We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Chantal Tafari a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Chantal, appreciate you joining us today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

The honest answer to this question is one can’t really be sure. I am happier in different ways. When I’m able to stop and take time for myself because I’m at a point where I have staff managing things in my absence; in those moments I cherish the blessing that business ownership has created. However, I still struggle with switching off from business mode. So whereas when I left my job at the end of the day and didn’t have to give serious thought to it till I returned to work the following day. With my business I’m never completely off the clock.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

In 2017 I turned my passion for adventurous cooking with ackee into a blog. Repeatedly asked whether I had a restaurant or food truck, I decided to “bring the blog to life” in 2018 focusing on Vegan Ackee Patties.

Recognizing that the Caribbean vegetarian/vegan food segment was underserved in the Hartford area, I chose to focus on that niche. We’ve expanded our offerings and make up to 10 different vegan patties with lots more ideas in the works. We try to source local produce whenever possible, as such, some fillings are seasonal.

From 2018 to 2020 we worked out of the shared kitchen space at Hands on Hartford while growing the business. In 2020 we acquired our own commercial kitchen space in Manchester then in 2022 we opened our first brick and mortar: Likkle Patty Shop in Windsor, CT

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

My business as it is today is a result of a pivot.

I’d started a blog about using ackee as an ingredient outside of it’s traditional ackee and saltfish (Jamaica’s National Dish).

When I initially thought about “bringing the blog to life” I’d initially wanted a food truck where I’d feature different ackee recipes that I came up with.

Getting funding for a truck with no prior sales was not going to happen and as such I pivoted to a smaller set up: what would be easiest?

Ackee is unfamiliar in the states and so I’d be starting two uphill battles trying to introduce people to something they’ve never heard of before and for those who had, to trust me to try it in the ways I’d be presenting it.

My thinking therefore was to start with my Ackee Patties since even if someone had never heard of ackee they would have experience of what we call a patty in Jamaica, that is, pastry encasing a savory filling. Every culture has something similar, be it dumplings, samosas, raviolis or empanadas. This was the point of commonality for introducing for the most part a unique ingredient.

From there I ended up expanding out the variety of offerings and focusing in on the vegan food segment which was underserved in the Hartford area at the time.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Funding my business has been and continues to be the most challenging aspect of running it. Because my business grew faster than I expected I had to be ready to move to next stages faster than I anticipated. I used a lot of my personal credit as initial investment. All the money the business made went back into covering expenses and purchasing equipment to improve efficiency.
I also received a SBA loan to build out my kitchen. Did crowdfunding to build out my storefront. Received a grant which also went into my storefront but the truth is as a small business you need constant cash injection that isn’t always forthcoming. I’ve therefore had to continue to be creative, using debt wisely and organizing payments to allow for better cash flow.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://likklepattyshop.com
• Instagram: @likklepattyshop
• Facebook: @likklepattyshop
• Yelp: @likklepattyshop

Image Credits
I own the rights all the photos provided