to pay vendors, she had a choice: admit defeat or find a way forward.
She called her mom, who told her, “Alissa, we’re entrepreneurs. This is what we do. We take risks, and sometimes they don’t pay off. It’s not about the mistake; it’s about how you recover.”
That advice changed her perspective. Instead of panicking, she called her vendors and was brutally honest about the situation. Thanks to the confidence she had earned over the years, one vendor, Ron Rosella, gave her three extra months to pay what she owed. That moment of trust and transparency helped Gourmondo keep the doors open.
By 2020, Gourmondo was on track for another record-breaking year. Then, the pandemic hit. Within days, the company lost 95% of the business.
With Seattle’s corporate offices closing and events being canceled, demand all but vanished overnight. Many catering businesses shut down. Alissa refused to be one of them. Instead of laying off her team, she asked, “How can we use our infrastructure to help?”
Gourmondo pivoted operations to focus on feeding those in need. They partnered with local organizations like Seattle Housing Authority, FareStart and Amazon. During this time, Gourmondo provided over one million meals to low-income families, children on assisted meal programs through the Seattle school district, frontline workers, local food banks, and at-risk youth.
“We wanted these meals to be more than just, ‘Hey, here's a sandwich,” said Alissa. “We wanted to offer something special, to create a meal with an entree, dessert, and side dish, so that [the recipients] knew they were a big deal. Oftentimes we also included a note in the box with either a note of thanks or encouragement.”
This shift ended up being more than a temporary crisis response; it reshaped Gourmondo’s holistic mission from then on. Today, philanthropy is a larger part of our DNA, with ongoing partnerships that support food security in the Seattle community.
Thriving Together
For Alissa, success has never been about growth at all costs. A defining moment for her as an entrepreneur, in fact, was realizing she had the power to decide how she defined success, and she chose a definition that prioritized both quality service and a culture of care.
At the very start, Alissa made a conscious decision to structure Gourmondo’s operations in a way that respected employees’ time. Today, 80% of the team finishes work by early afternoon - a rarity in the food industry. This allows them to pick up kids from school, spend time with family, and all-around have a better work-life balance. Naturally, Gourmondo has only become more successful since implementing that approach.
Alissa’s leadership philosophy is built on humility, curiosity, and empowerment. She believes great leaders don’t do everything themselves but rather create an environment where talented people can thrive. This mindset has helped Gourmondo attract some of the best chefs and businesswomen in the region.
Her impact hasn’t gone unnoticed. Alissa has earned recognition including:
Pacific Northwest EY Entrepreneur of the Year (Unstoppable Category)
Enterprising Women’s Entrepreneur of the Year
Inc.’s List of America’s Most Inspiring Entrepreneurs
But for her, the greatest achievement isn’t the accolades - it’s the team she’s built.
The Women Who Power Gourmondo
Alissa has never viewed Gourmondo as a one-woman success story. She is the first to credit the incredible women who have helped shape and sustain the company over the years.
Women lead at every level of Gourmondo, from C-suite to the kitchen line, and in each position they bring talent and heart to their work. Many have been with the company for over 15 years, playing an indispensable role in its culture, operations, and direction.
Sonya & Esther have led the kitchen team for over fifteen years, preparing dishes at the highest standard of quality.
Jolene, head pastry chef, crafts gourmet desserts that are a signature part of the Gourmondo experience.
Allison, Vinnessa, Olivia and Hannah uphold exceptional service as part of our customer care team.
Lindsay, Jewel, Jillian, Tatiana bring their wonderful talents to the Catering and Events management and planning team.
Alecia, Gourmondo’s President, leads our company with creativity, strategy, and a commitment to quality.
Ann, Director of HR, fosters a supportive, growth-minded workplace.
Ashley, Controller, oversees the finance team with expertise.
Diana, Sous-chef, manages daily kitchen production of fresh, locally-sourced dishes.
Beyond these names, countless women across production, logistics, client services, and leadership uphold the mission that has made Gourmondo what it is today.
A Culture of Care
Nearly three decades after opening a small café in Pike Place Market, Gourmondo is a Seattle institution. From seasonal catering and gourmet boxed lunches to full service grab and go cafes, its presence can be felt all over the city. While the company continues to evolve, its foundation remains unchanged: quality, integrity, and community.
Alissa’s journey to where we are now is a shining example of the need to take risks and make hard decisions. This isn't because you'll never fail, but because you have the resilience and humility to learn and grow from missteps. And of course, as simple as it may sound: the power of being true to yourself. In her years of service, Alissa has built a thriving business with a culture of care, and despite inevitable bumps in the road, she never changed to fit the mold of an occasionally brutal industry.
As Alissa often says:
“Mistakes don’t define you. How you move forward does.”
And for Alissa and the women of Gourmondo, the future has never looked brighter.
