Today we’d like to introduce you to Garrah Carter.
Garrah, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Born in Chicago, Illinois, I take deep pride and joy in my south side of Chicago roots. But, I have called Nashville, Tennessee home for the past decade. After studying political science and Spanish at Vanderbilt University, I worked in state government for two years for the Tennessee Senate Judiciary Committee. Then, I went to law school at Vanderbilt University, so I’m what you call a Double ‘Dore. I was one of those kids that knew I wanted to be a lawyer as early as I could talk, and I have always been motivated to do whatever it takes to get there.
Now, I’m an attorney by day and a plant-based food blogger, caterer and chef by night and weekends. I stumbled into entrepreneurship much later in life, starting my blog in 2015. My passion for healthy eating and teaching my community to live healthier, longer, and stronger lives started with my mom’s long battle with health struggles. Over the past decade, she has had five strokes. My mom, who is also my best friend, is the most important person in my life. Her continued health scares sent me down a google-searching rampage, watching several health-related documentaries, and finding ways to include health and fitness in my daily activity. Thus came BirdFoodie. BirdFoodie is a health and wellness blog devoted to encouraging black people to live healthy because it’s true–you are what you eat eats. Read that back again! The most dominant animals in the jungle eat PLANTS. That’s right. I also wrote and self-published a plant-based cookbook, which was released in 2019. Since then, the cookbook has sold over 650 copies. My goal with BirdFoodie is to continue to expand and hopefully open a restaurant at some point with my fiancé.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There were definitely bumps along the road. I wrote and published my plant-based cookbook during my last year of law school, which was stressful and demanding. And, my blog started off “less than great,” to put it nicely. I had about ten followers and posted pictures with bad lighting and no placement awareness- yes, that’s a thing- especially for food pics. It took quite some time to get my blog up to par, and to be honest, it still has a long way to go. But, we’re getting there. I’m thankful for the bumps along the road because they force me to push harder.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a corporate litigator practicing health care fraud and abuse, government investigations, and product liability law. I am also a plant-based food blogger, chef, and caterer. What sets me apart from others is that I can do both. I am a hardworking and determined businesswoman and I am a creative entrepreneur. I use my right and left brain pretty equally.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
My simplest but best advice is to just START! You have to start somewhere. Some people are so afraid to fail that they never even begin their journey. We will all fail at times, but the goal is to have more wins than losses. And, hard work, determination, and self-preservation can get you there. YOU’VE GOT THIS, and don’t let anybody tell you any different. Starting out, I wish I knew how important self-care is to maintain your business. If you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of your business. I am a huge advocate of self-care. Find out what self-care means to you and stick to it!
Pricing:
- Cookbooks are 21.95
- E-books are 15.00
Contact Info:
- Email: birdfoodietn@gmail.com
- Website: birdfoodie.myshopify.com
- Instagram: @birdfoodie
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/birdfoodietn
Image Credits
Gorica Zivak Autumn Robertson
