Aldan resident Charisse McGill aims to create a snack-food empire centered around French toast bites, writes Allison Steele for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Until recently, McGill worked as the full-time director of special events for Valley Forge Military Academy and College. She’s now betting on her business, Lokal Artisan Foods, that she started earlier this year.

Barely a month after leaving her job to set up shop outside City Hall at Dilworth Park’s Made in Philadelphia Holiday Market, she is already selling around $1,000 worth of French toast a day.

After the holiday season is over, she will switch to a kiosk at the Philadelphia Premium Outlets in Montgomery County. Her goal is to become the Auntie Anne of French toast.

“I’m talking malls, festivals, pop-ups,” she said. “Put me in a high-foot-traffic area where people are ready to spend.”

McGill, a longtime manager of the Lansdale Farmers Market, has also taught classes on becoming a food vendor at Montgomery County Community College. A graduate of Temple’s hospitality program, she is currently studying for her MBA in food marketing at Saint Joseph’s.

Read more about Charisse McGill in the Philadelphia Inquirer by clicking here.