Inspiring Conversations with Janna Bates of Zero 2 One-Hundred Culinary Services

Today we’d like to introduce you to Janna Bates.

Hi Janna, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started in the restaurant industry in 2006 as a server and bartender while in college. After about six years, I was promoted to my first restaurant management position at Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen in Marietta. It was there where my passion for creating food bloomed. However, one thing my parents gave us a lot of exposure to was ethnic foods and cultures. As a young girl we were eating at a lot of ethnic and high-end restaurant so I developed a broad palate young in life. Many of my followers wonder where I get my creativity and visual perception from, but when you have been exposed to so many different flavors, spices, and cooking techniques, it came very easy to me.

As a child, I knew the day would come where run or start my own business. My father started his own engineering firm when he was 31 and his father started his trucking business in his twenties. One thing my father always expressed to me was, “Do what you love.” Initially, I was going to college for Engineering but being promoted to restaurant manager took me in a different direction. The moment it cliqued for me when I wanted to start my own catering business, I was bartending private parties. Party after party the food that was provided was unimpressive. It is challenging when you want to make food that 100 people will like, but you can’t be afraid to add flavor and make it your own.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I wouldn’t call this road smooth but there weren’t an insane amount of obstacles. The biggest challenge is getting new clients. When I started Z20, I stepped away from managing and went back to bartending. The hours were more flexible and I could focus on the business. In 2019 I did some bar consulting for restaurants around Atlanta, and while they were great experiences for me, it did take my attention away from Z20. Honestly, this pandemic might have been the biggest blessing for me. Within a week or two into the pandemic, I took a nose dive into food and haven’t come back up for air yet!

I always used social media as a person but never really used it for business purposes. Due to Covid, I didn’t really have any other options. For about five months, while lockdown was at its height, I did everything from posting pictures to video reels, cooking classes and food shows. I managed to created three food shows in this period but my passion for food spoke to people and once the lockdown ended the business started to come in. One thing I will admit to is although I used social media on a personal level figuring the ins and outs for business social media is a whole other beast. Navigating social media has definitely been a challenge

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I provide a full-service catering company. I put the term culinary services in my business name because I never want to be boxed into providing one service. I do private parties, weddings, meal plans, catering and food pop-ups. Food is apart of everyday life so it didn’t make sense to only provide food for one type of occasion. During the pandemic I exposed my follower to almost 20 different cultures of food so I think that is what sets me apart from other caterers. My clients tell me they hire me because I can do anything. I am most proud because I found my way into a lot of homes over this pandemic regardless of whether you hired me or not. I started building a stronger social media presence so I would have friends and complete stranger tell me they made my recipes. I also tried to educate people about food as well as make them laugh so knowing that I eased the pain of this pandemic for many people has been rewarding to me. If you want to see food become entertaining follow me on Janna_Kan_Cook13 in IG, Janna Kan Cook13 on YouTube and Zero 2 One-Hundred Culinary Services on Facebook.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
This advice was given to me and it probably was one of the most calming pieces of advice. You have to start somewhere. Most people don’t become successful overnight so just keep going and find new was to capture people’s attention.

Contact Info:

• Email: Zero2onehundredCS@gmail.com
• Instagram: Janna_Kan_Cook13
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Zero2OneHundredCS
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFBT1tcyH-otsYvXVxWb9xw