Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Martin Dunkley. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Martin, thanks for joining us today. Any advice for creating a more inclusive workplace?
We have a very unique hiring process, yet simple. We hire based on ability to learn, adapt, working as a team and desire to see everyone on your team succeed. This allows us to focus on “fit” not personal accolades. What have shaped our view is the experience of feeling more than qualified for a job, many have put in so many working hours towards advancement and many individuals are not hired or rewarded for their service. So at SDF we are committed to giving true opportunity to anyone willing to go for it.
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?
Over ten years ago I (Martin Dunkley) began a small business on the side catering for the local surrounding area. My days off I would cook and sell food plus deliver. I also made traditional Jamaican Hot sauce, that I would sell at that time also. My wife Tamika Dunkley was a nurse when we met and we soon married. After our first home purchase I would soon after meet my mentor, who would teach us the fundamentals of manufacturing and product development. The product line “Seasoned Momma Blossom Original recipes” was born which consisted of over 10 products that we would soon sell out of 30 stores throughout New York State and beyond. Our primary presence was online, with seasoneddeliciousfoods.com and Amazon at that time. In 2020 we would open our first store in Kingston ny, which was a Restuarant/grocery store that provided much needed shelf space for women and minorities to showcase their products, many for the first time ever! Out of concept – we created a program called Support your neighbor, in which it’s a pay it forward program that focuses on the underserved. That program remains as one of our most successful launches ever – allowing us to distribute tens of thousands of pounds of food yearly. Today we are located at 11 Lohmaier lane Lake Katrine ny 12449 where we have grown to an event space, Cocktail lounge and bar, offering catering and much more. Not only do we operate out of this space 4 days out of the week, but we have been able to share space with local entrepreneurs who also need space to operate. SDF is open Thursday through Sunday 3pm through 9pm.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
When we opened SDF it was a challenging time in the world. COVID was devastating the world. So we opened when many businesses were closing. As we went through that time we realized that the food industry, like many industries would evolve and many practices would become obsolete. We faced a very difficult time last year and discussed ways to survive in this business. One of those ways would be to go “Seasonal”, Would close down for the slow season, regroup and reopen for the spring season. That would show to be the wisest decision we would have made; In that time we decided to pivot and rebrand ourselves according to the shift in the industry that we noticed in this area. We decided to become a Lounge and shorten our menu. What that did was cut our loss by 80% and operate with less staff. As an entrepreneur you have to be ready to adjust and evolve or you will not survive professionally and that’s what we had to do. It was the best choice we made because the customer base absolutely love our new direction.
Has your business ever had a near-death moment? Would you mind sharing the story?
In 2022 Aug 1, My mother would have a massive stroke that would claim her life 3 days later. It was a devastating loss as she was the inspiration and in many ways the heartbeat of our business. She inspired us. Our family was in shock and it immediately affected our business. We had to close for two months after her passing. Nothing was the same and we struggled to find our way until this year 2024. We built our business so dependent on myself and Tamika that when we went down everything began to crumble, we struggled with payroll and other expenses. In that tragedy we learned that today you must build systems and teams that can operate independently of ownership. My mother’s passing in retrospect became our rebirth in some ways.
Contact Info:
- Website: seasoneddeliciousfoods.com
- Instagram: Seasoned Delicious Foods
- Facebook: Seasoned2017
Image Credits
Pictures taken by: Martin Dunkley Seasoned Delicious Foods