Meet Deborah VanTrece of Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours in West Midtown

Today we’d like to introduce you to Deborah VanTrece.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Deborah. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
As a young teen, I developed a passion for cooking, reading cookbooks and tuning in to as many cooking shows as time would allow. As the years progressed, it became a hobby of sorts. Fast forward to adulthood, I became an international flight attendant for a major airline and through travel and exposure to different cultures and cuisines, I continued to feed my passion for food and cooking. At a point in my flying career, a strike occurred, which was the catalyst that fueled a decision to make a career change and work to make cooking a career and not just a passion. So, I enrolled in culinary school and begin my professional culinary journey. I’ve now been in the business for over 20 years and my love for food is as strong as ever.

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?
Like most journeys, the road has not always been smooth, but its rewards have been worth the bumps and the turns. I started out as a divorced, single Mom in a restaurant, working long hours with inadequate child care. I quickly decided that catering, gave me more control of my time and so I made the decision to put restaurant life on hold. As a caterer, it took time to develop a client base that was able to support me and my daughter, so at a point I worked two jobs to make ends meet and to insure proper health care for my family. At the point, I decided to return to the restaurant life, it was difficult for a single female to acquire funding to open an establishment of my own. It took years of me working hard and saving to finally fund myself. There’s also been the constant reminders that you as a female are the minority in the culinary world and not always welcome in certain arenas. Needless to say, it is still often a lonely world.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Twisted Soul Cookhouse and Pours is a small restaurant that specializes in “soul food’. It reflects my life, my travels and my belief that all cultures have a “soul food.” It has been proclaimed as “globally inspired” soul food! We proudly serve fresh cuisine, locally sourced whenever possible, and “scratch cooking”. We have received many accolades for our decor, food and service. And we are determined to continue to provide great food with modern twist

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
In the future we would like to expand our catering business and open several concept restaurants in Atlanta.

Contact Info:

• Address: 1133 Huff Rd. Ste. D, Atlanta, Ga 30318
• Website: twistedsoulcookhouseandpours.com
• Phone: 4043505500
• Email: [email protected]

Image Credit:
Lorraine Lane

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