Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dora Tramel . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Dora, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

For years I have wanted to quit my job and pursue being a full-time entrepreneur but I was reluctant because I did not want to struggle financially. You know when God puts something in your heart and mind, your soul yearns for it. I was very overworked and needed a sabbatical from work. I was even neglecting my own self. In the back of my head I kept hearing “Trust in Me, it is time for you to follow your purpose.” So for my birthday and to celebrate moving past grieving for my mother’s death anniversary, I decided to quit my well paying, great benefits job to follow God’s purpose for me and pursue being a full-time entrepreneur. I took a huge risk! I had nothing but my 401k and last paycheck to live off of and invest in both of my businesses. I did everything I could from email marketing to dropping off samples to handing out business cards and brochures…. nothing. Then I decided to try and get on Doordash but by the time I was able to fully get on the app, I had lost my apartment and two months behind on my car payment. I was desperate so I joined vendor communities around me, took business resource classes, and joined any business communities that had resources I could use. Then, crap piled on top of crap. In the midst of all this my Grandfather/Father, Wilbur Batty died, then my car died. I wanted to run back to security with a job and co-workers that made me laugh and I could talk/listen about life, but I made a commitment to see it through. I was low depression and anxiety, grieving plus no one to talk to about it all. But then the Women’s Business Center asked me to cater as a client, the minority business program through Chase offered me an amazing mentor with great opportunities and I also got another hospitality mentor through Accion Opportunity Fund. When I took my risk, I did not just depend on my own knowledge as a cook I took the risk to become a better business owner and gain knowledge by collaborating and listening no matter what has gone on in my personal life. I took risks to be better even if I had to make sacrifices that I did not know if they were going to work out. I trusted God’s plan.

Dora, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

DAT’s Good Cooking provides creative cultural rubs, seasonings, salsa, chutneys, curries, salad dressings and sauces from scratch with fresh ingredients. DAT’s Good Cooking products are for the mom who does not have time to make salsa for taco night, the individual who wants a taste of home but is too far away and can not visit, the health/fitness fanatic who needs to nourish their body with healthy food all day but does not have time to fully prep. We also offer drop-off and full catering, private chef, and vendor services.

DAT’s Good Egg Rolls takes DAT’s Good Cooking’s delicious dishes folds them in an handmade from scratch egg roll wrapper, fries them and pairs them with one of our salsas, chutneys or sauce. For example, New York style cheesecake egg roll with either lemon blueberry or tropical strawberry sauce made with pineapple, strawberry, coconut and ginger or a grilled chicken fajita egg roll with smoked fermented tomato salsa.

My businesses allow consumers to eat from around the world without leaving from where they are. Everything is authentic, from scratch with fresh ingredients.

I have been cooking and interested in cooking since I can remember as a kid. I learned my basics from helping my Granny cook for the family, friends and church. I started out in fast food at Church’s Chicken as cashier and cook right after college. I learned to speak some Farsi here. Then I moved on to Taco Bueno and had to fully learn Spanish. It’s hard to translate 30 party tacos at 1am when you can not communicate with your cook and there is a line of cars in the drive thru. I job hopped around DFW airport learning all that I could as a hostess, sandwich maker, cashier, and barista; working at Tigin Irish Pub, Au Bon Pain, Cantina Laredo and other places. Next I took jobs as a dishwasher to line cook working and opening at restaurants all around the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex improving my knowledge and skills. From my early career I learned to be creative, fun, efficient and organized but later on in my career I have been blessed to be able to see others from a leader stand point of how cooks/chef’s are human beings too not super humans as we all pretend to be. Cooking and creating is our muse no matter what life takes us through. This is why I created DAT’s Good Egg Rolls and DAT’s Good Cooking, so that I can help provide resources for mental and physical issues, culinary educations, English/Spanish speaking classes to chefs/cooks like myself.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

My hard work definitely helped me build a reputation in the restaurant industry. I would start out as a dish washer then move up to line cook with in a couple months. As a line cook my station was always prepped, organized and labeled, if I did not have an order I went to other stations learning how to work them and making friends with my coworkers. I was forced to do a lot of my work by myself due to jealous and petty coworkers/managers and racism but I did it and I learned to do the task fast and correctly.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

When I started my catering business 6 years ago, my mom had stage 3 cancer, I was struggling with sobriety and I had no idea what I wanted in life or as a career. 2 years later my mother died while I was in rehab I had fought with her against cancer for three years prior to this but could fight with her when she needed me most. Once I got out I was lost without her and did not know what to do. All I knew was to cook and put all my love, passion, grief and frustration into the process. 2 years after my mother died so did my Granny. I wanted my Mama and Granny to work with me in our own family restaurant but it did not work out. I wanted to just quit and give up but I kept crawling. I got lost, I pivoted, I created, I threw away, I took opportunities, I made opportunities but I never gave up! Praise God!    

Contact Info:

• Instagram: DAT’s Good Egg Rolls/ DAT’s Good Cooking
• Facebook: DAT’s Good Egg Rolls/ DAT’s Good Cooking
• Linkedin: Dora Tramel
• Yelp: DAT’s Good Egg Rolls/ DAT’s Good Cooking