What started as a hobby during a difficult recovery has grown into a business serving customers on Padre Island.
Tisha Gavlik’s journey to creating Nauti T’s Creations began after she tripped over a rope in a friend’s driveway and broke her femur.
The injury made it difficult for Gavlik to stay on her feet for extended periods of time or move the way her job required. After 25 years as a registered dental assistant, she had to leave the career she had known for most of her adult life.
“I’m sitting on the couch... looking out the window and it was summer, watching my life go by and trying to figure out what I’m going to do with the rest of my life because all I knew was dentistry,” Gavlik said.
While recovering at home, Gavlik found a new outlet in her kitchen.
She began making jelly and salsa for friends and family, using a small scooter to move around while she recovered.
“I decided to start making jelly,” Gavlik said. “I can sit on my little scooter on the seat, roll around in the kitchen and make some jelly.”
That hobby quickly turned into something more.
Gavlik took her homemade products to her first farmers market, where she said customers quickly bought everything she brought.
“We sold out at the farmer’s market within like 20 minutes,” Gavlik said.
The response encouraged Gavlik to keep going, and Nauti T’s Creations continued to grow.
What began with jelly and salsa eventually expanded to include lunch specials, baked goods and catering as customers asked for more.
Gavlik’s creations have even taken her beyond the Coastal Bend. Her jellies competed at the World Food Championship, where she advanced to the Super Qualifier.
For Gavlik, the business represents a major change from where her journey began.
“It’s been a very exciting journey for us... from such a traumatic thing... from where I came from to where we are now,” she said.
Nearly a decade after she first started making jelly, Gavlik said her customers continue to be one of the biggest reasons she keeps creating.
“The whole reason why we do what we do is it makes me happy to bring a product to somebody... something that brings people joy,” Gavlik said.
Today, Nauti T’s Creations continues to serve customers on Padre Island, turning a recovery-time hobby into a business built around homemade food and bringing people together.
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