Today we’d like to introduce you to Orangenia Lewis.
Orangenia, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on the Westside in Ensley, and I’m the youngest of four. I’ve always enjoyed helping others and making people smile. My mother gave me to my grandma at the age of one, so I was raised by my grandmother, and I learned a lot of my life’s values from her. By Being raised by my grandma, I was taught to love differently and give your all or nothing at all. My grandmother was handicapped. She didn’t have neither of her legs and had severe Arthritis. From the age of one until I was about five, she took care of my every need until I was old enough to listen and understand that my life was different from other kids. She cooked and cleaned all while she lived every day out of her wheel chair. I use to watch her in the kitchen cooking, and I wanted to do everything that she did, but I was too little.
When I turned five, she taught me how to make biscuits and dumplings from scratch! Man, I tell you I swear I wanted to make them every day lol! Then she taught me how to use the butcher knife, then I was around there trying to cut up everything lol. My life as a child was so different from my friends because when they were out riding bikes, and playing I was in the house bathing my grandma, rotating her in the bed to try keep her from getting bedsores, cooking, and cleaning. I grew up wanting to take care of people and wanting to make people’s bellies happy and put smiles on their faces because that’s what my grandma was known for. As I got older, my grandma opened up a shot house, do you know what that is? Well, a shot house is a place where there’s a jukebox, or radio, good drinks, food and laughter.
People came there after a hard day’s work, or they may have just been angry or something, but when they left, they were happy and full! When she was well she mixed drinks, and fried chicken and fish- and guess what I was doing… yep you guessed it, I was learning what a shot was, and the difference between brown and white liquor LOL! So imagine this 7-8-year-old, standing up there making Bloody Mary’s and Cowboys. If I wasn’t cooking and selling plates to help my grandma earn money for bills and to take care of me, I was spending every minute loving on her and learning. Everyone I know says that I act like someone’s grandma, and like I have an old soul- Well, technically, I am somebody’s grandma lol. I am a mother of three, two girls and a boy, and I have the most handsome and sweetest grandson in the world! My mother wasn’t as active in my life as I use to want her to be, it bothered me, but my grandma made sure that I was loved and taken care of. I grew up away from my sisters and my brother. I seen my mother maybe once a month, sometimes once every two months. I learned some things from my mother, but my grandma was my role model. I spent most of my adolescent years taking care of my grandmother until I was 13, and then I had to move home with my mother because my grandma had taken a turn for the worse. The state moved her into a home where there were other people like her. My life at that time took a turn for the worse, but I tried my best to hang in there, but it was hard. Everything that I knew of, was literally gone.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No it has not been a smooth road at all, but it’s been worth it. I had so many struggles. After moving in with my mother my life changed, I was raped, had a baby and lost my grandmother when I was 14. That was the most hardest time of my life. I was abused, and I left home at the age of 14, and I haven’t looked back since. I was homeless, I lived in several shelters, and lived from house to house all trying to protect my baby girl, go to school and pick up odd jobs to have money. I didn’t know much, but I knew how to cook, clean, care for others, make people smile and be nice- so that’s exactly what I did. I got a job at a place called Golden Dragon here in Birmingham, It’s a Chinese restaurant.
The owner Mr. Lee use to see me standing outside, or walking in that area, and he finally asked me why was I out there every day with that little girl. I told him that that little girl was my baby and I was out there going to all of the stores to see if I could clean up, or take the trash out for a few dollars in order to make sure my baby had something to eat. He told me that that was dangerous, and he wanted me to come in and meet his wife. I went in and she instantly told me that she will pay me $30 a day to come in and mop and sweep and keep the bathrooms and the parking lot full. That was the best day of my life! I was 14 and I had a job. After about a week they realized that I wasn’t just looking for money for my baby and I, I was actually homeless. They lived in Homewood, and I started going home with them. My daughter Erica and I lived with them for almost two months until the summer was over with, and it was time for school to start. I turned 15 that year, and they helped me get into the Salvation army.
The social workers helped me keep my baby and enrolled me in school. I finished high school by the grace of God. I had to put myself thru night school, I left school and went back twice, because it was extremely hard, especially since I didn’t have any help. My baby and I were taken into this incredible family and they instantly became my family. I didn’t know either of them, but I’d gained a new mama, two sisters and four brothers! I was there for while until I got my own place, and car. I got my first apartment at 17, and that’s when adult life sat in. I worked a couple of jobs, and then I got a real job, as I called it lol. I started working at a Call Center, and I was there for 15 years, where I became a General manager. Then my job shifted and I got into hospitality, and I learned a lot about the hotel industry. I lost my job in 2019, after ten years with Marriott. I hurt my back, and was not able to work, and they fired me. That’s when It happened again, I felt myself losing everything.
I started flashing back to when I was homeless, but this time I had two teenagers to worry about, because my oldest was out on her own, with a son of her own. I been had my business since 2015, but I just didn’t have time to take care of it, or to push it because I was in corporate America, and that took up all of the time that I had. I missed so much if my babies lives, and special times with them because I was always working, but when I hurt myself I realized that when God allowed me to go back to work that I didn’t want to be in corporate America anymore, I just wanted to have a regular job, go to work and come home and be with my family. God didn’t have those plans for me though! He wanted me to work on my business. So that’s what I did. I started my LLC, got my licenses and pushed my business, and my brand as hard as I could. I started networking with people in my city, pushed myself on social media and got my name out there.
Please tell us about A Dab Of This and A dab of That.
The name of my Business is A Dab Of This and A Dab Of That. The reason I chose that name is because it lets people know that I offer more than one service. I cook, bake, cater, make baskets for all occasions, and I’m a licensed mobile bartender and mixologist. One of my specialties is mixing drinks flavors. I’ve created 11 signature flavor adult and kid friendly drinks. The flavors are made with real fruit juices, and have real fruit in them. All of those days and nights in the Shot house with my grandma has definitely paid off LOL! Another one of my specialties is baking. I’ve grown up on my grandmothers recipes, but I’ve actually taken them and tweaked them to make them even more special. I can bake a Red Velvet cake and Strawberry Cream Cheese cake that’ll make you think that you’ve just bit into a slice of heaven lol!
I am most proud of my accomplishments throughout life, and the strength that my grandma installed in me to make it through storms and dark days. I am not where I want to be, but I am where God has placed me. There is still a long ways to go, but I know what’s for me is for me. I started pushing my business on faith and prayer, all while trying to pay mortgage, car note, taking care of bills and making sure that my babies had what they needed. What sets me apart from others is “Me” I am so different from the people that I know, and that’s because of where I’ve been, the people that have helped me along the way and my ability to smile even when I feel awful. I’ve learned that If I smile, it becomes a habit, and no matter how dark and dim I feel I’m shining on the outside. I take pride in everything I do, and I pray over EVERYTHING that I touch. I know that I can do all things through Christ who Strengthens me, and I have repeated that scripture all of my life, since my grandma first taught it to me! I treat everyone with respect, but most of all I believe in God, and I have faith that everything will be ok, and that my business will be a name that people will forever hear, and that my logo will be seen everywhere!
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start over the only two things that I would’ve done differently is learned to love myself more at an early age, and had a better relationship with my mother. I’ve had a hard eventful life before now because I honestly didn’t know any better. I know that this isn’t an average answer, but it’s the truth. I wouldn’t change what I’ve been through because what I’ve been through and the places that I’ve been is why I am who I am today. I would only change those two things, because having a better relationship with my mother, and loving myself differently would all fall into the same category, and would have made a difference. Well wait a minute, there is one more thing that I would’ve done differently. I definitely would finished school before now. I have two associate degrees, and three certifications but I decided a couple of years ago to go back to school. Smh, it’s ROUGH lol. I’m working on my BA in Information Technology, with minor in Cyber security and Web Development… and Chiiiiile let me tell you, I swear I want to throw my WHOLE laptop in the garbage, I’m sick of it LOL!, but I’m going to hang in there!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.adabofthisandadabofthat.com
- Phone: (205) 422-3257
- Email: nia@adabofthisandadabofthat.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/adabofthisandadabofthat
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/adabofthisandadabofthat
- Other: TikTok Adabofthisandadabofthat
Image Credit:
Latrisha Fee-Fee Redmon
Chandra Temple Birmingham Mayors Office
Roger Stephenson
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