We were lucky to catch up with Erica Montgomery recently and have shared our conversation below.

Erica, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

I wanted to call it “Potliquor’s” but a wise businessman who actually was the one that encouraged me to go for it and start my cart, demanded that I name it after myself. He believed that people would be into the idea of me as the chef. It worked I guess!

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

I am a self taught chef from Atlanta, Ga. I moved to Portland in 2017 with nothing but $900, couple suitcases, and the strong desire to start my life over after a very hard one. I started my cart after being fired from a job that sucked, serving heirloom family recipes, as well as some new ones of my own. Using nothing but social media to market my business, I gained popularity by being myself. My food and I have been featured in every local, as well as several National publications. I’ve won two cooking competitions on local live news, and have been able to sustain my business for three years with barely any capital. I’m very proud of all of that.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I started my journey back in Atlanta leaving behind a safe middle class upbringing for the unsafe streets due to mental illness and addiction. I was kidnapped, human trafficked, but decided to try and get my life together, so I started working in restaurants, moving from being a waitress to the kitchen where I felt the most at home. After continuing to struggle with my mental health I moved to a place where the medicine that has helped me the most was legal. I worked hard on myself, and got to the point where I could open my own business and take care of my kids. My therapist says resilience is what got me to this point. It’s what keeps me going, and is natural. I’ve seen businesses crumble because they didn’t have enough.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I built my social media by being myself, and sharing genuine antidotes about the history of the food I serve. People like to feel engaged and let in on a secret. I also like to make people laugh. Being vulnerable and transparent is also appealing. I’ve never paid for marketing, which I think prices my social media marketing to have been successful successful.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.EricasSoulFood.com
• Instagram: Erica’s Soul Food (@ericaspdx) • Instagram … https://www.instagram.com/ericaspdx/?hl=en
• Facebook: Erica’s Soul Food | Portland OR – Facebook https://m.facebook.com/ericassoulfoodpdx/

Image Credits
Aaron Lee (photo in front of yellow cart)