Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nicholas Sawa. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Nicholas with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I grew up in a small town in Illinois. My parents both worked hard to provide for our family and some would say we lived a very simple life. My father was determined to build a home that would have enough space for us and grandparents. They purchased land and so began the 20 year project. Working on weekends and after work my mother and father slowly finished our house. Watching them over the years never giving up on the project or taking a day off. This example taught me to be the hard working man I am today. I use that same work ethic of never giving up with my own business.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
My love and passion for food came from watching my mother cook. This sparked an interest to want to learn more about cooking and different ingredients. Then came lots of home trial and error. My family was always supportive of my cooking journey and my grandmother was always available for all the taste tests especially when I made pastries. I love to read different cook books from all over the world and I want to discover more about different food cultures. As time when on I decided to go to culinary school in Italy. Being in Italy gave me a whole new perspective on food, how its grown or where it comes from. As Americans we don’t always contemplate how that perfectly cut and wrapped product got to our grocery store. After graduation I was hired to be a teaching assistant. As time when on I grew a particular interest in the science of baking and breads. I was offered an opportunity to work in a well known bakery in Ireland to learn different techniques along with the sour dough process that they were famous for. At this point I knew I wanted to bake breads.
It all starts with a good ingredients, one of the mother’s I use today came from my days in Italy that I managed to bring back to life to start our Sour Dough journey here in South Carolina.
In my opinion one of the most amazing things we do is mill our own flower, not many bakers can say there product started with one raw ingredient they produced. This gives our bread the added nutritional value that would normally be stripped away from regular store bought white flour. We purchase many verities of organic ancient grain that is incorporated into our different breads. Also for an added health and digestibility we sprout our grain to incorporate into our breads. Our sour dough and other products are all whole grain giving the customer a healthy local product that taste amazing. Any other ingredients we use are sourced from other local farmers, R and R Honey, Fire Ant Farm and Kindle Wood Farms.
We are currently selling our bread and products at the Sea Island Farmers market on Saturdays, year round and the Summerville Farmers market on Saturdays that runs seasonally.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Educate your self so you can educate others. Traveling through Europe gave me such an amazing perspective on food that it inspired me to learn more so I could educate others.
Be transparent with who you are and what your product stands for. I have worked with all kinds of people over my years and it has tough me to be genuine with who I am and what I do.
Never give up on your true dreams and passions. My parents where always a driving force and inspiration to me and helped push me towards my true desires in life.
My advice to others would be to learn everything you possibly can about your craft and always continue to educate yourself.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
My next step in my journey would be to open a small cooking school. I love to educate people about food, ingredients, where they came from and what to do with all those crazy vegetables you got from the farmers market.
Partnering with like minded farmers or educators that could help build a school to teach people how to cook would be my true full circle moment. So many kids and adults these days have no idea how things are made or that your dinners shouldn’t come from a box or prepossessed products. I believe so many people could live healthier lives if they just took the time to learn how to cook simple whole food meals.
I want to share my passion and knowledge with others but haven’t quite found the means to get me to where I want to go. Please feel free to reach out to me if you would like to be a part of my quest to teach people about our local food culture.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: smart_eats_llc_summerville
