We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Silvia Loney. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Silvia below.
Silvia, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
I am a proud first Gen daughter, of two immigrants. I have watched them worked hard and persevere through life for as long as I can remember. They are both very passionate and determined people, and they taught me at a very young age that with hard work anything is possible.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
My passion for cooking was ignited when I was pregnant with my first child at the tender age of 18. Was at that time where I knew that it was sinker swim, and I needed to learn how to cook for the well-being of my family. With this the passion for cooking really was ignited, and I started to remember my grandmother. My grandmother owned her Colombian restaurant when I was very young and this was at a time where most women did not have businesses. This stuck with me, and was an inspiration to me through my adulthood as I navigated through life. Fast forward a few years later, I separated from a destructive and abusive relationship with the father of my children. I found my voice and was able to really go after my passion. I started doing catering a long time ago when I was still living in Florida. When I moved to Connecticut with my (now) husband, I knew it was the right time to invest in myself and finally open my business. This was a amongst the pandemic, and it was very difficult. However, I knew that I wanted to start this business. I wanted to grow this brand and show people that you can still enjoy your culturally rich foods, even if you are vegan. Part of my main focus with my brand is showing people how diverse, vegan eating can be, and that it can be done in a healthy way. I became Vegan because of my father‘s cancer diagnosis. Because cancer runs in my family on both sides of my family, I knew that I needed to make a change and change my lifestyle. People automatically assume that if it’s vegan, it doesn’t taste good if it’s vegan, you can enjoy your culture, and I’m here to show that is the complete opposite. I am proud to say that after three years in Connecticut, we have acquired a food truck and my grand opening is March 3. I will be hosting different events throughout the state, and I will be posting my schedule on my website as well as through social media.
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?
Resilience, thick skin, and a passion to continue growing . You have to know who you are, and what you want, and be determined to accept nothing less. There are so many people along the way that will give you unsolicited advice, and sometimes even try to diminish your dreams, but if you have all of the aforementioned skills and traits, those things won’t bother you. what I would tell people if they are new in the business or looking to start their business is research. Research and connect with other people in your same field that are willing to mentor you. I saw that out in several different people, and have been fortunate enough to find people that are willing to invest in you and willing to Teach you. I would also suggest going through a business program. There are so many offered in the state of Connecticut, I did one through City Seed, and it was their food business accelerator program, and they did this in collaboration with another organization named Collab, this helped me gain so many different connections and mentors, and this was a huge help for me.
We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?
As an entrepreneur, you wear many hats. If it were up to me, I would strictly just cook and have nothing else to do with the rest of the business. But unfortunately, that is not logical, nor is it smart. I continue learning about business, and what I need to do to continue growing my brand. I seek help from others, I invested in having a bookkeeper, I seek help when I need it from people in the social media management world, All of these things help me and my brand grow. I can’t sit here and pretend to have all of the answers or to know everything, and I think a big part of owning a business is making sure that you leave your ego at the door. There are going to be a lot of times where you need help and you need to seek help from other people who may know better than you, and who are experts in their fields. I would say growing your community of those that can help you out and those around you that can offer great advice and help you in a time of need is key. Although entrepreneurs where many hats, there’s no way that we can do all of this alone, without seeking some sort of help or even continuing to learn.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.chefsilsvegankitchen.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chef_sils_vegan_kitchen?igsh=MXYxdGkxdDcydzNrYQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
