We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful NaTosha Barber. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with NaTosha below.
Alright, NaTosha thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Alright, so we’d love to hear about how you got your first client or customer. What’s the story?
My first client that put 210 Fusion Cuisine on the map was with LOC Lesbians Of Color. In Oct of 2016, The founding member Kendra walker came up to me at their Super Meetup and said she heard a fried a mean piece of fish. She offered me a chance to cater their annual black tie gala in March of 2017 for 200 people. I mean she did it sight unseen, no taste test or anything. She just told me if I showed up for her, she would always show up for me. I did the event and was a hit. Ever since then I’ve been doing LOC events as well as other large Pride Houston events and private events for clients.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Originally raised in Lake Charles, Louisiana – Houston based Chef NaTosha “Tae” Barber takes ordinary comfort food to new heights. Her catering company is on the rise after being heralded as a ChadChoice by Food Network critic Chad Mercer. 210 Fusion Cuisine is Chef Tae’s brainchild where she marries the comfort foods we all know and love with internationally crafted dishes that wow the palate. 20 years in Houston after 20 years in Lake Charles becomes a powerful combination in the way of mouth watering recipes with influences from across the south. From frenched Baguettes with mascarpone, creamy rich and decadent shrimp and grits, hand rolled deep fried boudin balls to her signature Mardi Gras Seafood Lasagna that she presented when she auditioned for MasterChef. The Chef is excited to share her food with the world and smile with pride as people reach for that second helping.”
I offer services for private events like weddings, graduation or birthday parties. Private dinners, in home cooking classes, weekly lunch plates and meal prep and vending events.
Along with providing these services, I also love to give back to my community. While featured on Houston Fox 26 news, I provided free meals to displaced families from my hometown of Lake Charles, LA that were affected by Hurricane Laura in 2020. I have a partnership with Montrose Grace Place here in Houston TX. I donate meals to feed homeless LGBTQIA teens.
I would like to in the near future n work with those suffering from mental illness.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Prior to the pandemic my business page didn’t get much traction. Partly because I wasn’t very active. Once the pandemic occurred I took advantage of the disadvantages. I started to share more content; Liking cooking with Chef Tae, where I provided zoom cooking classes.
I would go live as often as possible and share my day to day experiences so that my followers could get a view of a day in a life of Chef Tae. I was able to triple my followers.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
My biggest has always been great customer service and putting out a consistent product every event. The goal is to always have them coming back for more. I always ask for referrals and shares on their social media platforms.
A lot of my clients are repeat clients and have cultivated some amazing friendships from events I’ve catered in the past.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.210fusion.com
- Instagram: 210fusion
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/210Fusion
Image Credits
Cj Martin