Today we’d like to introduce you to Shadan Kishi Price.
Hi Shadan, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
My first degree was in Art Education. I started my own personal plant-based journey about 15 years ago, shortly before I graduated with that degree. I used to hate cooking but back then there were far less options than there are now for vegetarian or vegan food, so I had to learn how to cook out of necessity. I quickly learned that I actually really enjoyed cooking and a few years later I decided to stop teaching art and go back to school for Hospitality Management. Once I graduated, I decided I wanted to start a food truck because I still wasn’t seeing as many plant-based options out there as I would have liked. In 2016, I started Leila’s Food Truck where we served vegetarian/vegan middle eastern fusion food. My family and I moved here from Iran when I was little so I knew I wanted to offer those sorts of flavors. One of the top sellers on my food truck was my falafel burger. We would have people tell us we should sell them in stores so in 2019 I sold the food truck and started focusing on getting the falafel packaged and ready for grocery store sales. We officially started selling our falafel patties in stores in 2021 under the same Leila’s name.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Selling vegan or vegetarian food in Texas definitely prepares you for a lot of obstacles. There is still a lot of initial hesitation from people sometimes just when they hear the words “vegan” or “plant-based.” That’s always been funny to me because so many staple foods that people eat are vegan/vegetarian and they just have never realized it. I’m happy to say that when I get people to look past the label and try the falafel-I have yet to have one person say they didn’t like it. I just want people to know there are these options out there-whether they eat that way for every meal or just a meatless Monday.
One of my biggest obstacles in business and in life has always been my need to try to be perfect at everything. Sometimes I can get stuck in trying to get something so perfect before I let people see it that I forget that half of the time I am the only one who noticed the “flaws” anyway. I recently heard a quote that said “don’t let perfection get in the way of progress” so I try to remember that now when I am stressing out about business decisions or hesitant to move forward with something because it’s not exactly the way I planned.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Leila’s?
My business is called Leila’s and we make frozen falafel patties. Leila’s started as the first award-winning vegetarian food truck in Denton, TX. Our falafel burger was one of our top sellers and after a few years of requests for it to be sold in stores, here we are! These patties are great for burgers, wraps, or in a salad. We use 100 % plant-based ingredients with no added sugars, artificial flavors or colors, or preservatives.
They store frozen so they last a long time, and they cook up very quickly and easily through a variety of cooking methods. They’re a great thing to have in the freezer when you want a quick, healthy, tasty meal!
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
My biggest cheerleaders have always been my family and my friends. Whether it be by sharing about my product on social media or purchasing it themselves and telling their friends about it too. An extra special thank you goes to my friends or family who have sacrificed their free time to help me in person on the food truck or with the falafel patties… and the person who has sacrificed the most time to help me, my husband. He has his own full-time job but has helped me countless times and is usually the other face you see at events.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.leilasfoods.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leilasfoods
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/leilasfoods
Image Credits
Shadan Kishi Price
Autumn Natalie
Laetitia Knight
Brad Holt
