Hello, I’m Barbara Hobart
While I’ve spent most of my career as a television writer/producer, I’ve also created and manufactured products for a variety of businesses and companies around the world.
On a personal note, I love to cook and entertain which led to my creating a new line of products geared toward the home chef and Instant Pot lover. Yeah, an appliance changed my life personally and professionally.
I created this line out of necessity. I made so many dishes, I kept running out of storage containers and was sick of nudging/stalking my friends to return “The Pyrex.”
But the reason so many people wanted leftovers was due to the recipes I made. They belonged to my mother, Bernice. When she passed away, I reconnected with her through her legacy — the brown folder filled with recipes she made over the years and brought them to life. I’m thrilled to share them with you.
And while I was at it, I created a collection of great gifts and accessories for the home chef, and of course, my line of food storage containers inspired by Bernice…
But not just any food storage containers…
Make It & Take It containers make food storage — personal. Perfect vessels to send your friends and family home with homemade food in something much nicer than an old Cool Whip tub. Plus, you can write your name on them because as Bernice would say: “you made it, who else’s name should be on the label?”
I hadn’t been on stage in over 25 years and was invited to share my story about how I inadvertently became a food blogger and invented a product line. Watch “Eat This, You’ll Die.” And brace yourself.
Coming next is my new cookbook: “Eat This, You’ll Die!” filled with recipes from my childhood because Bernice was one hell of a cook. You will get to know her as I’ve also included her wit, wisdom, and some of her passive/aggressive cooking tips to help you navigate your way around the kitchen — and life.
Stay tuned and thanks for visiting.
Best,
Barbara
P.S. If you want to know more, below is a bit of my backstory.
_____________________________________________________
The Early Years
I love creating things. From television series to product lines.
Back in 1994, I was a Los Angeles-based TV comedy writer/producer who started making decorative light switch plates as a hobby. Weird, right? What can I say? In 2003, while visiting friends in London, I offered to make them a switch plate to replace their plain, boring, white switch. I was told: “You can’t. UK switches are wired into the wall and are not removable.” Really? Well, “can’t” isn’t a word in my vocabulary. And so, a challenge became an opportunity –- and my company, HomePlates Worldwide was born.
In 2004, I invented and introduced the first injection molded decorative light switch cover to the UK — which required no rewiring. A few years later, wanting to leave no continent undecorated, in 2008, HomePlates Switch Covers were introduced to the Australian and New Zealand marketplace. In 2010, taking the design process one step further, I had another brainstorm and introduced a new product to the collection, replacing the original HomePlates Switch Covers: Artitude by HomePlates: the first acrylic switch cover with no visible screws… all proudly Made in the USA. Here’s an interesting article about the evolution of HomePlates from Women Talking.
Over the years, a variety of decorative accessories and products geared to the home interiors, home improvement, and gift market were added to the collection, and today HomePlates has expanded and is pleased to also create a variety of custom products for businesses and companies including those in the hospitality, restaurant, food service, and special events industries. If you have a company and want to learn about creating your own custom line of products, here’s a link to HomePlates for more information.
I’ve had the pleasure of working with great people and companies. Some of our clients include Laura Ashley, British Home Stores, John Lewis Department Store, Aspace, BBC America, Live Nation, House of Blues, Kroger, The Coca-Cola Company, Dark Matter Coffee, Gifford’s Ice Cream, House of Blues, Opry Entertainment, Blake Shelton’s `Ole Red Restaurant, The Campbell’s Soup Company, and many others.
In 2019, I created Best Ever Backdrops, a fabulous line of lightweight, 100% waterproof backdrops for bloggers, stylists, and photographers.
That’s it for now.
Best,
Barbara
P.S. And yes, I still write for a variety of media: television, stage, and print.