We were lucky to catch up with Litisha Franklin recently and have shared our conversation below.

Litisha , appreciate you joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

When I started Soul Sarap in May of 2021, my friends who had just opened their new brewery Ataraxia Aleworks, allowed me to hold my pop-up events at their business every Friday and Saturday. At the time, I didn’t have a slightest clue how to run a mobile food business. Working in a restaurant with a full kitchen and equipment is completely different than showing up to a location and setting up a make-shift kitchen. I learned that you have to find a system that is efficient and makes sense, even if that means adjusting your menu to make things smoother. Holding pop-up events at the brewery was a great way to introduce my business to the community and to also gain experience with cooking as a mobile chef. By Fall of 2021, I had to figure out a way to grow more clientele and attract more business. A friend of mine encouraged me to get into the farmer’s market in Pacific Beach. She suggested that it would give me the exposure and build the following that Soul Sarap needed. The application process for the farmer’s market is not an easy task. It tends to be quite a bit of paperwork that could get overwhelming due to how long it takes to process. Honestly, I procrastinated and put off the paper work a handful of times. By early spring of 2022, I completed all my paperwork and turned in my application for the farmer’s market. My first day was in late May. Setting up/cooking at the farmer’s market was a huge risk and learning experience. It takes a lot of patience and time to build customers. After a few weeks of being at the market, I was unsure and worried if I was going to get the business that I was looking for. I stuck it out for about 3-4 weeks and then I started to build a mixture of regular and new customers. I also learned that there was a lot of room to improve when it came to my event set up(I.e. certain equipment that was required at the market or equipment that wasn’t efficient). The great thing about being at the farmer’s market is there are fellow vendors that are willing to give you advice and help you out with questions you have.

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

Originally from a small town in Washington state, I was raised by my Filipina mother and African-American father who grew up in South Carolina.
Whether it was family gatherings, dinners, spending time at my grandparent’s house in South Carolina, or watching my parents cook, food was a huge part of my upbringing. In 2006 when I was almost finished with the culinary program at the Art Institute of Seattle, I got introduced to the restaurant industry by working as a prep cook around the Seattle area for a few years. In 2008, I started working at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel, which jump-started my career. Working at one of the best restaurants in the area alongside many mentors and chefs taught me discipline, determination, and drive. In 2016, I transferred to the Fairmont property in Orange Country, California and eventually transferred to the San Diego property in 2017. Right before the pandemic happened, I had lost my passion for cooking. I found myself going through the motions of working and not enjoying cooking as much as I used to. When I briefly wasn’t working in 2020, I spent a lot of time doing so searching within by reading, watching cooking shows,  and practicing cooking techniques at home. I  found myself revisiting Asian and Southern flavors that not only I loved, but also reminded me of my childhood. In a way, the pandemic was a blessing in disguise because When I had returned to work in the Fall of that year, I realized that working in the restaurant was no longer for me and I wanted to create my own food and be my own boss.  By Spring of 2021, Soul Sarap was born. The name was inspired by my parents. Soul is for my dad’s Southern upbringing, and the word Sarap(Suh-rawp) means delicious in Tagalog, the Filipino language.
Currently I’m a mobile business that aspires to have a store front in the future. I also offer catering as well. I can be found  at a few farmer’s markets during the week  and different events around San Diego.  What sets me apart from other food businesses is that I serve dishes infused with Filipino and Southern-American flavors. My hotel/restaurant background inspires me never to be afraid to push boundaries and try daring flavor combinations. I always strive to make sure my product is served to the customers at a high quality. If they’re not happy, I always try to find a solution or alternative.

On my menu, you can find a few familiar Filipino dishes such as lumpia(a Filipino-fried egg roll), Pansit(a Filipino noodle dish) with chicken confit, and garlic fried rice, that are infused with Soul food flavors. I also provide vegetarian/vegan options as well. I’m very proud of the progress my business has made and the following it’s gained in a year and a half. Soul Sarap is starting to gain more business and it’s not slowing down. I want everyone from current followers, customers, and potential clients to know that we’re planning on getting more into catered events. Right now, I offer cater drop-offs to clients, but starting in the spring/summer, we will be offering on-site catering as well. We also plan creating Soul Sarap merchandise in the summer and updating the website. To keep up with our current schedule, follow us on Instagram at @soulsarap, and on Facebook at
www..Facebook.com/soulsarap
Email: [email protected]

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Building relationships with vendors and businesses within the area. I found that when I constantly talked about my business and the passion behind it, businesses believed in my brand just as much as I did. I used to be self conscious about talking about Soul Sarap, or worried that people weren’t going to like my concept, but at the end of the day, it’s about how I represent it and believe in what I’m creating. The more you talk about your brand, the more people will follow.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to learn to listen to my instincts and stand my ground when it comes to my business. I became too trusting and started to listen to the opinions of others which eventually, clouded my vision and judgement. In a way. it held back the growth of Soul Sarap and we started to regress. When I started making more firm decisions for the business, that’s when it started to move in a positive direction.

Contact Info:

• Website: under construction at the moment. TBA
• Instagram: @soulsarap
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/soulsarap

Image Credits
Image credit: LzG Photography