Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tori Glass. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Tori, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you find your key vendor or vendors? Maybe you can share the backstory and share some context and the relevant details to help us understand why you chose them, why they chose you, etc.

Being in the food industry, it is important to find a vendor/ wholesale company that you can buy food products in bulk at a cheaper price point. For me personally, I make mainly seafood dishes and good quality seafood comes with a big price. When I first started my business, I did not have much clientele or any following on social media which was to be expected at that time. So, to start getting my name and food products out there, I decided to start selling seafood boils. The seafood boils were a hit! Week after week I continued to sell out. At that time, I gained multiple repeat customers, two of which had big followings on IG. They would always take pictures of the food and tag me on IG as well. One day, a young lady reached out to me (from seeing their post) and let me know she worked for a Wholesale food company and that they could offer me seafood at a great price. At that time, I was purchasing from grocery stores and even the big-name wholesaler stores which were pretty costly for what I needed. I decided to entertain her offer and she then sent me a pricelist of all the food items I generally use. The price was incomparable compared to what I was initially paying. Not only was I saving money, but the quality of food was great as well. It was an overall win for me. I have now been with this particular vendor for nearly 3 years and even with the current state of inflation, they have managed to still beat out other price points for other stores/vendors.

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

For those that don’t know me, my name is Tori Glass, and I am the owner and founder of Sea of Soul LLC. I began my cooking journey as young child watching my mother in the kitchen. For many years I helped her during the holidays and for our family gatherings preparing meals. From southern comfort dinners, seafood platters and many sweet potato pies, my love for soul food and seafood began. In transition to college years, having to depend on myself for food is where I found myself falling back on the life skills my mother had taught me. I found so much joy in cooking but yet I still didn’t realize how passionate I was about it. Life caught up with me and cooking went out of the window aside from just cooking for my family. I then found myself working my 9-5 but yet being so unfulfilled. At that time, I began experimenting more in the kitchen and teaching myself new techniques. The more that I was in the kitchen, the more I found myself at peace. Cooking brought me a sense of happiness and watching others enjoy my creations was just the icing on the cake. Therefore, I made a decision to resign from my job to invest in myself, follow my passion & step out on a limb to create Sea of Soul.

Sea of Soul is a catering company that specializes in Seafood and Cajun cuisine with a touch of soul! We offer catering services for many events such as weddings, corporate events, holiday parties or simply just because you want great food without having to do the work!

Though you can’ t go wrong with any of the many food choices, some of my most requested customer favorites are,

-Cajun Seafood Boils
-Southern Fried Chicken
-Crispy Fried Catfish
-Cajun Pasta
-Herb Marinated Lamb Chops

I pride myself in providing great quality food that’s bursting in flavor with exceptional customer service. So, whether you’re having an elegant, over the top event or a laid-back gathering, Sea of Soul is here to exceed your expectations.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Word. Of. Mouth!

I cannot thank all of my customers and family/friends for the continuous referrals! It is one of the many ways, I am able to keep my business flourishing. Many people don’t realize how much confidence it places in the next customer to hear positive feedback about my business & because of that I am very grateful.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson that I had to unlearn is that failing is an option. A lot of times in business, it’s easy to let your pride & ego get in the way the moment you start facing adversity. And it feels like the easiest solution is to quit and give up. I have faced these moments quite often especially when I’m not getting booked as much as I would like. Going weeks without a catering gig and not feeling recognized are all things that have made me extremely discouraged. But it is in those moments that I have to eliminate the thought of giving up and instead recognize the need to pivot in a different direction. Create different strategies, overly promoting myself to many audiences and stop relying on a Plan B. Stay focused on my end goals and do whatever it takes to get me there. Fight through my failures, because at some point they will become my WINS!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/seaofsoulllc
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/SeaOfSoulLLC/
• Other: https://linktr.ee/seaofsoulllc – To submit catering inquiries.