Do you have one of those friends that makes everything from scratch, always makes the perfect cookies and can whip up a gourmet meal out of yesterday’s leftovers with the blink of an eye? You know the one, and we all love going to playdates at her house.

Well, Connie Pope, has a friend like that too, Heather Schoenrock. These two friends started a company called Jack’s Harvest and together they are making a household name for themselves. They took Heather’s recipes for organic baby food and have created a fabulous line of heart shaped frozen baby food with flavors such as Yummy Bunny Carrots, Tango with Mango and Blueberrytastic Banana. What more could you ask for? It tastes great, the babies are loving it, it’s healthy and it’s all pretty darn cute if I must say so myself.

I had a few questions for these baby food making mamas and here’s what they had to say…

PP: How did you come up with the concept behind Jack’s Harvest? How long have you been in business?

HS: When my first daughter Lucy was born in 1999, she was sick all the time. We took her to numerous doctors and couldn’t figure out what was wrong. I started doing research and decided to make her baby food from organic produce, which back then was not easy to find. I’ve always loved to cook so it was fun for me to experiment and try new things. I would add herbs and spices, like mint and cinnamon, to make it taste good and add health benefits. As I saw her health improve and continued to read more studies on the effects of pesticides, fertilizers and hormones on our children’s bodies, I became a passionate believer in the organic movement. When my second daughter Sadie and my son Jack came along I made their organic baby food, too.

CP: We would get together for playdates and Heather would bring the most amazing, fresh, homemade organic baby food for her son Jack to eat. She would bring extra for my son, Avery, who is a month younger than Jack. I don’t even like to cook dinner, so the idea of making my own baby food didn’t appeal to me, but I could tell the difference from jarred food in the way Heather’s looked, tasted – even smelled, and I knew that was what I wanted to feed Avery. I offered to pay her to make her delicious organic baby food for me, and then when our friends found out, they asked Heather if she would make baby food for them too. When friends of friends started calling, we knew there was a need in the marketplace.

HS & CP: We came up with the idea after our fateful playdate in late 2006. It took about a year to find a kitchen and get our certifications. We officially launched with our online shopping cart in January of 2008 and by September we were in all the metro Atlanta Whole Foods Markets.

PP: If you knew then, what you know now, what would you have done differently?

HS & CP: Honestly, if we knew then, what we know now, we might not have started Jack’s Harvest. We always joke that our next business will be t-shirts. They are not perishable, easy to ship, and we can outsource. The fact is, we didn’t choose this company – it chose us.

PP: How do you balance the partnership? The friendship?

HS & CP: It’s like a marriage. Communication is key – and you have to have a sense of humor. We know people say never go into business with a friend, but frankly, we can’t imagine going into business with anyone else. As far as our partnership and friendship, it’s seamless. We’re friends that work together.

PP: What is the one thing that absolutely has to be part of your Thanksgiving feast?

HS: My homemade pumpkin pie with fresh maple whipped cream. My daughter Sadie helps me make it and it’s become our special tradition.

CP: Well, I don’t cook, so I order my organic turkey precooked from Whole Foods. All I have to do is warm it up and it makes the house smell like I’ve been cooking all day.

PP: How many hours do you sleep each night?

HS & CP: 6 hours. (As long as no one has nightmares, then it’s 5.)

PP: What is your favorite read?

HS: Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

CP: Small Giants by Bo Burlingham

HS & CP: OK, we’ll admit it, we’re also huge fans of the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer.

PP: Who are you? Heels or Flats? Vanilla or Chocolate? SUV or Minivan? Butter Cream or Whipped Cream? Martini or Wine?

HS: Heels – except in kitchen then its sneakers. Vanilla. Minivan. Butter Cream – preferably on top of a cupcake. Mango Margarita made with Jack’s Harvest Tango with Mango.

CP: Flats – I’m totally addicted to my Uggs! Chocolate. SUV. Butter Cream – preferably on top of a cupcake. Bellini made with Jack’s Harvest Papplesauce.

PP: What are you most thankful for?

HS & CP: Supportive, patient husbands; beautiful, healthy (not so patient) children; amazing family and friends; and, of course, our fantastic Jack’s Harvest parents and babies

Jack’s Harvest uses only the best quality seasonal organic produce, hand selected from local farmer’s markets by Jack’s mom, Heather. All of Jack’s Harvest offerings are prepared in a pristine certified organic kitchen. Get some for your baby at www.jacksharvest.com because your baby has good taste!

Linda Shapiro is the Co-founder of Moms-for-Profit, now Hybrid Mom Consulting & Media Group, Hybrid Mom magazine and www.hybridmom.com and she is the Director of Operations for http://longislandny.citymommy.com where hip Long Island moms meet.   Linda lives on Long Island with her husband and two boys.  She loves spending time with her family, the beach, children’s laughter, a good shoe sale, planning parties, and the thrill of the chase!