We were lucky to catch up with Temicka “Chef Tweet” Moore recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Temicka “Chef, thanks for joining us today. Folks often look at a successful business and imagine it was an overnight success, but from what we’ve seen this is often far from the truth. We’d love to hear your scaling up story – walk us through how you grew over time – what were some of the big things you had to do to grow and what was that scaling up journey like?

As a child I always knew I wanted more and I always knew I would be great at whatever I put my mind to becuase I was a dreamer and a doer. If I wanted something, no matter how small it was, I always found a way to obtain it. That spirit of grit and hustle prepared me to become the successful business woman I am today and allowed me to get thru the hoops, hurdles, obstacles, and road blocks along the way. As a child I wanted to be a corporate lawyer which led me to get my degree in Political Science & Pre Law. I gave up on pursuing my dream because my three children became my top priority. I was working low paying jobs even though I was degreed and realized my value was worth more than what I was being paid. I worked as a commission statement specialist, a program director of a alternative sentencing program, and a special needs teacher. Every experience taught me something different, something meaningful, and positioned me to take a risk and start my own business.

In 2009 I resigned from my job as a drug testing manager to start a daycare. This was important to me because I wanted to prepare children for academic success from the beginning rather than having to correct or repair them at the high school level. It started off rocky with me having to relocate due to the housing rental being foreclosed after only three months of me being there. I started over in another area of the city, out of my personal residence, and was at full capacity within by the beginning of the school year. The demand was so great that I scaled the business by opening two more locations a year apart and still had a waitlist a mile long. After some coaching and encouragement from my state licensing consultant I made the transition to a building to increase my capacity as a preschool and successfully reached my goal after having a packed open house/grand opening. I was ordered a cease and desist within 30 days due to an anonymous tip that proved to be false. This significantly impacted the business but I was determined to defend and resore my name. That law experience from college paid off as I won the case without a laywer only to be met with another obstacle from the fire marshall. My assigned inspector was terminated for imporoperly passing building inspections and I was one of the businesses on the list. Thirty thousand dollars later I passed. It was draining and I wanted to give up but I had come too far. I went on for 12 more years in that facility operating a very successful preschool program and recently sold the business in May of 2024 because my passion and fire dimmed and it was time for me to focus on what I really loved to do: cooking!

My cooking journey began at Indiana University in 1996 affectionately cooking for friends, sorority sisters, and the IU football team. There were no soul food restaurants in Bloomington so I did what I do best…fill a void for profit. I began selling $5.00 dinners with my cousin and boyfriend acting as my delivery drivers which eventually led me to host dinner parties twice a year: Seafood in September and Sea-Soul Supernbowl. My family and friends supported me heavily and still do to this day as my village has been there through every high and every low keeping me rooted! I wanted to elevate my skills making the decision to attend culinary school in 2017, graudated in 2019, and hit the ground running with the launch of Sincere Catering. It is indeed a God given blessing to “do what you love, and love what you do” as my mentor, Juaneka Ennis, has instilled in me. All is well in the kitchen for me…even when I am under pressure. I have had the pleasure of catering for millionaires, celebrities, universities, corporations, and a multitude of private sector clients. The industry can be brutal during the off peak season but I am a self proclaimed “Teflon Don” when it comes to overcoming obstacles and finding ways to reinvent the business like working on getting FDA approval for my signature sauce line: Chef Tweet’s Garlic Butter Sincere Sauce with plans to add three more sauces and our house spice to the Sincere Fresh line.

My original dream was to open a bed & breakfast with great food, soothing music, in a sincere and loving environment. I scrapped that idea after my culinary instructor reminded me that I needed to consider all the factors like waking up at 4 or 5am to begin cooking as I am not a morning person. I decided to become a caterer and later an event venue owner and it proved to be a great choice. After renovating a space into my vision for the restaurant I was told by the property owner that I could not assign a liquor license to the space which broke my heart. I am currently in the process of selling the venue business to migrate to the next phase for Chef Tweet: a boutique restaurant with handcrafted mocktails, cocktails, and live music. You heard it here first: coming soon!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Sincere, the brand, is a multi faceted company with 5 businesses under one parent company: Sincere Catering, Sincerely Yours Events, Sincer Fresh, Sincere Lyfe Consulting, and Sincere Realty. I am most proud of having a solid corporate cliente and a growing private clientele. I relocated to Indianapolis 20 years and I could not be more happy doing so as the city has welcomed me with open arms in support all of my business endeavors. I stand behind my brand in every way to ensure we are delivering an authentic product, full of passion, and of course with sincerity. It is not just about the money as we sponsor the plight of multiple non profit organizations, homeless outreach, and motivating kids to become the next entrepreneurs of our day.

Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?

My first business, my daycare/preschool, was started with a $5000.00 tax refund. I was a single mother of three making 14.00 per hour on Section 8, Food Stamps, and Child Care Assistance. I knew it had to be more to life because I was intelligent, educated, and resillient. I paid my bills up at my house and took the remaining $3000.00 and started Stepping Stones Learning House. I did not know anything about business credit or funding until 5 years ago and had been in business for 10 years! Damont Nickson, a millionaire that I had been following and observing on Facebook, hired me to cater for his brother’s baby shower. This was a pivotal moment in my life as i negotiated taking $695.00 off his invoice in exchange for joining his Millionaires Club program. He shockingly agreed becoming my mentor and putting in me in position to scale and leverage any business that I touched. I started my event venue and catering business with: an 80 Paydex business credit score, buisness credit cards, and mutliple net 30 accounts suitable to assist me in building another empire. I made the mistake of securing a predatory loan (ridiculously high interest) during a season of low income and foolish pride which I absolutely regretted because I could have asked my father but wanted to do everything on my own. It was a costly mistake and one that I now coach others to avoid. Business credit can definitely get your foot in the door as long as you have a solid plan to multiply your profits. The downside is that new owners use business credit incorrectly and put themselves in further debt causing the buisness to collapse. Ive been there and done that as well. It is important to grow your personal and business credit over time to attract high dollar loans, lines of credit, and grants. The more you know the more you grow!

We’d appreciate any insights you can share with us about selling a business.

Yes. I have sold one business and I am in the process of selling another. It is important to keep records off all equipment, contents, tax records, financial documents, and a database containing future customers, clients, bookings, and valuations of the business to determine your selling price. Advertising the sale of the business is also key. You can hire a realtor to sell, advertise on social media, or send a blast to industry professionals to generate a buzz. Some businesses are made to be scaled and sold while others are near and dear to the seller and will be sold to elevate to the next level or for retirement purposes. You have to first make peace with your deicision to sell because its almost as if you are giving up on your dream when the business has a personal attachment. I used to hear people say there are no feelings in business but that has not been proven to be true for me. In my experience, there are no feelings in contracts but my heart and soul shines through in all other aspects of the business. I make it a practice to align myself with things or businesses that have substance behing their missions or goals.

Contact Info:

• Website: thesincerechef.com
• Instagram: sincerecatering
• Facebook: sincerecateringandevents
• Yelp: sincerecatering

Image Credits
Decor: Jennifer Miller of Level Up Event Services
Artwork: Richard Hastings of Express Prints 365