We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Anastasia Thompson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Anastasia below.
Anastasia , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
In 2014, I became a mother and I knew I wanted to give her everything & thereafter in life. With that type of desire working for a company wasn’t going to cut it. I came up with the idea of Southern Comfort Meals in 2018, after a friend suggested that I should make what I love into something more, from that moment I have been building my dream/vision. I truly enjoy cooking. It’s a stress relief and a special kind of pleasure when someone enjoys it. Being an Entrepreneur is hard work and takes dedication, but doing what you love takes drive, consistency, purpose and passion to keep it going. The reward when done properly you will have a legacy and wealth in all areas which makes all worth it.
“Hey yall hey” My name is Anastasia Personal Chef and Owner of Southern Comfort Meals. For those who are new Hello and Welcome to SCM and for my current customers/clients Thank you for your continuous support. Here is a little background on your Chef. I was born in Texas, but I was raised in Pine Bluff, AR where I received my foundation for this thing called life. I am a mother of two and my beautiful babies are my world. I LOVE to cook and be creative which for me goes hand in hand. These two things work well together whether it’s on a plate or for an event it allows me to explore outside of the box. Growing up in the country you don’t really have a lot of fast food restaurants. I come from a family full of cooks so quite naturally it’s in my blood. My favorite part about us getting together was the delicious food. My family is full of wisdom and old souls. We had fish fry’s, Sunday dinner, and just hung out to enjoy each other’s company. One thing that I will always remember are those moments where food and love brought us together. My Nana is an amazing cook but my Big Mama was even better and it has been such a blessing to have had a chance to witness such greatness. My mom, aunts and uncles all can throw down too. My nana hands are like gold when she loves a meal. I put those memories into my meals to spread that same love that I get when my nana cooks for me. Now, that’s not all. My Gana was a great cook too but she could take your worries away with a slice of cake. She baked cakes for events and a shop that was around the corner from her house. I loved being in Texas for the summer playing outside, making mud pies, and helping make cakes. My Gana was the “Candy Lady” on the block. Me and my cousin always had a sweet treat. When I bake it’s those moments of fun and love I put into my desserts.
I am a true believer in you won’t know unless you try. You will never know how something will work or not unless you go for it. My hands are blessed in many ways and I have come across many opportunities by stepping out on faith and giving things a try. While finding my niche and calling I created custom hair bows and tutus, I can do hair, I’ve created a journal and I have a dispatching company. Even with all of that it still came to cooking. Everything else was fun but cooking for me is filling. Each experience I learned something new to apply to what I’m currently doing. It started out with a small black polka-dot notebook. In that notebook I wrote a prayer for what I wanted my business to flourish into. I still have this notebook. It has my very first everything in it: Meals, menus, financial goals, what I’ve sold and my desires as things begin to grow. Now here in 2022 I must say reading that notebook gives me so much inspiration and joy to see my growth. I am my business and I take it very seriously and I do everything from start to finish. Knowledge is key along with research and understanding. So Why Cook? It’s simple, everybody has to eat right! So why have something tasty and home-cooked with love. A taste of home at your fingertips that’s what I bring as your Personal Chef and Owner of Southern Comfort Meals.
I feel that part of my purpose is to give back and help others. I believe in teaching others the knowledge that I have gained and retained daily. I want to contribute to what is needed. I see so much and I am only one person but as I build my team of Love to help touch others. When I have leftover meals I give them away rather than throw them out. Everyone has to eat why not have something tasty in the process. I plan to help others fulfill their dreams as I do the same. The proper step by step way to have a successful life and business. I will be creating a non-profit later in business once I have reached my desired goals with my company. My non-profit will be for those in need of different things no matter what it may be. I want to be able to provide the resources, point them in the right direction and provide networking opportunities.
The most exciting part of this process is just that “The Process”. Learning new things, doing research. Networking with new people. Learning strategies , techniques, negotiation, structure of building a company the right way and all of the above.
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
My favorite thing to do outside of cooking is crafting! Creating new things is so pleasing because it can be anything you can think of and how to bring it to life. Hence, how I came up with all of the businesses I came up with along the way. What sets me apart from most is I am not looking for a Hustle! I am Building a Legacy, Home, Financial Stability, New Opportunities for others, Teaching, Loving, Learning , Networking and so much more. My view on the outside looking in on this world is a lot of misguidance and I would love to help spread more positivity , nurture and love. I love to love and it’s not enough of it going around so I am going to spread what I have with the gifts that I have been blessed with. I enjoy nature, I am a home-body but with having kids they keep me active. I enjoy doing fun stuff (playing cards, dominos, board games, carnivals, movies etc.), whatever is in the moment. Laughing is good for the soul and I love a real good laugh. I laugh all the time at all kinds of things. It takes the weight off your shoulders at the moment. I enjoy being personal with genuine people. It’s always a good time. I enjoy spending time with family, friends and others in a stress free environment. Being in the food industry is more work than I had anticipated but so worth everything that has come with it. I have expanded on so many levels that I surprise myself on what I have been capable of. For example I learned what CRM (Customer Relations Management) means and why I needed it for my company. You have to be aware of a POS (Point of Sales) system. Learning Strategies on interacting with the proper market, Advertising, Operations and so much more. To stay disciplined, focused and on task I have a schedule that I created to keep me organized and I do my best to stick with it. When you all last saw me I was only doing plates since then I have extended my services to not only dessert but now offer personal chef services, meal prep and small events/birthdays. I have even sold my desserts in a location or two. I must say business is business and still growing. I am most proud of the fact that I am still going despite the obstacles I have faced. I am still getting my business out there so if you have had the pleasure to enjoy telling a friend and tell that friend to tell a friend. Outside of that just stay tuned for upcoming events, desserts and menus by following my business info
Phone: 214.970.1426
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: Southern Comfort Meals
Instagram: @scmbyakt
Website: Coming Soon
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
With me being in the cooking world people want to know who is cooking their food. For me getting out and handing out business cards, flyers and visiting different locations to introduce myself and what I have to offer. Social Media is a really great way to brand yourself but it can be a hassle and a bit overwhelming if you are unaware of how it works. Word of mouth in my opinion is the best form of getting new clients because people want what they see others have. If your product or service is good it will speak for itself. When it comes to social media you have different algorithm that change often to keep you in the loop along with proper hashtags and such which can create a challenge with getting the content you want out there. Also know your audience and then do the research on how to get that crowd’s attention. You have to speak to those who are willing to listen and everything else will flow from there.
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 am a self-taught business woman which means I have had to do a lot of work and still doing a lot of work and research. I had to figure out the right questions to ask, find a mentor for when I hit a road block I had someone I could go and ask questions. I had to pretty much unlearn everything in order for me to be open to what needed to really be done. What I expected isn’t how it really works. The amount of time and effort you put in your brand shows which is why I always say give it all you got to really get some results. When being in business you have to take the good with the bad. Being able to make decisions and being transparent to change. Everything is continuously changing and you have to be able to adapt to whatever that may be.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scmbyakt/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southerncomfortmeals88
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastasia-t-57122537/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/scmbyakt