Today we’d like to introduce you to Jasmine Beck.
Hi Jasmine, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been in the restaurant industry since my very first job. I fell in love with hospitality and the service industry in general. I love people, food, and service-
Throughout college I moved from serving to step behind the bar, quickly my love affair with mixology began.
I was fascinated with food and would often spend time watching the chefs and asking questions. I enjoyed making drinks with savory and spicy flavor profiles, cresting a “Drink like you Eat” cocktail mentality.
After college at UCLA, I moved back to Charleston SC where I aligned with the Indigo Road restaurant group.
I stayed with this company for 7 years. I was on the opening team for the first O-Ku sushi restaurant on king street in 2011.
In 2012, a dream of mine came true when I was offered the opportunity to create and be the operating partner of a craft cocktail bar, “The Cocktail Club” on King St. in downtown Charleston.
I then transitioned into consulting as the restaurant group grew, opening restaurants and training staff all over the southeast.
In 2016, I had a dream of a frozen cocktail truck… this is not at all what Sunshine Alchemy has become- but it was my inspiration.
I had been living in Atlanta for about 6 months at this point.
Unfortunately in the state of GA you cannot get a liquor license on a mobile unit. So I quickly had to update my business plan- vegan food was the natural transition.
I’ve been passionate about plant based food, animal welfare, and the environment my whole life, I welcomed the challenge of creating a vegan and vegetarian menu to complement our beverage program.
I’ve been at it for over four years, running this food truck and creating delicious plant based food to share with the community has been the most challenging and rewarding career of my life.
A brick and mortar restaurant with a full bar, frozen drinks and cocktails on tap is coming soon!! I’m so grateful and excited to continue to grow Sunshine Alchemy here in the Atlanta area!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Like any small business, challenges and struggles have been plentiful. I have seen many food truck concepts come and go over the course of my journey.
Atlanta is a difficult city to operate a food truck in- from obtaining a Comissary kitchen, city business licenses and multiple county permits to fingering out where and how to find vending opportunities, it’s been a bumpy road to say the least.
Blessedly there is a community of operators and owners who created an association to offer guidance and opportunities to food trucks in Atlanta. FTAG, The Food Truck Association of Georgia, has been a critical support group on my journey.
I’m grateful to be a member of the board of directors for the past three years. It feels good to give back, helping people wade through the issues that I’ve already had to navigate is very rewarding.
As we grow as an association we are working with legislators and city governments to create a better process for obtaining reciprocity in permitting across multiple counties and creating vending opportunities in public spaces.
As of now the is little to no “right of way” vending- meaning you can’t just go post up and sell food.
Vending is scheduled through a multitude of 3rd party organizers and everything comes with a fee.
To be honest, this food truck is the most expensive restaurant I have ever managed.
It’s a good thing I enjoy a challenge!!
And then- Covid..
The virus that turned the world upside down threatened the entire restaurant industry.
Many businesses never recovered.
I knew I had to shift gears right away, so we parked the food truck in the driveway and started doing online orders only. It’s the only way we were able to survive. Throughout the pandemic we were able to provide a community with delicious vegan and vegetarian options and now have a much larger client base.
I’m so grateful for the community support during this challenging time.
I look forward to continuing to serve and grow.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
The Cocktail Club
O-Ku Chs, Atl, Clt
Oak steakhouse Atl
Town Hall-Florence
Indaco Atl
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Starting your own business is always a risk- Leaving a company and trying something new.
I believe risk is a part of growth, as long as you learn from any mistakes you might make- nothing is lost. Everything is an opportunity for growth.
I take less risks vending these days, I won’t accept an opportunity to vend unless the client is willing to meet our minimum sales requirement. It’s important that we aren’t the only party assuming the risk associated with us coming out. I’m learning to say “no, thank you” more often.
Contact Info:
- Email: Jasmine@spiritunderground.com
- Website: SunshineAlchemy.com
- Instagram: @SunshineAlchemy
- Facebook: @SunshineAlchemy
- Yelp: @SunshineAlchemy
Image Credits
First Image
Quick Books
