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

Hi Islande , thanks for joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

My parents are first generation immigrants from Haiti. My parents gave some great tools to be successful in the US. The first thing is work ethic. Growing up my dad work 2 jobs to make sure we had everything we needed. I had my first job at 15 and I haven’t stop working since. I always make sure to put my best foot forward in anything that I do. I have to say if I want something I go hard for it and I normally get it. My parents gave me the I can do anything and be successful attitude. Another thing my parent did was to make sure we have togethernesses and never lose sight of family. Whether it’s with family or the community we all pull together in times of need. For example, my house growing up was the first stop for most people that came to the US to help them get on their feet. This also helps build great moral.

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

My name is Islande Lallemand. I’m married to my high school sweetheart Michael Pierre. We’ve been together for almost 30 years. We have 3 beautiful kids and a dog. I was born in Haiti but grew up in NY before relocating to Atlanta, GA. Growing up in Haiti, I was inspired at a young age to cook. My fondest childhood memories are of me sitting in the kitchen surrounded by delicious herbs, spices and aromas. I was always open to trying new foods, and dabbling with different recipes when I realized that I loved food. Food is my passion. Food Is My Side Piece! I started my spice brand due to being diagnosed with hypertension. As a foodie I know sometimes some food can be unhealthy do to too much sodium and all the additives in the spices. My spices, have no to low sodium and have no additives and msg. My mission is to help to lower the rate of hypertension in my family and community. I love to see my clients reactions once they use my spices. I am a private chef/caterer. We cater to any event, big or small, from private dinner, proposals to birthday parties and wedding. We also do Sunday dinners. Our motto is relax and let’s us do the cooking. I love it when clients tell me all the food was gone at their events and how their guest was asking about the flavors that I use in my food. Most importantly, I love blending my Caribbean flavors in just about every dish I make. Food is love!

Have you ever had to pivot?

The end of 2020 my father passed and I pretty much lost all motivation to work a full time job and working on my business full time. I started out pretty well with my business selling my spices and building my clientele for my catering business. But once I lost my dad, I had to take a few months off. During that time everything slowed down. I needed my mental health to get better so I can really focused on my business. Now I am back and business is starting to pick up. It seems like I had to start all over however I am more motivated now than before. I know my dad wants me to pursue my passion. I came back with a more focus on the private chef and catering side of the business. Cooking makes me happy.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Building your audience on social media requires you to post daily. I always make sure to always have additional content even when I go on vacation to post. Be sure to always interact with your followers even if it’s just a small number. Remember even if you don’t get any likes or comments continue to post daily.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.foodismysidepiece.com/
• Instagram: @foodismysidepiece
• Facebook: Islande cook’s
• Twitter: @FSidepiece
• Youtube: Food is my Sidepiece
• TikTok: foodismysidepiece_