Meet Neelah Hinds of Vanille & Brulee in Snellville

Today we’d like to introduce you to Neelah Hinds.

Neelah, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I have always loved to eat. Food is a pretty integral part of my British/ West Indian culture. My Grandma (Hazel) was my favorite person and I was her shadow. Her favorite place in the house was the kitchen, so naturally we spent a lot of time there. She was an amazing cook and could create a five star meal from random scraps and things she found in the kitchen. For the 9 years I had her I watched her every move and learned her little tricks before I even realized that I was learning or what I was learning. I still do everything I learned from her to this day.

In high school, I was pretty sickly and always missing school. I spent a lot of time in hospitals and at home so to pass the time I’d watch food network; my favorite shows were Ace of Cakes, Chopped, and Cake Boss. My sophomore year my favorite teacher, Mrs.Wilson (Economics), assigned my class a term project to start a sustainable and profitable business. My project was a bakery, I got an A. I never stopped baking. To this day people from school still remember me as the “cupcake girl”.

In college I coordinated and participated in bake sales for various clubs I was in. Those were rays of sunshine, because I loved my school but hated my major, and my classes. I had to come home after three years of college and ended up at  Gwinnett Technical College (GTC) for Culinary Arts; after much encouragement from one of my mentors, Mrs.Barnes. GTC is a great school, with an awesome culinary program by the way; shout out to Chef Crean. During the program I quickly realized that the traditional route, work hours, etc. for new chefs wasn’t going to work for my life and my family (I’m also a wife and mom of 3). So I had to figure out what would work for me. After experiencing some personal tragedy a friend of mine, Sarah, suggested I start having Supper Clubs after reading an article. I needed a way to supplement my household income so I did and thus Vanille & Brulee (V&B) was born. I honestly never dreamed of owning my own business, doing what I honestly love to do.  It’s really my passion and I’m greatful for everything and everyone that has had a hand in this process.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Easy isn’t a word I would use to describe this process, but it has definitely been worth it. I have learned so much about myself and what I can do if I put my mind to it. My biggest struggles were on the business side of things. How to get the proper licensing, insurances,  bookkeeping, taxes… all that fun stuff. I have recently learned the importance of business networking. I’m painfully shy but I’m working on it and currently looking for a business community that I could both enhance with my presence and benefit from. Which has been a challenge. I’m also working on my Social Media presence which I have learned in the past year is really important. It’s challenging because I’m no photographer and I’m not “tech savvy”. I just learned about hashtags last year, lol.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Vanille & Brulee story. Tell us more about the business.
Vanille & Brulee is a catering company specializing in Pan- African cuisines. I have spent a lot of time learning about flavors, cooking techniques and traditions of other black cultures; but I’m classically trained so I can pretty much make anything. We are known mostly for our carribean fusion menu items and vegetarian/ vegan food and dessert options. We are four years old and have curated an awesome team that consists of:

Scott Hinds- General Manager

Rashaad Pressley- Web/ Graphic Design

Kelsey Francis- Booking Manager

They are awesome! We have experienced aweaome growth in the last year, doing our first 300+ person event, joining the Lilburn and Avondale Farmers Market families, and catering a Zeta scholarship breakfast. We have expanded the bakery division of our business and are actively looking for a permanent home to open a bakery and tea room within the next year.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I honestly don’t believe in luck. But I will say everything works for the good. When you are going through things it’s hard to see or understand that they are moving you the places and things you’ve been asking for. If I had never been sick, I would never have found my love for food network. If I’d never had surgery, I would have been able to finish my original course of study in college and would never have tried doing what I love as a profession. If I’d never struggled, I would never have started hosting Supper Clubs to pay bills. If I’d never hosted supper clubs, I never would have started my business and so on. I am greatful for everything and everyone that have had a hand in my growth and this whole process. Thanks guys, you know who you are. We  have not yet arrived, V&B is still a work in progress but we are on our way!

Pricing:

• Quarterly Supper Clubs starting at $50 per person
• Farmers Market Fare from $4-$8
• Catering starting at $10 per person

Contact Info:

• Website: www.vanilleandbrulee.com
• Email: booking@vanilleandbrulee.com
• Instagram: @vanillenbrulee
• Facebook: Vanille N Brulee

Image Credit:
Hindsight Photography ATL

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