We recently connected with Tirzah Love and have shared our conversation below.
Tirzah, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?
I have thought long and hard over the years about what my legacy will be. Who will my kids say I was? What will my friends and family say I offered to them? Whose life will I touch in a significant way?
At the end of the day, when I am long gone I hope that people will say that I was authentically me. I hope they aren’t able to articulate how special I was,. That words aren’t able to describe the kindness, love, and dedication to seeing the best in people that I gave.
As a business owner who supports other marginalized business owners, I hope I am known as the first person to give the underdog a shot, the person who created the best meal they ever ate, and someone who believed in them when they didn’t believe in themselves.
As an employer I hope that I am the first boss that made them laugh until their stomach hurt, i hope i’m the first place they worked where they felt like family, and where they never felt over worked and underpaid.
I hope my legacy is one of integrity, love, and dedication to values.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
Soul Box is filling the void of loneliness, and isolation and reengaging families, friends, coworkers, and lovers around the dinner table. As we break bread together with our community, we are simultaneously supporting the LOVE we have for Black Owned and Womxn owned businesses through the utilization and curation of their products. Soul Box Meal Experience Kit seeks to be an International Brand that reaches homes all over the world. Featuring products from minority and indigenous cultures, curating new and exciting recipes, and teaching them to families/couples/coworkers/ friends so that they can have a dining experience to look forward to.
Chef Tirzah Love used to host a pop up with her cousin who is a DJ called A Beat at the Table. It was a complete sensory experience. Where she would have a 5-plate meal,
coursed out slowly and presented beautifully. The amazing DJ would curate a soundtrack to go with each dish, and there would be a local artist come in and hang paintings on the walls to sell to the guests. The event was a communal style table set up, and the vibe was sultry, savory, and soulful.
Pre pandemic she also created another event called Tuesdays with Tirzah (TWT), which started as a simple call to action on Facebook. “Hey friends, If you’re feeling lonely, depressed, or just want to connect with others in your community, then show up at my house on Tuesday evenings for dinner. This meal is free of charge; I just want people who need people at my table. It’s time we stop talking about loving our neighbor; and really putting it into action. I hope to see you soon. Love, Tirzah.” The turnout was amazing. Every week, she’d have complete strangers, old friends, and family members in her home for a beautiful meal and intimate conversation.
Since these events were all pre pandemic, she had to find a way to pivot her business during that/this time. So, she began hosting virtual cooking classes weekly on Tuesday in the spirit of TWT, and after a while was able to partner with a talent management and events company to host corporate cooking classes with meal kits. It was fun, new, and lucrative!
Soul Box is a culmination of these three events put together. The essence of it is community, and bond building, over a delicious meal. There are a lot of meal kits out there, but none include an instruction video by the chef who created the recipe. None of them encourage you to sit with people you care for and have a conversation. None of them include good music, to vibe to while you eat and converse. None include small wares, and artisan food items handcrafted by people of color.
Chef Tirzah has been a chef for the past 9 years to a range of professional athletes to large corporations— Her specially curated supper club sensory events sell out EVERY time! She has also been named one of Essence magazines “7 dope chefs you should know,” and has been on Food Networks Beat Bobby Flay, with her recipe being featured in his newest cookbook!
Have you ever had to pivot?
I have been a chef for 10 years now, and my pivot game is strong! I started Tirzah Poetry and Catering Blog on Tumblr in 2012, not knowing that my poetry, food stories, and photos would lead me down a deep culinary path. I began cooking for members of my church, which then led to catering events like baby showers, small weddings, and family gatherings. From there my career really took off. I began private cheffing for the Sacramento Kings, then moved into corporate catering, then meal prepping for natural body builders, and even opening a restaurant! I pivoted over and over again and found success at every turn.
Pre-pandemic, I used to host a gourmet meal experience pop up with my cousin- a professional DJ- called A Beat at the Table. It was a complete sensory experience, with a 5-plate meal coursed out slowly and presented beautifully. The talented DJ would curate a soundtrack to go with each dish, and local artists would decorate the dining room with their paintings featured on the walls to sell to the guests. The event was a communal-style table setting, and the vibe was sultry, savory, and soulful.
After the success of A Beat of the Table, I created another event called Tuesdays with Tirzah (TWT), which started as a simple call to action on Facebook: “Hey friends, If you’re feeling lonely, depressed, or just want to connect with others in your community, then show up at my house on Tuesday evenings for dinner. This meal is free of charge; I just want people who need people at my table. It’s time we stop talking about loving our neighbor; and really putting it into action. I hope to see you soon. Love, Tirzah.” The turnout was amazing. Every week, I had complete strangers, old friends, and family members in my home for a beautiful meal and intimate conversation, and the event quickly scaled beyond my house capacity.
During the pandemic, I creatively and strategically pivoted these endeavors to host virtual cooking classes weekly on Tuesday in the spirit of TWT. I ended up being invited to partner with a talent management and events company to host corporate cooking classes with meal kits. It was fun, new, and lucrative!
Soul Box is a culmination of these three successful ventures, offering the essence of community and bond-building over a delicious meal. There are several meal kits out there, but Soul Box is the only product with a curated recipe and instruction video by the same Chef that created the recipe. Soul Box is the first to market a cooking experience designed to encourage you to sit with people you care for and have a conversation, all the while enjoying a DJ-crafted playlist. Lastly, Soul Box is a one-of-a-kind in that it highlights and features artisan food wares handcrafted by BIPOC, womxn, and LGBTQIA+-owned companies. ¾ of every dollar spent on Soul Box flows directly to these minority entrepreneurs, creating revenue pipelines for the communities that need and deserve it most.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
One of my favorite mantras is “transparency is freedom.” I use this mantra in all that I do, including leading my business endeavors. My values inform every move I make, and if its not in alignment, I simply don’t do it. I strongly believe that my reputation has been built based on my integrity, transparency, and values. This makes me a trusted chef and business owner. I also show up fully as myself and don’t hide parts of myself that aren’t deemed professional. I am a black woman, I am a mother, I am a human, and then I am a chef. So when I show up to do my work, I bring all of these things with me. Being myself allows my clients and constituents the space to show up the same way, and together we create energetic alignment in our business transactions.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.soulbox.biz www.cheftirzahlove.com
- Instagram: @soulbox.biz @cheftirzahlove
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/soulbox.biz
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tirzah-love-23402238/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJnaLCt10-NjmuFqgMt2Xg
Image Credits
Food Photography By Chef Tirzah Love Chef shots by: Jennifer Marvin (JM Images)