Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark Frazie.
Hi Mark, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have been in the restaurant industry for most of my life. I started managing for Here to Serve Restaurants with Twist restaurant in 2008. I had an amazing time working and learning from Certified Master Chef Tom Catherall. I had a chance to run the beverage programs for Coast and Goldfish. I then had the opportunity to open Lure restaurant for Fifth Group as the opening beverage manager, I really got to hone in on my wine and spirit knowledge. I left restaurant management and pursued my love of sales. I joined the great team at Inland Seafood as the Charleston account manager.
Over the five years with Inland, I had the opportunity to work with some of the best chefs in the country while learning everything I could about seafood. I was then given the opportunity to jump into the beef side of sales and joined the team at Buckhead Meat. There I found my love for meat and the art of butchery. After four years of learning about Certified Angus Beef, Local Ga farms like Chatel Farms, and great sustainable salmon like Verlasso Salmon, I wanted to give Atlanta the same options for home as they have in restaurants. I moved to the Atlanta neighborhood of Riverside with my Wife Kimberly Frazie in 2016. I saw the growth and need for a neighborhood food option in the neighborhood, so in 2023 my wife, my business partner Sarah Vanderpool, and I opened Frazie’s Meat & Market!
In my spare time, my wife and I love to watch live music! We love to travel around the county seeing new cities, eating different cuisine, and see our favorite band Widespread Panic! Music is a big part of cooking. Listening to music and cooking go hand and hand.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Smooth is not the word I would use to describe this journey. When you build something like Frazie’s there is always challenges. We had to take a space with four walls and gravel and make it into the beautiful spot it is today. This is our first flagship store so it had to be perfect. I wanted the building to have the team’s personalities come out in the design. This was the first ground-up build-out that I have done, to say there was a learning curve is an understatement. We had challenges at every corner, but with challenges come huge wins. The wins are what you keep pushing forward every day, and when we opened the doors for the first time, it was worth all the pain and hard work that went into the build-out.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I learned the hospitality business in the “old school” way of restaurants, working hard and making sure every guest leaves happy. Hospitality is always in the forefront of how I run my business. I want to make sure every person that walks into Frazie’s feels welcomed and at home. I want to bring back the times of when you went to a butcher to buy your meat, say hello to your friend, and talk about what you are having for dinner. Breaking bread usually is a happy time surrounded by loved ones. I want to make sure that dinner has the best-sourced food for that event. I try and always stay humble when running a business. I am always looking for new ideas to be better. As long as I keep growing and learning, I’m happy and will always be moving in the right direction.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Be humble. There are so many business owners out there that think they need to show they are the smartest, best, and know it all. I take every bit of advice someone wants to offer. We are born with two ears and one mouth; I try to use my ears way more than my mouth. If I stay humble, I will be able to learn, grow, and hopefully win at this game of entrepreneurship.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.fraziesmeatandmarket.com
- Instagram: @fraziesmeatandmarket
- Facebook: @fraziesmeatandmarket
