We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Carla Martins. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Carla below.
Carla , appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
I was raised in Brazil by a nutritionist mother, in a family that always cared about the quality of the food we consumed. When my mother and I moved to the US in 2004 we were both surprised with the food system here and how challenging it is to have access to truly healthy and clean food. From school cafeterias to restaurants and supermarkets, the quality is always debatable, the amount of junk food supersedes the amount of whole foods, and the quantity of toxins allowed in packaged foods is alarming. I quickly gained weight and did not feel good in my body. Once I got more educated in how much food affects people’s overall health, from their mental health to their productivity, I started seeing food differently. I learned to read labels and look for real ingredients. It was difficult to eat out and purchase pre-made food. I started making everything I consumed, from almond mylk to crackers, desserts, fermented foods…
I saw my own mother recover from a deep depression through dietary changes and it ignited a passion in me to teach others how they can do the same.
My company was created in order to make organic, unprocessed, health promoting food accessible to people. To teach them how to create delicious recipes with simple ingredients. To inspire them to take charge of their health.
Carla , 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?
In 2008 I completely changed my diet to eating mostly raw vegan food. I cut out animal products, processed food, fried food, sugar and anything that was not real whole food. I quickly noticed an upgrade in my health and energy levels that excited me to keep learning about it and improving my culinary skills. Friends and coworkers were curious about my diet and started asking me to prepare cleanses for them and from there a company was born. I was selling snacks and eventually started teaching classes in order to educate people about the importance of clean eating and how to make it fun, easy and delicious.
After attending 2 months of raw vegan culinary school at Matthew Kenney Culinary in Miami, and refining my skills, I started teaching at the school, privately and eventually running the culinary program at Plant Miami. I also created an organic, plant based, high raw, meal delivery service in the area under my own brand Raw Chef Carla.
The in person classes and online courses are amazing for those who want to take charge of their health and learn how to prepare their own food, clean out their pantry, and revolutionize their kitchen without sacrificing flavor. This service is beneficial because it can be enjoyed by anyone, anywhere in the world! My recipes are easy to follow and great for beginners in the lifestyle. It is accessible.
The local meal delivery serves those who want to eat clean but don’t have the time/skills/desire to make their own meals. They receive ready to eat meals at their door once a week. Everything is made from scratch, with lots of intention behind. This service is available currently for those living in South Florida (from Delray to Miami).
My passion for desserts led me to create raw vegan refined sugar/gluten/soy free desserts for retail and wholesale. I currently sell them at Love Life Cafe and The Plantisserie, in Miami, and continue to expand that market, as well as custom cakes.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
Since I was a child I said I was going to be an architect. I had no other choice for a career but architecture. However, when I started school in 2010 I had already been eating mostly a raw vegan diet for a couple years and eventually that caught the attention of my classmates and coworkers. I went to school in Brazil, where the raw food movement was not very common at the time and people got curious about it and went from trying my food to asking to buy it. That is when a side business got started. It was called Cru (raw in Portuguese). I was making snack bars in different flavors to sell to friends, classmates and coworkers, and about 3 months later got a booth at the organic farmer’s market with more products available. This was truly just a side hustle as I was in school full time, and also worked part time as an English teacher. But I was very happy and impressed with the turnout! I even did a few workshops at my house to educate people about raw foods and show them how to make some simple recipes. That was also pretty successful and it got me excited. This crazy work schedule went on for a few months until summer break came around and I visited my mom in Port Orange, Florida on vacation. I was supposed to stay for a month, but decided to not go back to school. I wanted to pursue the food business route. I am not going to say it was an easy decision to make or a pretty adventure. That area of Florida was not very open to healthy eating and the business was not doing nearly as well as it had been in Brazil. After trying for a couple years without much growth (other than getting my protein bars in a couple local health food stores and making monthly dinners to a group of vegans), I had the opportunity to move to South Florida. I moved to Fort Lauderdale in May 2015 and felt the energy very differently. People seem to understand more what I was doing. I had to get a job serving and bartending to support me and catch up on the financial setback I had gotten into. At the time I got myself set up on Groupon and found a couple local places that allowed me to teach dinner demos a couple times a month. I loved doing those as I realized that I had a passion for teaching, it was fulfilling. Having these classes allowed me to meet many wonderful people and some of them had great impact in my business! One of them is a wonderful couple that hired me to teach them a private class on their first year anniversary. Little did I know that they would become my close friends, and 4 years later I’d be catering the desserts for their wedding! When I met them, they both were looking for a vegan meal delivery service and gave me the push I needed to get that started. At around the same time, I hired a business coach to help me get clarity and keep me accountable, and he was also very helpful in getting my meal delivery service going, increasing my income, and making me feel confident that I could work fully for myself 6 months later, when I let go of my serving job. I am now in my 4th year of entrepreneurship. It has had ups and downs and many different offerings. I continue to offer meal delivery and have added cakes, wholesale desserts and online courses to my business as well.
It is amazing to look back and see how it all came together! I believe that people are such key parts of the puzzle, as well as staying open to trying new things because you never know where that can take you.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
We live in a world where social media can greatly impact a brand. In culinary school we were required to create art with our food and it was always documented. That was perfect time for me to get my instagram account started. At the same time I connected with many other chefs who were attending or had attended the same program and we created a network. Not many people work in this niche, so it is not hard to find or to stand out. I also meet wonderful people when I was teaching the culinary classes at Plant Miami in 2018/19. Most people who came to class were into raw foods, healthy eating, veganism, and mindful practices and it was easy to connect. Some of them were offering events in the area and I thought it could be a good idea to check it out. My first event was a cacao ceremony. I had heard of it but had never been. That one event led me into so many great connections, both in business and in my personal life. Shortly after I was getting invited to be a vendor in other events (such as cacao ceremonies, yoga classes, breath work, meditations) and quickly I grew my following in the local community.
I see that social media plays a huge part in my business so I can show people what I am doing and how they can get ahold of my food. Most of us eat with our eyes first, so making food as art is very important when serving people and attracting new clients. Also, sharing beyond my product and truly connecting with my followers and clients help them see the mission of my business makes them appreciate what I do more. I am passionate about changing the way the world eats, motivating people to eat healthier and take better care of their bodies so they feel good with themselves. When they know that, they’re more inclined to purchase from me.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.rawchefcarla.com
- Instagram: @rawchefcarla
- Facebook: /rawchefcarla
Image Credits
@TalQualFilms and @LifeOfTico