We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sal Mozzarella. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sal below.
Sal, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?
To say I am happy as a business is owner is almost kind of a trick question, being a business owner has so many ups and downs that I do think about what it would be like if I had a normal 9 to 5 job and not have to worry about so many different things after you clock out. When you are working for someone or some company you can schedule or plan a vacation or time off and go on your vacation as planned and not worry about work, but as a business owner especially in the catering/party and events industry I can’t tell you how many vacations I had to cancel and how many holidays I missed or just never getting to stay home on the weekend and do nothing because of some work related issue.But one of the biggest reasons I love being a business owner is not having to answer to anyone except my clientele and the freedom to change anything I want when I want and how I want. Plus I love what I do and that’s what really counts. When you love what you do it makes the day go by better.
Sal, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Ok well I got started in this business at a really young age of 12 when my mother told me at the dinner table that she got me a job and I was like “job what job I didn’t ask for a job” and she was like that’s good you start Saturday. And thus begins a journey into the food world and I’m still in it still love it and have no regrets and have no plans on stopping. My first job was actually in an Italian specialty store with a boss who was tough but with good intentions. Still to this day you will never see me standing around with my arms crossed. And I still utilize to this day the things that he has taught me. Over the years I have worked with many people in the industry from all over the world and learned so many different techniques and styles of food and cooking and transformed that into my company Catrina’s International which specializes in all types of Catering and Event planning for my clientele who come from many different types of ethnicities. I personally speak with my clientele and create custom menus for whatever special occasion they are planning to have whether its just a small party or a meeting to a big extravaganza. One of the biggest things I am known for is my Mozzarella making and other cheese making specialties I create. This is why everyone calls me Sal Mozzarella, my actual name is Salvatore Barrafato Jr. but so many people call me Sal Mozzarella that I just leave it like that. It’s a cool nickname and after all who doesn’t like mozzarella. I love creating events for my clients and I love learning to cook and create new things so I can present them to my customers when I do do street fairs and feasts or when I’m planning someone’s party. I also have a kitchen at the Mount Tabor Country club in Tabor, New Jersey where the members there can enjoy my specialties as well as running all their catering and events.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
When I began to see that my business was picking up steam and that I was going to need more equipment and just more of everything I just started to acquire everything piece by piece, I would search online or ask around and even look at those peg boards you see when your leaving a supermarket where people hang up flyers if anyone had certain pieces of equipment for sale or giving away. You would be surprised by how many people give away things especially a property owner who owns buildings with restaurants who went out of business because they couldn’t pay the rent or just simply closed down and left their equipment and just want someone to take it away. By me doing this I avoided getting bank loans or business loans. A big reason why a lot of people go out of business is because they rack up so much debt coming out of the gate and don’t have the business to cover all these expenses and interest payments. So depending what I’m looking for I just go and get it. You just gotta know how to look for a deal whether your buying it new or used without putting a hole in your pocket.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
One of the biggest and most important reasons why I am still in business is the product I put out. I never ever serve bad or cheap food. I never serve anything that is not fresh or I wouldn’t eat myself. I take pride in what I do. I never try to sell my customers and clients anything they don’t need for a party they are having and I try to help them with planning their event so they pick the right food for their guests.
My food and my mozzarella is basically my best reference and this is why I have many repeat clients from over the years.
Contact Info:
- Website: Salmozzarella.com
- Instagram: Sal Mozzarella
- Facebook: Sal Mozzarella
- Linkedin: Sal Mozzarella
- Twitter: SallyMozz
- Other: