Meet Sunshine

 

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

Sunshine, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.

My confidence and self-esteem comes from my deceased grandmother, “Madea”. At an early age, she validated me by instilling values which taught me that I could be anything in life I wanted to be. She was my biggest cheerleader and really believed I could do anything. The confidence she had in me made me feel like I could conquer the world. Madea was and still is my motivator in a world where there are so many stumbling blocks to jump over. I know she is in heaven saying, “You got this! Just trust God and don’t give up!” She was very strong and she inspired me to have that same strength and confidence in myself.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I come from humble beginnings. I started in a food truck in 2021. I am now in a brick and mortar restaurant for less than a year. I spread love and sunshine through my love of cooking. When my customers taste my food, I want them to taste quality and the love used to make it. I specialize in Catfish and Flavored Wings. The Catfish, “Madea’s Catfish”, is inspired by my late Grandmother who taught me just about everything I know about cooking. Between my other deceased grandmother, “Betty Baby” and Madea, I know how to cook just about anything. The wing sauces are family recipes passed down by my Dad and brother. My passion for cooking goes beyond just a few items. I am versatile and look forward to showing my versatility with food as my restaurant grows. Sunshine’s provides food catering, on-site catering with the food truck, special events, church functions, and school functions just to name a few. We are a home town feeling, down home good cooking, big on customer service establishment. We never meet a stranger and will definitely feed them. Our goal is to make everyone no matter what race, color, creed, religion, gender, or preference, feel like they are eating at a family member’s home when they come in. Everyone is welcomed and important at Sunshine’s. We are hoping to expand the menu to include healthier options, grilled or smoked options, soul food, and a variety of great entertainment.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

First, to remain humble no matter how big or great the reviews are.
Second, consistency with the food and customer service.
Third, give God all the glory for the things He has done.

The advice I would give is stay the course on making your dream a reality. There will be days when you want to throw in the towel but don’t. Dig in deeper. Most importantly stay away from negativity and dream killers. Everyone will not understand your vision and that’s OK because it’s yours. Don’t allow people to discourage you by their negative comments. Know your purpose and move in it accordingly. Beware of people who want to get too close to you during your journey because everyone will not be happy for you. Embrace those you are and pray for those who are not. Always be kind. It will take you a long way.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

The particular challenge I am facing is trying to get established in the brick and mortar without outside funding. It’s not easy as I thought it would be to obtain grants and funding.

Having a mentor in the business is also challenging because everyone is so busy doing there on thing that sometimes it feels like you are all by yourself. I’m thankful to have a supportive family and a few good friends who have my back.

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Image Credits

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