Today we’d like to introduce you to Shanericka Dillard.
Hi Shanericka, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
Born and raised in a small country town northeast of Dallas metroplex name Paris, Texas was the beginning of my roots in the kitchen. Living with my grandmother (Billie”Cookie”Dillard) I have always had a niche of watching her in the kitchen but, because she was a strict old-school grandmother (lol), she did not allow us to be in the kitchen with her while cooking. However, she did see my interest in cooking, so she allowed me to watch her and pay attention to her as she was preparing and cooking for other family members, church members, and friends. As I became a young adult, a lot of my family and friends noticed my particular love and ability to cook very well; they insisted and pushed me to start cooking for others. At first, I was not interested in cooking for others due to I didn’t know who I could cook for. Fast forward to 2014, I came up with the name LAVISHMINT, due to I was doing everything under the sun from styling friends, interior decorating, hosting events for friends and family and lastly cooking. I noticed that I was really creative in the kitchen, so it gave me a niche to go ahead and try to pursue what I love to do, and that was to cook to make others to feel loved and happy all because of my passion for cooking. So, in 2018, my two daughters and I, (Jhynea and Jourinee) made the big transition to move from Paris, Texas to Dallas, Texas, and that had to be the best decision that I have made for me and my daughter’s life thus far. Through the trials and tribulations of Covid, it really gave me the ambition to pursue my dreams in the catering business; I started doing a lot of research on meal preps, the catering business itself, the licenses required to pursue my business, and focusing on what was my purpose. Now, because I was new to a big city of course the people here did not know that I can cook however, word-of-mouth making video presentations of my food taking a lot of pictures and just really basing my business and structuring my business really helped me out a lot. I started doing festivals in the Surrounding DFW metroplex, and then one thing just lead to another where different types of clienteles would reach out to us to cater a wedding, a dinner party, private dinners, personal chef experiences, corporate events, and a lot more. As of today, me and my team have done over 100 events in the past year, which has over, succeeded my expectations in our first structured year of business. I cannot thank my team for being there with me through the ends and out of growing and expanding our business. If it wasn’t for God and his plan and my grandmother, we would not be here where we are today, and I am so very very thankful for all of the opportunities that we have had thus far.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
One of my favorite quotes in life is “anything in life worth having is worth working for” and I am a strong believer in that quote. I have went through so many obstacles that you wouldn’t have time to listen to everything that I have been through. lol, but because of those obstacles, and because of my faith in God, and because of my strength, and because of my willpower of succeeding in life regardless, if I get knocked down 20 times, I’m going to stand back up 25. From hearing so many ‘NO’s’ to being ghosted on previous proposals, I try not to let those things defeat me. What I do is I will try to see where I can fix the things that I might have missed or I might have went about it the wrong way. The only way, to me, that you’re going to learn in life is to sit back, reevaluate the situation learn from the mistakes, and try to push forward to not make the same mistakes again and if you do that’s ok, because we all will and we’re all human just go a different route, pray about it and work even harder.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Here at LavishMint Catering and Events, we offer catering services, which includes birthday parties, brunches, weddings, baby showers, corporate events, pick-up services, delivery services, online ordering services, decor services, and event planning services. We specialize in American comfort food but with the twist, for example, have you ever had a pot roast eggroll? The first bite is intensifying to your taste palette with a homemade Sunday dinner, handheld eggroll stuffed with potroast celery, carrots, potatoes dipped in a hot brown gravy sauce, which is guaranteed to work and wake up every taste bud in your palette. Or, for instance, for my sweet and savory lovers, we offer an awesome donut bacon cheeseburger made with our homemade fried donuts in between our hand-tossed hamburger patty season to perfection. Top with all your typical hamburger toppings, lettuce, cheese, tomato, pickles, and lastly maple bacon crumbs!!! (This will be our entry to the state fair!!☺️
I like to take pride in and also being known for my presentation on how we present our food. Not only does our food taste good, but the time we put into our presentation that me and my team works so hard to present to our client is over the top. We are not your typical plated catering service, but We love to indulge our clientele into our preparation of our food by asking depth questions which most caterers would not as in the theme of the party or event, personal menus, and much more! Learning the specific details of the event that our clientele have is one of my top priorities, and also taking the stress off of our clientele when it comes to the best part of the occasion is the food. Two things that I always like to mention to my clientele Is that when you’re throwing an event or celebrating an occasion your guest will always #1 remember your ambience of the event and #2 your food! We take very great pride in executing our plan!
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
If you would like to work with us in the near future, please do not hesitate to contact us via email: lmcatering.events14@gmail.com Website: www.lavishmintcateringandevents.com
On our social platforms,
Facebook: Lavishmint catering Instagram: Lavishmint_catering
We are proud to announce that we have partnered w/DoorDash platform named Home Chefs. This platform allows consumers to receive fresh homemade meals delivered right to your doorstep.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lavishmintcateringandevents.com
- Instagram: @lavishmint_catering
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LavishMint87
Image Credits
Marqueese Owens
