A few years ago, future Q.D. Foodie creator, Marci Heit, started volunteering as a puppeteer for a show that focused on understanding, appreciating, and embracing all kinds of people. Marci is a professional voice over artist, so she had a great time voicing the big and colorful personalities of the show’s characters. Quickly, she discovered that she loved being involved in a project that had such a powerful impact on people! After the performances, a rotation of speakers would talk with the children, and Marci enjoyed getting to know one of them very well. This presenter’s name was Elda, an amazing 90-year-old woman who lost her sight at the age of 70. However, Elda never let that stop her from doing all of the things she always loved. Elda shared stories with Marci about how she loved to bake. She even brought Marci into her home, where her kitchen was marked with DIY braille to help her navigate when baking. This was truly inspiring to Marci, because despite Elda’s challenges, she always used her ingenuity and positive outlook to reach her goals and achieve her dreams.

In addition to voice acting, Marci owns and runs an animation production company called “It’s Real Entertainment.” Elda’s real life experience inspired Marci to create a character named Quinn Daisy (Q.D.), a young girl who is blind and loves to make things with food in a watermelon shaped treehouse with her friends. When Marci designed the kitchen tool props for Q.D. and her friends to use, she wanted them in her own kitchen and knew that others would, too. And the journey began!