We recently connected with Shea Bullock and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Shea thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I had just transitioned to a plant-based diet and I had no idea what to eat besides salad and peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches. I was losing weight like crazy and decided I would master cooking vegan foods. I started to do my research on vegan alternatives and began experimenting in my mom’s kitchen. I would have my family try the food and they loved it, They couldn’t believe it was vegan and started encouraging me to sell my food. One day, I made a post on Facebook about selling my smothered burrito meals and the rest is history. People loved it and I began selling food every other weekend. I remember being so surprised that they liked the food so much. I decided to move forward with the business idea because there wasn’t anybody selling plant-based soul food at the time. Looking back, I never realized how much of an impact that decision would have on my life but it was definitely a defining moment for me.

Shea, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Shea’s So Kitchen Plant Inspired Cuisine is a plant-based food preparation company operating from Wichita, Kansas, USA, in the food and restaurant industry. We strive to remove the stigma surrounding healthier food alternatives by proving affordable and delicious plant-based food. Cheyenne also known as Shea is the owner and head-chef. My husband Lance is the co-owner and business manager. Without Lance, none of this would be possible. We have been plant-based for about seven years and wants to introduce the world to plant-based soul food. Quality is important to us as we make 98 percent of our food from scratch including sauces and our meat-alternatives.

Our purpose is to bring healthy comfort foods to low-income neighborhoods and empower those families to implement healthier alternatives. By opening their minds to how delicious it can be, they will be more open to learning how to make this food for themselves.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

While I was selling meals out of my apartment, one of my best customers introduced to me a friend of his that co-owned a family restaurant. The owner was vegetarian but the restaurant was not. That co-owner is now my husband, Lance. Lance reached out to me and offered to let me sell vegan food at the diner on Sundays and Mondays while they were closed. I, of course, said yes. I really had no clue what to expect but Lance jumped right in and helped me figure out how to make it work. He was really only supposed to be there to open the doors for me but somehow he was helping me make the food, taking orders, and even grocery shopping. The more time we spent together, the more we realized we had a real connection. 3 years later, we are married, business partners, and best friends.

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

I think the whole journey of Shea’s Sol Kitchen speaks to my resilience. Shortly after I started selling food at the diner where I met Lance, the diner closed because the building was literally falling apart, His family decided to re-open at a new location but Lance decided to invest in Shea’s Sol Kitchen and we started our first physical location in the food court of a local mall. Business was booming. and we couldn’t believe how much support we were getting, Unfortunately we signed a bad lease agreement and we gouging large amounts of cash to fix the space we were renting. It become too much and we had to terminate our lease early. We did pop-up events for a while after that and eventually I became discouraged. I went back to work as an accountant at a prominent local business. A couple months ago, I decided to get back to Shea’s Sol Kitchen and made an agreement to rent a local café that is not open right now. I was all set to set start selling and had a crazy amount of pre-orders. About a week ago the owner text me and said she was renting to another tenant and that I could still use the space but would have to be done serving by 2 pm, everyday. Yet another setback. I don’t know what is next for Shea’s Sol Kitchen but I do know that my story is not done. I know that whatever comes next, will be better than I ever imagined.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sheassolkitchen/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SheasSolKitchen/

Image Credits
Maleeka Sumpter