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Bringing Healing Through Community: The Well and Feed the Well BBQ and Biscuit Barn, with Tonya and Darrin Cohen

June 10, 2024 by John Ray

Darrin and Tonya Cohen, Feed the Well and Feed the Well BBQ and Biscuit Barn
North Fulton Business Radio
Bringing Healing Through Community: The Well and Feed the Well BBQ and Biscuit Barn, with Tonya and Darrin Cohen
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Darrin and Tonya Cohen, Feed the Well and Feed the Well BBQ and Biscuit Barn

Bringing Healing Through Community: The Well and Feed the Well BBQ and Biscuit Barn, with Tonya and Darrin Cohen (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 775)

On this episode of North Fulton Business Radio, host John Ray interviews Tonya and Darrin Cohen about their unique ministry, The Well, and its associated supporting business, Feed the Well BBQ and Biscuit Barn (formerly Fagan’s Biscuit Barn). The Well, which Tonya founded, provides a secure, loving environment where people can share their stories and find healing through the love of Christ. Darrin supports this ministry through the restaurant and catering operations, which donates 100% of its profits to The Well. The Cohens discuss their journey, the impact of their work, and their vision for expanding their ministry both locally and beyond.

John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. The show is recorded and produced from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

The Well

Tonya Cohen established The Well as a non-profit ministry in Cumming, Georgia, in 2021. Inspired by her faith and belief that God called her to this purpose, Cohen started The Well to provide a welcoming community space for people to connect, share their stories in a safe place, and experience the love of Christ.

The Well aims to be an accepting environment with the tagline “Be. Be Real. Be Loved. Belong.” It hosts events to foster community building and offers one-on-one mentorship through its “Total Wellness” program. With facilities like a cafe, gathering areas, and prayer room, The Well creates an inviting atmosphere for people to come together, all supported by Feed the Well BBQ and Biscuit Barn and other donations to the organization.

Website | Instagram | Facebook

Feed the Well BBQ and Biscuit Barn

Feed the Well BBQ and Biscuit Barn is a restaurant and catering business that supports The Well ministry’s mission through its profits, operating under the tagline “BBQ with a Purpose.” Formerly known as Fagan’s Biscuit Barn, the business maintains the traditional Southern menu items that made Fagan’s so beloved. The same biscuits Fagan’s has been serving for so many years are the highlight of the breakfast menu, along with other traditional breakfast fare. Long-time lunch entree choices such as chicken tenders, country fried steak, chicken n’ dumplings, and fried chicken are still available, along with a variety of veggie sides. The restaurant remains at its long-time location at 1530 Peachtree Parkway, Cumming, GA.

Traditional Southern barbeque has been added to the menu, and it is available for dine-in at the restaurant, delivery, or catered. Whole-hog pork, brisket, chicken, smoked wings, and turkey are just a few of their delicious offerings. Their popular monthly “BBQ Fundraiser” events directly benefit the non-profit ministry’s activities by providing a welcoming space for people to connect.

Website | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | X (Twitter)

Topics Discussed in this Episode

00:00 Introduction to North Fulton Business Radio
01:13 Meet Tonya and Darrin Cohen
01:37 The Well: A Safe Space for Healing
03:35 Feed the Well: Barbeque with a Purpose
06:44 The Journey to Establishing The Well
11:08 Expanding the Ministry and Community Impact
13:28 Future Plans
22:37 How to Get Involved and Support
29:16 Closing Remarks and Additional Information

Renasant Bank and Casa Nuova Italian Restaurant support North Fulton Business Radio

Renasant BankRenasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions, with over $13 billion in assets and more than 190 banking, lending, wealth management, and financial services offices in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida. All of Renasant’s success stems from each of their banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way of better understanding the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.

Casa Nuova Italian RestaurantCasa Nuova is a proud family-owned and operated restaurant, serving classic, authentic and traditional Italian cuisine and top tier hospitality since 1998.

Casa Nuova is a cook-to-order kitchen, serving traditional fare including pasta, chicken, seafood, veal, vegetarian and gluten-free options, plus daily specials. They are a farm-to-table establishment, meaning that in the summertime, they cultivate their own vegetables in their garden, steps away from the restaurant, including tomatoes, corn, peppers, zucchini, sunflowers and more!

Celebrating more than 25 years, Casa Nuova has become a true staple in the Alpharetta area, serving more than three generations of families, including friends old and new, visiting near and far from all over the metro Atlanta area and beyond.

Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram

About North Fulton Business Radio and host John Ray

With over 770 shows and having featured over 1,200 guests, North Fulton Business Radio is the longest-running podcast in the North Fulton area, covering business in our community like no one else. We are the undisputed “Voice of Business” in North Fulton!

The show welcomes a wide variety of business, non-profit, and community leaders to get the word out about the important work they’re doing to serve their market, their community, and their profession. There’s no discrimination based on company size, and there’s never any “pay to play.” North Fulton Business Radio supports and celebrates business by sharing positive business stories that traditional media ignore. Some media leans left. Some media leans right. We lean business.

John Ray, Business RadioX - North Fulton, and Owner, Ray Business Advisors
John Ray, Business RadioX – North Fulton, and Owner, Ray Business Advisors

John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. The show is recorded and produced from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, and many others.

The studio address is 275 South Main Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009.

John Ray, The Generosity MindsetJohn Ray also operates his own business advisory practice. John’s services include advising solopreneurs and small professional services firms on their value, their positioning and business development, and their pricing. His clients are professionals who are selling their expertise, such as consultants, coaches, attorneys, CPAs, accountants and bookkeepers, marketing professionals, and other professional services practitioners.

John is the national bestselling author of The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices.

Tagged With: barbeque, BBQ, Catering, Darrin Cohen, event catering, Feed the Well BBQ and Biscuit Barn, John Ray, North Fulton Business Radio, The Well, Tonya Cohen

Rianni Tyes with Pineapple Luxe Hospitality and Alfredo Arrarte with Gloss Boss Auto Detailing

April 11, 2024 by Mike

Gwinnett Business Radio
Gwinnett Business Radio
Rianni Tyes with Pineapple Luxe Hospitality and Alfredo Arrarte with Gloss Boss Auto Detailing
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Alfredo Arrarte & Rianni Tyes

Rianni Tyes/Pineapple Luxe Hospitality

Pineapple Luxe Hospitality is a personal chef service that offers five-star hospitality services in the comfort of your home or venue of choice. They specialize in cooking for small and large events, couple’s dinners, meal prep for athletic performance and nutrition, and corporate events and luncheons. Their team of experienced chefs will create a custom menu to meet your dietary needs and preferences, and will take care of everything from setting up and serving to cleaning up. With Pineapple Luxe Hospitality, you can enjoy a delicious and stress-free dining experience.

Alfredo Arrarte/Gloss Boss Auto Detailing

Gloss Boss Auto Detailing is a mobile detailing service provider with over 8 years of experience offering full interior & exterior detailing, paint correction and ceramic coating. They are punctual and meticulous with a passion for transforming vehicles to their full potential.

Gwinnett Business Radio is presented by

Hosted by Harper LeBel and Mike Sammond

Produced by Dan Braverman

Tagged With: Alfredo Arrarte, Auto Detailing, business in Gwinnett, cars, Catering, food service, gloss boss auto detailing, gwinnett business leaders, Gwinnett Business Radio, harper lebel, hospitality, pineapple luxe hospitality, Rianni Tyes

Alpharetta Barbeque, Bourbon, and Brew, with Natasha Clark, Director of Operations, Loyal Q and Brew

October 2, 2023 by John Ray

Loyal Q and Brew
North Fulton Business Radio
Alpharetta Barbeque, Bourbon, and Brew, with Natasha Clark, Director of Operations, Loyal Q and Brew
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Loyal Q and Brew

Alpharetta Barbeque, Bourbon, and Brew, with Natasha Clark, Director of Operations, Loyal Q and Brew (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 703)

Natasha Clark, Director of Operations of Loyal Q and Brew, joined host John Ray on North Fulton Business Radio to talk about the traditional smokehouse experience offered at this popular Alpharetta restaurant. They discussed their handmade smokers and their process which produces outstanding traditional smoked barbeque, their extensive and unique bourbon collection, the restaurant’s capacity for catering and special events, private dining rooms, and much more.

North Fulton Business Radio is broadcast from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Loyal Q and Brew

Loyal Q is a smokehouse dedicated to serving the freshest ingredients possible. They have a true passion for creating a one-of-a-kind experience for each and every guest they serve, and they do that with a little help from their traditional “smOAKers.”

All their meats are smoked in their beloved smokers named Harry, Lloyd, Doug & Steve. These smokers were handmade in Texas and use wood as the sole fuel source, not gas. They use Post Oak from Texas and Hickory wood from North Carolina.

Specializing in prime SmOAKed meats, Loyal Q catering has you covered for any event of any size!

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Natasha Clark, Director of Operations, Loyal Q and Brew

Natasha Clark, Director of Operations, Loyal Q and Brew

Natasha Clark fully utilizes her people skills and go-getter personality to tackle a bit of everything at Loyal Q, including proposals, sales, and building the team.

From Catering Manager to General Manager and now the Director of Operations, Natasha has been loyal since day one, starting back in 2017. She has been instrumental in leading the restaurant to success and is especially proud of their 99% client retention rate. It’s the client relationship that she treasures the most!

LinkedIn

 

Questions and Topics in this Interview:

  • Catering/event capacity on-site and off-site
  • Smoking process: the ins and outs of being a pit-master
  • Holiday season: smoked turkeys and whole briskets
  • TV viewership: sports bar aspect
  • Extensive bourbon collection
  • Private dining rooms: bourbon bar and game room

 

North Fulton Business Radio is hosted by John Ray and broadcast and produced from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, TuneIn, and others.

RenasantBank

 

Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions with over $13 billion in assets and more than 190 banking, lending, wealth management, and financial services offices in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida. All of Renasant’s success stems from each of their banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way of better understanding the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.

Since 2000, Office Angels® has been restoring joy to the life of small business owners, enabling them to focus on what they do best. At the same time, we honor and support at-home experts who wish to continue working on an as-needed basis. Not a temp firm or a placement service, Office Angels matches a business owner’s support needs with Angels who have the talent and experience necessary to handle work that is essential to creating and maintaining a successful small business. Need help with administrative tasks, bookkeeping, marketing, presentations, workshops, speaking engagements, and more? Visit us at https://officeangels.us/.

Tagged With: barbeque, bourbon bar, brisket, Catering, dining, events, John Ray, Loyal Q, Loyal Q and Brew, Natasha Clark, North Fulton Business Radio, pit-master, private dining, smoakhouse, smokehouse, sports bar

Catering for Your Special Events, with Molly Holway and Matthew Bent, Three Sisters Catering

August 8, 2023 by John Ray

Three Sister Catering
North Fulton Business Radio
Catering for Your Special Events, with Molly Holway and Matthew Bent, Three Sisters Catering
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Three Sister Catering

Catering for Your Special Events, with Molly Holway and Matthew Bent, Three Sisters Catering (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 688)

Three Sisters Catering Founder Molly Holway, along with Executive Chef Matthew Bent, joined host John Ray to share the joy they get from making their clients’ events remarkable and memorable. Molly and Chef Matt shared how Three Sisters got started, how Chef Matt and his team select menu items, the complicated logistics involved in catering an event, how they serve and delight their clients, their “catering-to-go” service, and much more.

North Fulton Business Radio is broadcast from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Three Sisters Catering

Three Sisters Catering is an off premise, full-service catering company with nearly three decades of combined hospitality, entertaining and event planning experience making delicious food and creating menus for every special event occasion from social to corporate to private homes.

Founded by Molly Holway and her sisters, today it remains a “like-a-family” business and is owned and operated with love by a forever team. This includes a talent-filled kitchen of the best catering chefs in Atlanta; an operations manager who delivers seamless execution; and above-and-beyond customer service from a trusted sales team.

The foundation of the business remains its full-service catering operations for large, social events including weddings and mitzvahs. In 2023, Three Sisters Catering redefined catering and entertainment with the launch of Catering-to-Go (CTG), a simple way to host a guest list of more than 20 but less than 100 with beautiful, delicious food whether at home or at the office.

Three Sisters Catering are proud, active members of the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce, National Association for Catering & Events (NACE), and Wedding International Professionals Association (WIPA). Three Sisters Catering is located at 7878 Roswell Rd., Sandy Springs, Ga 30350.

For more information, contact by phone at 404-488-4565 or email.

Website | Facebook | Instagram| Email

Molly Holway, Founder & CEO, Three Sisters Catering

Molly Holway, Founder & CEO, Three Sisters Catering

With Molly, it’s always about people. She has spent her entire career in sales and marketing where she learned the value of long-lasting client relationships. To this day, this is her signature style. She is the Founding Partner and General Manager, Three Sisters Catering.

Molly established herself in the industry at Atlanta’s iconic Rupert’s Night Club, the “hottest ticket” in the city in the mid ’80’s. From there, she took on the real business of off premise catering, including booking space and managing events for prestigious caterers and upscale event facilities.

In 2005, she was hired for the Georgia Aquarium’s opening sales team and worked alongside Chef Wolfgang Puck. Her career continued up the corporate ladder including the opportunity to work in sales for Atlanta’s premier event planner, Tony Conway, and Legendary Events.

Molly was selected for the 2023-2024 Class of Leadership North Fulton.

LinkedIn

Matthew Bent, Executive Chef, Three Sisters Catering

Matthew Bent, Executive Chef, Three Sisters Catering

Chef Matthew is the gift that keeps on giving. He is given carte blanche to pursue his passion in the Three Sisters kitchen. He’s edgy, original, authentic, and innately understands flavoring, technique, and presentation. His “never rattled” demeanor allows him to check all the boxes. No kitchen? No problem. Dietary restrictions? Gotcha covered. Last-minute pop-up event? We’re on it.

Matthew began his love affair with food as a line cook at a Sandals Resort in his native Jamaica. His diligence and talent allowed him to quickly work his way up the “food chain” from Sous Chef at a leading catering company, to a popular Atlanta restaurant, to the Executive Chef position at Three Sisters Catering. Celebrating his 13th year with Three Sisters, he is known for his ability to create menus for clients that satisfies the diverse palettes of their guest no matter how grand or intimate the occasion.

His first love may be food and cooking, but he also loves his family, friends, and traveling. Chef was recently nominated for Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 40 Under 40.

Questions and Topics in this Interview:

  • How Three Sisters got started
  • Catering Services
  • Chef Matthew Bent
  • The work involved in catering
  • Teamwork and retaining talent
  • How they work with their clients
  • Catering to go

North Fulton Business Radio is hosted by John Ray and broadcast and produced from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, TuneIn, and others.

RenasantBank

 

Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions with over $13 billion in assets and more than 190 banking, lending, wealth management, and financial services offices in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida. All of Renasant’s success stems from each of their banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way of better understanding the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.

Since 2000, Office Angels® has been restoring joy to the life of small business owners, enabling them to focus on what they do best. At the same time, we honor and support at-home experts who wish to continue working on an as-needed basis. Not a temp firm or a placement service, Office Angels matches a business owner’s support needs with Angels who have the talent and experience necessary to handle work that is essential to creating and maintaining a successful small business. Need help with administrative tasks, bookkeeping, marketing, presentations, workshops, speaking engagements, and more? Visit us at https://officeangels.us/.

Tagged With: Catering, catering to go, event catering, executive chef, full service catering, gourmet food, John Ray, Matthew Bent, mitzvah, Molly Holway, North Fulton Business Radio, Office Angels, offsite catering, renasant bank, Three Sisters Catering, weddings

LIVE from the GNFCC Grand Opening Celebration: Andrew Traub, A&S Culinary Concepts

September 12, 2022 by John Ray

Andrew Traub
North Fulton Business Radio
LIVE from the GNFCC Grand Opening Celebration: Andrew Traub, A&S Culinary Concepts
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Andrew Traub

LIVE from the GNFCC Grand Opening Celebration: Andrew Traub, A&S Culinary Concepts (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 517)

Andrew Traub, Executive Chef at A&S Culinary Concepts, stopped by to chat with host John Ray during the live remote of North Fulton Business Radio at the Grand Opening Celebration of the new offices of the Greater North Fulton Chamber. Andrew and his team catered the event, and Andrew talked about what they served that evening, their catering business and other events and classes beyond catering, why the Chamber has been so important to his business, and more.

This show was originally broadcast live from the Grand Opening celebration and ribbon cutting of the new offices of the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce at the 10000 Building at Avalon in Alpharetta, Georgia, on August 18, 2022.

North Fulton Business Radio is produced and broadcast by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

A&S Culinary Concepts

A&S Culinary Concepts is an award-winning culinary studio celebrated for corporate catering, corporate team building, Big Green Egg Boot Camps, and private group events.

Company website | Facebook | Instagram

Andrew Traub, Chef/Owner, A&S Culinary Concepts

When Andrew was 15, his mother requested he go out and find a job. So he went down the block to the local Italian steakhouse and asked if they needed help. Luckily they did, and he was hooked into the world of food and beverage. That experience cemented his desire to become a chef and led him to choose a culinary school in the Catskill Mountains of New York for his college education. Andrew gained invaluable experience working in the enormous kitchens in the Catskill resort hotels while earning his degree. Recruited right out of school by Marriott Hotels and Resorts, Andrew was asked to be a member of the opening management team of the New York Marriott Marquis in Times Square.  After moving his way up the culinary ladder and winning several culinary awards along the way, from culinary shows to corporate events, he left Marriott.

Andrew partnered with his college friend and opened Love at First Bite Catering in Manhattan. Clients included Radio City Music Hall, the Luxembourg Consulate, the Pace Collection and Fordham University. After selling Love at First Bite, Andrew and his wife, Sue, followed a dream and traveled around the United States for six months, sampling the cuisines of the various regions of our great country along the way.

Upon returning to New York after their travels, Andrew was offered a position as Executive Chef at a corporate catering company in Manhattan. Ten months later, Marriott came calling again and Andrew was offered a position as Executive Sous Chef at the Marriott Marquis in Atlanta, Georgia. He accepted the position at the Marquis, which was the host hotel for the 1996 Olympic Headquarters.

After three years, Andrew was offered the opportunity to become Executive Chef of the Memphis Marriott Downtown Hotel and Convention Center. After a couple of years, Atlanta once again beckoned, and his next promotion was the position of Executive Chef of the Atlanta Evergreen Marriott Conference Resort in Stone Mountain, Georgia.

Andrew was at Evergreen for 14 years. During that period, he served on several Advisory Boards, notably Avendra (the purchasing company for Marriott, Hyatt and several other hotel companies); Lakeview High School in DeKalb County; and Grayson Technical Culinary Arts Program. The board position he is most honored to hold for thirteen years is on the Advisory Board of the Atlanta Community Food Bank and he is proud to continue to serve.

With his extensive professional contacts–many who have become friends–and his knowledge of the local culinary scene, he is ready to share his experience with you through his food studio, A&S Culinary Concepts.

LinkedIn

Questions and Topics in the Interview:

  • Corporate Team Building Events at A&S
  • Big Green Egg events
  • Andrew’s experience with GNFCC

North Fulton Business Radio is hosted by John Ray and broadcast and produced from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, TuneIn, and others.

RenasantBank

 

Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has grown to become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions with over $13 billion in assets and more than 190 banking, lending, wealth management and financial services offices in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. All of Renasant’s success stems from each of their banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way of better understanding the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.

 

Special thanks to A&S Culinary Concepts for their support of this edition of North Fulton Business Radio. A&S Culinary Concepts, based in Johns Creek, is an award-winning culinary studio, celebrated for corporate catering, corporate team building, Big Green Egg Boot Camps, and private group events. They also provide oven-ready, cooked-from-scratch meals to go they call “Let Us Cook for You.” To see their menus and events, go to their website or call 678-336-9196.

Tagged With: A&S Culinary Concepts, Andrew Traub, Big Green Egg, Catering, chef, corporate catering, North Fulton Business Radio, renasant bank, team building

Sadaya “Daisy” Lewis and Modern Southern Table

March 16, 2022 by John Ray

Sadaya-Daisy-Lewis
Inspiring Women PodCast with Betty Collins
Sadaya “Daisy” Lewis and Modern Southern Table
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Sadaya-Daisy-Lewis

Sadaya “Daisy” Lewis and Modern Southern Table (Inspiring Women, Episode 43)

On this episode of Inspiring Women, Sadaya “Daisy” Lewis discussed the challenges of managing her restaurant and catering business during the pandemic, developing another product line, dealing with both family and funding challenges, and much more. The host of Inspiring Women is Betty Collins and the show is presented by Brady Ware & Company.

Betty’s Show Notes

Modern Southern Table owner, Sadaya “Daisy” Lewis, started her restaurant and catering business seven years ago, combining her experience cooking southern-style cuisine and an MBA in marketing and finance from Capital University, Lewis has built an incredible southern comfort food concept offering fried chicken, gumbo, macaroni and cheese, and other southern classics. I like to call her the “comeback kid.”

First off, Daisy talks about working with restauranteur Cameron Mitchell…

Cameron has been just like the Big Brother (to me), being there to support. Always there to have advice (on pricing and branding) if needed.

Catering took a bit hit in 2020. And her business was no exception.

So when the governor DeWine said no events and he shut down the city of Columbus, you know, we thought it was going to be two weeks, three weeks. We thought it was going to be a little bit. But when he said no large gatherings, no weddings, my calendar cleared almost instantly. People started immediately calling, asking for refunds, asking to reschedule, asking to cancel.

But all business owners hit a point where they go, what the heck just happened? Daisy talks about the comeback.

I left Corporate America a few years earlier, so I really didn’t want to go back to that. And so I knew like I can’t cater, but there has to be something else you can do that will allow you to bring income in because you have a family to feed. And I started paying attention to what was happening around me on social media. Everybody had fallen into this situational depression. And one thing that was making us feel better was to eat or get some sweets. And I hate to say I took advantage of that horrible stress eating. But I did notice it with my peers and other businesses that the dessert industry had all of a sudden skyrocketed due to people were eating through their depression.​

So she relaunched.

So the hardest part for me with Little Daisy Cakes was starting a business all over again and trying to find new clientele and basically just start all over again. This was a whole new business. People weren’t familiar with my desserts. And so the hardest role was just relaunching and starting an all new venture, starting from zero.

Modern Southern Table

This is THE podcast that advances women toward economic, social, and political achievement. Hosted by Betty Collins, CPA, and Director at Brady Ware and Company. Betty also serves as the Committee Chair for Empowering Women, and Director of the Brady Ware Women Initiative. Each episode is presented by Brady Ware and Company, committed to empowering women to go their distance in the workplace and at home.

For more information, go to the Resources page at Brady Ware and Company.

Remember to follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.  And forward our podcast along to other Inspiring Women in your life.

TRANSCRIPT

[00:00:00] Betty Collins
So today on inspiring women, we have a really, really great guest, and she in my mind is the is the defines coming back in business. She defines how you do it well and keep navigating through things. I kind of call her the comeback kid and Daisy’s with us today, and she just has a great story that I think we could all benefit from, especially during the we’re not going to talk about COVID, but during the COVID year. So there was tremendous amount of coming back and even coming into twenty twenty two. She’s got to regroup and think it’s always about what’s next and how are you going to do things, especially in the industry season, which is restaurant and food? So Daisy, if you want to just kind of, you know, introduce yourself, give your 30 second to three three minute commercial of what you do and and why you do it.

[00:00:57] Sadaya “Daisy” Lewis
Okay, great. Hi, my name is Sadaya “Daisy” Lewis. I’m the owner of Modern Southern Table Restaurant and Catering. I’m located in the Buttery Dairy Food Hall, which is Cameron Mitchell facility ran facility and we’re one of the 10 food vendors there. My food is basically a southern tour of the South. We’ve specialize in food all below the Mason-Dixon line. And so we start from all the way from the east coast of the Gullah Islands or the Sea Islands, as most people know, and we start with Gullah cuisine and then we reach all the way into the deep south, such as Mississippi and Alabama. And we do like fried chickens and fried fish based off of those regional fairs as well.

[00:01:50] Betty Collins
Yeah, if you really want to to to see some good food on your website because I was on there and I’m like, Oh my gosh, this looks amazing. Where can people find your website or you know something about your restaurant?

[00:02:06] Sadaya “Daisy” Lewis
Our website is modern southern table so they can find us there. That would be the best place. We have a Facebook and Instagram modern southern table as well on those two platforms. They can. They can also, you know, just Google US. We have a lot of cool articles and reviews and things there. So find out more about us as well.

[00:02:34] Betty Collins
Yeah, I mean, you will salivate when you see these pictures of the fish and the chicken. It’s all amazing. So I was on there going, Oh my goodness. But you know, in Columbus, Ohio, area in this podcast is is all over the United States, but in the Columbus area.
Cameron Mitchell is is a pretty big deal. He’s he’s a guy who’s known all over the country. He has restaurants everywhere, but he’s a he’s a Columbus, Ohio, guy. I grew up in Upper Arlington and you’ve gotten to work with him. I just like you tell you, just tell the audience a little bit about working with Cameron Mitchell and what that’s been kind of like

[00:03:12] Sadaya “Daisy” Lewis
To work with the Cameron Mitchell organization as a whole. It’s been great. They’ve really helped me develop the brand. Help me get it ready for a reopening. They’ve been really great with just helping us with key with key business issues, with one of the issues we’ve had right now is pricing. And so the CMO team has really came in and helped us with that, especially since there’s so many people having problems with shipping and the pricing is going up and things like that that they really stopped and said, Hey, let’s get your pricing right. Help you with this because this is going to be a huge error. So they’ve been really awesome. And as most people can imagine, Cameron has been just like like the Big Brother, being there support of always there to have advice if needed.

[00:04:06] Betty Collins
Yeah, he’s he’s really been. He’s been very impactful when it came to the in twenty twenty with the state of Ohio, with the governor’s office and making sure that restaurants did this well and stayed alive. And he, you know, he’s been that guy that started out as a startup and became this huge success. And so he’s been at all levels in your industry. So let’s just talk about you’ve got a nice full plate in twenty twenty and take it from there as to the story of everything’s buzzing along and the bottom drops and you came back. So let’s kind of talk through a little bit of that.

[00:04:48] Sadaya “Daisy” Lewis
So, yes, so 2020 started out really great, I was kind of like on a high, I was staying. I had just finished the best catering year that we’ve had with the business. We had a full calendar going into 2020. We had just inked a deal with the Camera Mitchell organization. I actually had just did a ceremony, a speech with Cameron Mitchell and things like that. So things were going really, really well at the beginning of 2020 and then COVID hit. What was that in February? Well, it started to affect, yeah, but say it started to affect my business March nine. That was the day. I remember the day very clearly because I had a big event for a big pharmaceutical company, and they called that day the maybe I think it was a day before their event or two days before their event, and they called and was like, Hey, we’re going to have to cancel this event due to COVID. And so March 9th was the day that COVID immediately started impacting my business. But I didn’t see the major effects until the governor shut down the city when he said no events that just killed my business being that I was a catering business at the time, 100 percent catering. We have to have events to function. So when the governor DeWine said no events and he shut down the city of Columbus, you know, we sat indefinitely, right? Because we thought it was going to be two weeks, three weeks.

[00:06:38] Betty Collins
Yeah, no. You didn’t work out. Didn’t work out.

[00:06:43] Sadaya “Daisy” Lewis
Right. So we thought, you know, it was going to be a little bit. But when he said no offense, no large gatherings, no weddings, my calendar cleared almost instantly. People started immediately calling, asking for refunds, asking to reschedule, asking to cancel. It was. I like to say that it was amazing. How it just like unfolded because it was almost like two days of non-stop calling and people just trying to fix everything. And then it was over. Mm hmm. It was like, OK, everybody asked for their money back or asked for a refund. Everybody canceled the calendar. I went from a full calendar to absolutely nothing for 2020, and it went from, you know, thinking I was going to have my most, my next most profitable year to absolutely, absolutely having no income in two days. It was like, I like to say it was pretty amazing to see how that could happen. But yeah, it was. It was. Wow.

[00:08:00] Betty Collins
So let’s go to that point because all business owners hit a point where they go, what the heck just happened? Go back to your your kind of your mindset because business owners face that at times you’re never going to you’re going to have those moments if you’re a business owner. And and for the audience, can you take us back to that moment to go? What am I going to do?

[00:08:29] Sadaya “Daisy” Lewis
So at that moment was really hard, as you could imagine, because like I said, it was just a two really two full days of where I literally how can I say this took money out of my child’s mouth? Like, you know, like, I don’t like, take food out of my child’s mouth, like I was like literally every day checking off or crossing out someone’s name, that was canceling. So to see the money just slip away, slip away, slip away. It was very disheartening, very overwhelming. And I quickly fell into a depression because you saw your business that you worked so hard for. And I don’t know if you probably heard this, but to me it was like, I worked so hard for this business for so many years and something that is totally out of my control. I have no control whatsoever, just shut me down. And less than two days, like I see if it was the health department came in and I had violated something, or if I didn’t do something, I would be like, Oh, it’s my fault. This was like, Oh, it’s not your fault at all. And to see that happen quickly sent me spiraling to what you know is situational depression. I couldn’t function for about two weeks, right?

[00:10:00] Betty Collins
Right. I get it. You probably ate comfort food. Is that a good statement? That’s what I would have done. Ok, that’s what I would have done.

[00:10:09] Sadaya “Daisy” Lewis
You know, when you know it was comfort food, it was sweets. Yes, you know, yes. Every cookie, every dessert, whatever I could get my hands on, I ate, you know, just fell into that. You know, they even called it with the Kobe 15. I said I gave like the Kovic 40.

[00:10:29] Betty Collins
I think it really should probably be more the cove and 20, 30, 40. You’re probably right because we all did it. But so you know, you said, you know, you faced your reality, you you had your emotional time, so to speak, and you probably still have some of that with the reality. When did you figure out I got to do something to come back? I’m not going to just give this away or give this up. What did you do?

[00:10:58] Sadaya “Daisy” Lewis
I just had to, you know, I look at my daughter a little bit, you know, see her and was like, Well, how am I going to feed her? You know, I don’t want to be on welfare or anything. I’m never been that person. So I was like, Well, it was time to work. You know, it’s time to do something. And I just, you know, I left Corporate America a few years earlier, so I really didn’t want to go back to that. And so I knew like, OK, you know, you can’t cater, but there has to be something else you can do that will allow you to bring income in because you got a toddler to feed, you have a family to feed. So you know, there was something to do. And I started paying attention to what was happening around me on social media and everybody had fell into this situational depression. And I hate to say that I, you know.
Matt, I took this opportunity, but I realized that we all have fell into this slump. And one thing that was making us feel better was to eat or was to, you know, get some sweets or whatever. And I hate to say I took advantage of that horrible, you know, eat stress eating.
But I did notice it with my peers and other businesses that the dessert industry had all of a sudden skyrocketed due to come with it because people were. Um, depression or eating through their depression?

[00:12:45] Betty Collins
Well, that’s a great point in coming back because you obviously faced your reality. It was thrown at you out of your control. You got bills to pay. You’ve got things that have to happen. You worked hard. And now you’re going, Oh, wait, here’s another opportunity I could use my skill sets at because this is now the newest thing out there that people need, which was sweets. I still do that. I don’t. I didn’t need covidiot sweets. But so I mean, you were aware of your surroundings. I mean, coming back make you have to be aware of the surroundings. You have to be engaged in what’s going on so you can not just sit there in and stew in what just happened to you. So you saw the need and said, I’m going to fill it. Is that a good statement?

[00:13:35] Sadaya “Daisy” Lewis
Correct. Yes, I saw that people were buying desserts left and right. And I was like, Oh, I could do dessert. And it was funny because a lot of people don’t know. Even though I have a southern restaurant, my beginning culinary experience was with my little daisy cakes venture. I had started making desserts back in 2005, and I was just making cakes and pies. And that’s where I really, really started getting into the culinary world in 2005 with little daisy cakes. So when I saw this moment again, I knew that, Oh, I have this in my back pocket, I can make cakes, I could decorate cakes, I could do this. Maybe I can start selling dessert. I already had what I consider a little following of customers. So I was like, Well, maybe I could reach out to those customers and start this business to, you know, just help everyone, help myself, help them as they use it to recover, you know? And so I relaunch little daisy cakes.

[00:15:01] Betty Collins
Wow. So how did that go? You relaunched, you re pivoted everyone. You used the word pivoted. I was kind of tired of hearing that word, but that’s really did you know? How was the how, what, what was the uphill climb, if any?

[00:15:17] Sadaya “Daisy” Lewis
So the hardest part for me with Daisy Cakes was trying to find was basically starting a business all over again and trying to find new clientele and, you know, start well, basically just start all over again, like this was a whole new business, even though modern southern table had became a name in itself. Daisy cakes wasn’t and people weren’t familiar with my desserts. And so. The hardest role was just relaunching and starting all new venture, which basically had to start from zero like, Hi, I’m Daisy, I make it.

[00:16:02] Betty Collins
Sounds good, though, but I mean, I mean, but you just did it. So how long did it take to get off the ground? You know, how long did it take for you to get to a point? You’re like, OK, this is going to work?

[00:16:14] Sadaya “Daisy” Lewis
So I knew the first day that I put it on Facebook when I got 20 orders that. I was like, OK, this might be something. Mm hmm. Mm hmm. Yeah, I got 20 orders the very first day that I launched and I was like, Wow, this might be something serious, and we might have a new venture for the Lewis Restaurant Group. We like to call ourselves. And. We immediately it just took off from there. We were doing probably 10 to 12 orders every day and I was restricted to my home because of COVID. I had a toddler that was not in daycare because COVID had shut daycares down. I do have a commercial kitchen that I could cook at that I use regularly. But with a toddler being home at this time, she was three to three and I couldn’t take her to the kitchen because she was too. She was terrible, too. So, you know, that was a nightmare in the kitchen, so I ended up baking at home. And relaunching a baking business out of my home, even though I had commercial kitchens. That I rent and pay for monthly. I couldn’t even get to them because of COVID. So literally, I was just baking 10 or 12 pies a day out of my home. And it was pretty crazy. We were. Busy, pretty much all of 2020 with pies and cheesecakes.

[00:18:07] Betty Collins
Well, you know, the interesting thing that I’m hearing as you’re telling your story is you had you had more than just the challenge of COVID, an uncontrolled thing shut me down to I’ve got a launch from ground zero to I’ve got to get customers to I’ve got a toddler. It was challenges all around you. What really was the thing when you’re coming back and you’re doing it? What kept you persevering?

[00:18:37] Sadaya “Daisy” Lewis
It definitely was my daughter. Yeah.

[00:18:41] Betty Collins
So you had a driver in there that was helping you with the, you know, you always have something that drives you and when you’re coming back, you have to have that or you’re not going to put your. You’re not going to persevere through it.

[00:18:52] Sadaya “Daisy” Lewis
Right? Just knowing that I had to keep her safe. One, because COVID, we just didn’t know. And knowing that I had to do this to, you know, feed us and take care of us was important. And so I just kept pushing, kept grinding every day through it. And you know, we did well. We did pretty well up until August of 2020. And then that’s when COVID really impacted my life.

[00:19:28] Betty Collins
Right, because it became personal to you. Mm hmm. Yeah. So but you and you really couldn’t continue on with this you. I mean, from what you’ve told with your story, but it got you through a time period and you came back and you did the responsible thing by taking care of people that had COVID in your life and that you had to to to take that and prioritize it. But but then again, you had to come back to, Hey, the restaurant is going to get to open again. Right. So now you’re back to I got to start over again. I got to come back again.

[00:20:07] Sadaya “Daisy” Lewis
Right. Because in August, family got impacted by COVID and some other health concerns. And I had to literally shut little daisy cakes down just because there was no way that I could take care of family and do it. So we literally sent out a note to all the customers and said, Hey, we can’t take orders now until we are. Our family is over the culvert. He and it took a long time. My father ended up having a stroke, and so several things ended up just delaying it. And so I ended up going from, you know, a booming business that I just knew was about to were about to flip and turn into a new venture. And then COVID and life hit again, like you said. And so I had to start all over again. It wasn’t until the beginning of 2021 that that Cameron Mitchell Group reached out and said, Hey, we heard the governor is about to lift some of these restraints. Restaurants will be able to reopen, and so we’re ready to go. And at that moment, I had to decide. What to do, because I’ll be honest, I kind of fell out of love with the restaurant business because now I had this new venture, daisy cake, and I was just using my creativity. I was just it was just blowing up and everybody loved it and I was like, Oh, goodness. So I kind of fell out of love with the restaurant also. What was happening with the restaurant industry was terrifying.
Restaurants still to this day are shutting down every day.

[00:22:02] Sadaya “Daisy” Lewis
You know, the price of food is going up astronomically. You know, we can’t find staffing, so when Cameron Mitchell calls, it was kind of like terrifying, do I tell him, No, I don’t want to do this now and or, you know, and just work and work to build daisy cakes up because I knew that was it was nowhere near where modern southern table had been. You know, it was really in its new infancy stages. So it was nowhere near where modern southern table had been for the last seven years. So I knew that little daisy cakes was going to be a long, long road. So I had to decide to put daisy cakes on the hold again and relaunch the restaurant, or just keep going with daisy cake. And I decided to go with the restaurant. And the reason I did that one was because, yes, I had worked so hard for the last seven years to get there. And second is because I had the Cameron Mitchell team behind me. That was like the biggest the drawer like. I wouldn’t want to do this by myself, like re-open a restaurant during COVID. By myself, I know restaurants who have tried and haven’t succeeded, and I know some that who have tried, but I totally knew that I couldn’t have done it without the sea of.
Just having that additional support. And so that was what pushed me to go ahead and work on reopening the restaurant.

[00:23:59] Betty Collins
Well, I want to take a minute to kind of recap when you’re when you are your lowest point and you come back and you have challenges and you come back and you have things that you have to do. I’m hearing you that challenges just doesn’t stop. On March 9th, they continued, and you just kept addressing them, too. You had the right drivers, your family and your daughter was your motivation. So you know, that is what helped you go. I got to keep doing this. So if you don’t have the right driver when you’re trying to come back, you’re not going to succeed, right? And then you had to make decisions quick, because when the governor’s office says we’re reopening in two to three weeks and organization like Cameron Mitchell calls, you don’t say no to that very often. So you had to make some quick decisions and you based it on, Hey, I’ll have a support system. Or do I really start over again, you know, so you had to pick. You had to make quick decisions, but you had to pick. There had to be some common sense in logic.

[00:25:07] Betty Collins
So when people are coming back, you have to do those things right? Right. The other thing I’m hearing you say is fear played a role. And Tara being terrified as you. How did you say that? Terrified. Yeah. Played a role, but you didn’t let it get you. So when you’re, it’s so to the audience. When you are in this position, like Daisy has been in in a time period in an industry that’s just hard. Anyways, challenges don’t stop. Drivers have to be right. Quick decision sometimes had to be made. You have to know why. And I’m sorry, but support and common sense that’s the CPA coming out of me has to be a consideration. And then fear and fear can’t grip you. You know, you’ve got to keep that going. So those were things that in your story, I want to make sure people are hearing besides just the story. So you reopen, you got a couple of weeks and you got to go right. And so how did twenty twenty one go? Talk a little bit about that.

[00:26:15] Sadaya “Daisy” Lewis
Twenty twenty twenty twenty one started out amazing. We we went ahead and launched and at that time I feel like Ohio or Columbus was, you know, sick of it. And so they came out full speed.

[00:26:29] Betty Collins
Yeah, oh yes. We’re all we’re all still sick of it, by the way. But yes,

[00:26:33] Sadaya “Daisy” Lewis
Right? Um, and so we launched with a lot of success. We did really, really well. Like I said, we had the partnership of the camera Mitchell team, and so Dave helped pull us along. We’ve we’ve just been flowing doing really well. We kind of were one of the standouts. And at the boundary we had a lot of publicity, a lot of press and we still are getting publicity and press. So we were doing really good. But again, you know, twenty twenty one. Also was plagued again with COVID, this time to new variants, and as soon as the, you know, the news analysis of variant we can see. Almost in sales, the the drop off. Of customers and the new one, I’m a crime or a minor crime. I never said that one is wow, it’s it’s it’s knocking ourselves out drastically again. So we’re still in this upward hill battle of fighting everything that comes with this covert. We’re called the age of COVID basically is what it is, nothing else, but we’re now in an age of COVID and now it’s just it’s going to be an uphill battle regardless. We can sell, sell, sell. But now we got, you know, hyperinflation coming and all our profits are being eaten up because now you know, the cost of chicken is three times the price it was in April. You know, it was just, you know. 2021 was was great, but we saw a lot of issues just because of the age of COVID and that most restaurants before COVID never really experienced. So like I said, like literally, I give you a price comparison. So if anyone ever wants to know like what restaurants are struggling with, but when I opened in April of 2021, a case of the fish that I was for the catfish I was buying was like 50. It was about $50. Now, a case of the catfish is almost one hundred and twenty five dollars, and that’s not even a full year price difference. So to have such major price swing so quickly was, you know, really detrimental to a lot of businesses.

[00:29:33] Betty Collins
Well, I will tell you, though, there’s no doubt in my mind that you will continue to come back, go three steps forward and take two steps back because based on what you’ve been through in the last year, you continually hit those challenges one after another. And I’m assuming your daughter is still the driver, you know, because provision has to be in that household, you’re going to still keep making quick decisions or sometimes a little bit more methodical. But in today’s environment, you really can’t. And I think you’re going to still know why you know the why you do this is is why you can come back, right? Correct. And having the right support teams around you is huge, not just with the camera Mitchell team, but with advisors and with everyone that keeps you focused on the forward of going. And the fear, the fear and the tariffication are still here for twenty two. And so what would you tell the audience to embrace? You can do this. You just got to keep. You might be doing come back a lot. You know, what would you what would you say to the audience on coming back, staying focused going forward? And by the way, in June, you might have to come back again?

[00:30:50] Sadaya “Daisy” Lewis
Exactly. I would definitely tell them to just kind of focus on not kind of focus on your main drivers, as you mentioned, and, you know, have goals and realize that things change. I can’t even tell people to have plan a Plan B, Plan C because I had those and none of them worked out

[00:31:21] Betty Collins
Your D or E, maybe you might be due by June, right?

[00:31:25] Sadaya “Daisy” Lewis
Right. So yes. So, yeah, so you know, it’s just one of those things is you just have to have a driver, a main focus in life and push towards that and know that things are going to hit every roadblock and every thing is going to get in your way and just know that you just have to keep pushing and that you have to pivot or pivot or or refocus quickly, like you don’t have time to give yourself a full pity party. You know, have that moment cry, do whatever you need to do. But reality is you’ve got to get back to work. So just, you know, pull up your big girl pants or boy pants or whatever and just realize that this is the direction I have to go. I have my main focus, my goal that my my original goal. And just stay focused on that goal and do one thing perfectly every day.

[00:32:37] Betty Collins
There you go. Do one thing perfectly every day. I love that great, great line. But one thing I will tell you with you is your product is above the standard. So you’ve got you’ve got something that that is not just a restaurant, you’ve got something that’s really, really quality, it’s it’s above. You’ve got a product that can come back, you know, you’ve got something that can sell when when the selling can happen or when people can be out and about. So that that’s really a lot of your battle. Even if you came and said, I’m going to do cakes and I’m going to do the restaurant, I mean, you’ve got products that are worth putting time into. It’s worth, you know, it’s it’s worth the investment you’re doing. There are some people whose like, just give it up. It’s not a good product. You can’t get it out the door, you’ve just got high standards with your stock. But, you know, women in business had a really tough time in COVID. Some of it was the type of industry they were in. Some of it was it was the daycare issues. Just like you could have made twice the pies in a commercial restaurant, but you had daycare issues. So the challenges for women during this COVID were a lot more than male owned businesses and even for for women of color, it was even harder. The statistics and the data is staggering when you see it.
What would you tell the audience today for women who are in business, women of color? You know the challenges that they can conquer. What would you say they were in and how did you conquer them?

[00:34:22] Sadaya “Daisy” Lewis
Um, you know. No, I was going to say, no, no, I’m just going to say I didn’t feel like the challenges or necessary of color, but then when you think about it, yeah, they are because one of the major issues that I have always have was getting funding. My peers, there’s 10 other restaurants in but dairy. And when I talked to them, majority of them had no problem getting funding. And I’m the only African-American there. And I was the one that had problems getting funding. So, yeah, you know, things like that definitely were roadblocks to, you know, you know, getting back open and just doing this age of COVID. So there was definitely things that affected us more than probably other people. However, the one thing that I would tell anybody. Female minorities, especially minorities, is create a team, a group support system outside of your family and your friends. As you know, Mary McCarthy is like my biggest support system. She’s like my. She’s my mentor. She’s like my mother.

[00:35:50] Betty Collins
Mary McCarthy does that with many. She’s with the SBA, which Daisy’s very associated with. It’s the women’s small business accelerator. And a lot of your success can be attributed to that organization. But you’re right, having the support systems outside your family. Huge. Huge.

[00:36:06] Sadaya “Daisy” Lewis
Right. Because a lot of us tend to just turn to people who haven’t dreamed our dreams before or haven’t accomplished our goals before. And so when we turn to those people, they can’t tell us yay or nay or which direction to go. So we really should reach out and create a peer system, a support system of people who have done things better than you or greater than you or have their own resources or whatever, because your family and friends will only push you as far as you let them push you. And that’s really nowhere. You know, so you’ve got to have a support system, and I find people of minority minorities. Minority women tend to not do that. We tend to try to do it all ourselves because that’s what we have taught and that’s what we have been through all our lives. But at this point, if you want to be successful, you can’t do it by yourself. That’s the biggest thing that I could tell anyone that not one step of my whole journey has been by myself.

[00:37:19] Betty Collins
There you go. So when you come back, it’s with others helping you. Yes. Got it. That’s that’s fantastic. Well, Daisy, I can tell you this much. I’m part of the Ohio Women’s Coalition and we are working right now with the Legislature in Ohio. We got $10 million in the budget, five million each year starting July of last year, and they’re figuring out how it can help women in business that we’re definitely had to do some comebacks and be the comeback kid, and you’re going to probably be it again. So there how women’s coalitions really working to make sure it’s another support system that’s fairly new that you can have success. So I’m really glad you brought in that component of support systems outside of your family, because if you don’t have people who are that business entrepreneur in your family and friends, they don’t get it. So you have to have the other side. But I just appreciate you coming on today talking about your experiences, your comebacks. I still would love it if you delivered me a chocolate cake with white icing, I would take it and that with no hesitation. I’m sure it’s delicious, but I just appreciate your your I saw you at at a gala where you talked and it was just inspiring hearing you. And I think everybody should make sure they get down to your restaurant and try it. If you want to tell us again where the location is and your website, so people will know what that is.

[00:38:46] Sadaya “Daisy” Lewis
Ok, yes. So we’re the modern southern table and we’re at the Buttery Dairy Food Hall, which is located at 10 86 North 4th Street. So we’re in the Italian village area. All that new development down there, we’re right smack dab in the middle of that. And our website is modern southern table.

[00:39:11] Betty Collins
And I really believe although I shouldn’t put this pressure on you, that you should do something still with the cakes. I just know you’re already stretched thin, but I appreciate you being on today, I. Appreciate you telling your story. Giving the audience some things about, Hey, here’s how you can come back. Challenges aren’t going to stop the right drivers quick decisions. And no, why do not let fear and be terrified? Do not let that get you and make sure you have plenty of support. So thank you for sharing today and you’re making me hungry, but have a great day and we’ll we’ll do this again. Hopefully, we’ll hear. We’ll hear how you came back in. Twenty two, OK?

[00:39:51] Sadaya “Daisy” Lewis
All right. Well, thank you for having me, Betty.

[00:39:53] Betty Collins
You got it. Thanks.

[00:39:54] Sadaya “Daisy” Lewis
All right. Take care. Bye bye.

Automated transcription by Sonix www.sonix.ai

Tagged With: Betty Collins, Catering, Inspiring Women, Modern Southern Table, restaurant, Sadaya “Daisy” Lewis

Andrew Traub, A&S Culinary Concepts

August 30, 2021 by John Ray

A&S Culinary Concepts
North Fulton Business Radio
Andrew Traub, A&S Culinary Concepts
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A&S Culinary Concepts

Andrew Traub, A&S Culinary Concepts (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 385)

Executive Chef and Owner of A&S Culinary Concepts Andrew Traub joined host John Ray to share the mouth-watering array of programs his culinary studio offers. In addition to take-home meals and private catering, A&S Culinary also offer corporate team building and learning events like the Big Green Egg Bootcamp. Andrew’s priority is making sure everyone is having fun while learning something new in the kitchen or at the grill.  North Fulton Business Radio is broadcast from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

A&S Culinary Concepts

A&S Culinary Concepts is an award-winning culinary studio celebrated for corporate catering, corporate team building, Big Green Egg Boot Camps, and private group events.

Company website | Facebook | Instagram

Andrew Traub, Chef/Owner, A&S Culinary Concepts

Andrew Traub, Chef/Owner, A&S Culinary Concepts

When Andrew was 15, his mother requested he go out and find a job. So he went down the block to the local Italian steakhouse and asked if they needed help. Luckily they did, and he was hooked into the world of food and beverage. That experience cemented his desire to become a chef and led him to choose a culinary school in the Catskill Mountains of New York for his college education. Andrew gained invaluable experience working in the enormous kitchens in the Catskill resort hotels while earning his degree. Recruited right out of school by Marriott Hotels and Resorts, Andrew was asked to be a member of the opening management team of the New York Marriott Marquis in Times Square.  After moving his way up the culinary ladder and winning several culinary awards along the way, from culinary shows to corporate events, he left Marriott.

Andrew partnered with his college friend and opened Love at First Bite Catering in Manhattan. Clients included Radio City Music Hall, the Luxembourg Consulate, the Pace Collection and Fordham University. After selling Love at First Bite, Andrew and his wife, Sue, followed a dream and traveled around the United States for six months, sampling the cuisines of the various regions of our great country along the way.

Upon returning to New York after their travels, Andrew was offered a position as Executive Chef at a corporate catering company in Manhattan. Ten months later, Marriott came calling again and Andrew was offered a position as Executive Sous Chef at the Marriott Marquis in Atlanta, Georgia. He accepted the position at the Marquis, which was the host hotel for the 1996 Olympic Headquarters.

After three years, Andrew was offered the opportunity to become Executive Chef of the Memphis Marriott Downtown Hotel and Convention Center. After a couple of years, Atlanta once again beckoned, and his next promotion was the position of Executive Chef of the Atlanta Evergreen Marriott Conference Resort in Stone Mountain, Georgia.

Andrew was at Evergreen for 14 years. During that period, he served on several Advisory Boards, notably Avendra (the purchasing company for Marriott, Hyatt, and several other hotel companies); Lakeview High School in DeKalb County; and Grayson Technical Culinary Arts Program. The board position he is most honored to hold for thirteen years is on the Advisory Board of the Atlanta Community Food Bank and he is proud to continue to serve.

With his extensive professional contacts–many who have become friends–and his knowledge of the local culinary scene, he is ready to share his experience with you through his food studio, A&S Culinary Concepts.

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Questions and Topics in This Interview

  • What is a culinary studio?
  • What is culinary team building?
  • Do you have a minimum for catering?
  • What is Big Green Egg Bootcamp?
  • What is Thursday Night Tailgating?

North Fulton Business Radio is hosted by John Ray, and broadcast and produced from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, TuneIn, and others.

RenasantBank

 

Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has grown to become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions with over $13 billion in assets and more than 190 banking, lending, wealth management and financial services offices in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. All of Renasant’s success stems from each of their banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way of better understanding the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.

Tagged With: A&S Culinary Concepts, Andrew Traub, Big Green Egg, Catering, corporate catering, Corporate Team Building, John Ray, North Fulton Business Radio

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