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

Andrew, 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.

I have worked in restaurants my entire working life. Being Greek I’m inclined to try some Greek food or a gyro when I see the chance and most of the time it’s a miss. So I wanted to serve food that was important to me and my heritage..

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I started out washing dishes and bussing tables around 1991 t a local restaurant with friends. While I may have had a short venture with work or school I always went back to hospitality and as I trained in management it gave me the opportunity to learn both the front of house and back of house aspects. I think my front of the house background in service is beneficial in customer relations and portraying value and the culinary side helped me with a knowledge of food cost, spending etc. I’ve always worked for competitive concepts and surrounded by great peers who were talented and excelled at their jobs. I’m able to bring food that is taught to me by family to masses of people.

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

My initial capital was funded by my day job at the time. This took me 5 years to leave the dependency of my job.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

My side hustle started making hot sauces from garden food. I started by ordering a case of 12 bottles to make and fill. I buy by the 1000 bottles pallets now. All my food and catering was done as a hustle and make shift kitchens until I bought a food truck a few years ago.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.stagssauceco.com
• Instagram: Stagssauceco
• Facebook: STAG’s Sauce Co & Soulshine Kitchen Food Trailer