Today we’d like to introduce you to Tequilla Johnson.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
As a young child (starting at seven years old), I would shadow the women in my family in the kitchen and observe. My parents didn’t realize I had a gift of cooking until I made my first baked macaroni & cheese from scratch at the age of 12 for a family gathering.
That was truly the beginning of my love for cooking. I carried that love with me for almost 22 years while serving in the United States Air Force (recently retired in April). I would serve food to friends, coworkers, and at a host of potlucks. I would prepare dishes for people whenever they requested.
In 2016-2017, while on active duty, I briefly owned and operated a healthy meal preparation service. Due to my own fitness journey, I would post my meal preparation, and people would ask if I could do the same for them. Unfortunately, the demands of work, deployments and relocation placed a pause on the business.
Fast forward to 2019 after relocating back to GA for my final military assignment and my decision to retire. I had a discussion with my younger brother during the holidays about my plans after retirement, and he suggested that I revisit cooking.
My response was, “Cool! I’ll just start blogging and sharing recipes like the many chefs I have watched and followed on social media.” In two days, I developed a logo, website and business strategy to birth Dished Palate.
My military background was in IT, but that was the moment when I decided I would not be entering the corporate world after retiring from the Air Force. I made a conscious decision that after 22 years of faithful service, I was truly going to relax and pursue my passion for cooking.
With the money I had saved along with family support, I decided to pour it into this business. I started a blog and posted recipes and pics on my social media. All was well with the blog, but I quickly discovered that although people loved the recipes, they wanted to experience my cooking.
So, my idea of Dished Palate just being a blog quickly transitioned into a meal preparation company. I was still on active duty when I developed my new business plan and placed it into action January of this year. Everything started off excellent but then COVID-19 almost placed a screeching halt on operating.
My family and military background always prepared me for challenging situations, so I was never a person to give up easily. It was through the grace of God that I connected and networked with some great people that helped me operate my business under the new guidelines, and I was able to continue to expand the business.
So, I continued the meal prep and became a food vendor at the only location that had permission to operate during the pandemic. As I continued to network, I got deeply involved in community service, feeding the homeless, school aged kids and the elderly. I was on a mission to not only make a name in the food industry for myself but also to be a part of giving back to my community.
Has it been a smooth road?
It has not been smooth. Initially, COVID was a huge challenge and my business was not very profitable, but I didn’t give up.
Some of the struggles were the inability to promote the company through festivals and catering gigs due to social distancing. All of my future catering gigs were canceled and some clients chose not to eat out.
As a mother of 3 (with 2 school-aged children), the challenge of school closures has limited my availability to operate the business while homeschooling, so I have had to be very flexible by operating my business mainly during the evening hours.
My finances took a huge hit because I wasn’t established enough to qualify for loans meaning the business venture has been personally funded.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I have a meal prep, private chef and catering business serving customers all over the country. I’m a pescatarian, vegetarian and vegan-friendly chef. Due to my military travels, my cuisine is inspired by the many countries I have visited and my immersion in their cultures. My new love in transitioning to a plant-based diet is vegan food. I work a lot with individuals who are transitioning to veg/vegan diets or who just want to incorporate more plant-based meals into their diets.
Some of my most popular dishes are the Vegan Fried Chicken sandwich and the Jerk Salmon wrap. I’m most proud of my ability to be creative. No challenge is too big for me.
I’m also a believer that food is an area that you can’t compromise with. You only get one impression with a customer and it better be good. People can taste the love in a dish, so if you don’t put your passion into it then it shows.
I take pride in watching people enjoy my food. I’m on a journey to share my passion with the world.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Our city is an amazing place to start a business because our city supports small businesses. We have so many opportunities to market through events, festivals and the huge network of budding entrepreneurs. You just have to be willing to put yourself out there for the exposure.
Stay true to whatever goals you have established for yourself and work hard to create a brand that’s like no other.
Contact Info:
- Address: 3300 Marjan Dr.
Doraville GA 30253 - Website: https://dishedpalate.com
- Phone: 678301044”
- Email: chefj@dishedpalate.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/dishedpalate
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/dishedpalate
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