SAO Cooks & Catering, Parsonsfield, ME (2025)

09/21/2025

I don’t know where I am in relation to my foodtrepreneurial dreams anymore. Lost. Stagnant. Still longing for the spark I feel at all of your gorgeous food posts at minimum. But. The loss of my father has me—raw, introspective maybe to my detriment for now, layered with grief, but still harboring dreams that started in elementary on my Mama’s Kitchen Counter.

So. The past month+ has been just that. Me. Making plates. Me reconnecting w/ some of my favorite plates in my favorite city. For my mama. For. My daddy. On her kitchen counters. And it has been. Food for the soul in efforts to heal the hole in our hearts he left behind. We do kinda feel like, collateral damage rn. He. Was/is. Everything to us. Collectively. Individually. So. Not knowing how to navigate. Feeling overwhelmed & overstimulated at minimum almost every minute of the day. Finding “regular” activities very hard. Still feels grounded when I can just—feed us.

These don’t capture all of our beautiful bites by any means. More so, they show—how rooted I am in food as love, especially from Mama’s Kitchen Counter.

💔❤️‍🩹💔❤️‍🩹

08/02/2025

She came to me in a dream. The wombyn who owned the smallest food biz just to keep the neighbors & the babies fed. Like the woman in the shoe, nothing to do but cook & feed. Feed & serve. The nerve it took for me to open books to see if just maybe the ones who loved me, who been tryna tell me my food was word & my flavors were full, just maybe they had been right. And just maybe you’d want to accept the invite. Come grab a bite.

I worked tirelessly to earn her. That woman. That artist. I knew I (could) be. Three gigs balanced. Barely. 120 plants to nourish. Daily. Growing the veg to gathering at tables to test out samples & schedule plates full. Simple marketing. Word of mouth. And so much encouragement from Dirty South. I knew there was room for a me up here in these trees.

I was in love w/ her. Gritty. Graffiti. Design. LLC, permits, local purveyors, prep game—all mine. Nothin but time. To grow. To show. Case the place for where the heat flows like the perfect oil temp for Mama’s Fried Chicken. And. I did that. Went to bat for self. Perpetually running bases. Giving chase for fREADom. Cooking up magic. Rustic plant life. Backbreaking grind w/ pride.

I knew she needed to shine. Closing chapters brings new words to page, so to be enraged at self for not spinning her into enough gold to set tables, feed folk & find static hope beyond her trailer hitch—would be to miss her beauty. The opportunity to forward her as muse to someone drawn to her colors & tags, ready to fire her up again & continue the drag race to food truck life was almost too good to be true. Out of all the messages I knew his was the vibe & man, did he come through.

She left me yesterday. To continue her mission w/ someone ready to keep pushin. Polishing her metals & ironing her stripes. The passing of torch felt right. She’s a tough ole beast, full of drive & determination. She’ll knock the wind out like a kick to the gut, but she’s worth the fight—until the next life, let’s meet for lunch?

Goodbye,
Sour Patch Suckah Punch✌️🌱🖤

SOLD & Slated for S U C C E S S
The Greenhouse Food Cart (by SAO)
10/2019-08/2025

07/27/2025

Waving through another current of sadness in disconnecting from my business. There are other heavier thangs at play as well that I am sure are contributing to my gravity filter being at free fall—but, as much as I do not miss one bit of the poor network wide business model for food truck pop up life or the physical expectations of my tiny rig & methods of ex*****on, I do miss cooking for people & making pretty plates & serving local beauty & working harder than many would for myself & the plant based community.

I ventured out last night to support a new space at a local venue where I used to clock in for my winters & just the hustle in the kitchen, the vibe of working to feed people, remembering the very real friends I found there who I rarely see at this point—it was a bit of a crash immersion back into what I do miss, will miss in trying to grow The Greenhouse by SAO.

My cart will be sold soon. She will feed many more, of this I am certain. I am still finding the joy in getting back to the kitchen for my little home team; I am also sad.

I. Opened a business.
I. Secured two investors to help me launch.
I. Have no outstanding invoices.
I. Fed thousands w/ gigs booked for upwards of 1000 plates at a time for some.
I. Learned to stop allowing people to condescend my value by either wanting me to change my cart aesthetic for them or acting sympathetic/misunderstanding my serious focus instead of recognizing how hard my grind was.
I. Ran a cart that most would not dare to think to serve my menus from and/or would simply not be able to operate in general.
I. Owned/operated a legitimate business, all inventory/prep/marketing/booking & most services solo for six years.
I. Passed all health inspections w/ vibrant colors.
I. Chose my mental health, physical wellness & family’s stability instead.

I. Still wish I had a cafe all my own where people come to get one of their favorite plates enough to pay the bills.

Just….needed some self-reminders b/c I know I don’t post enough for my even small followership to notice anymore. And, while I am thankful for a lot on the other side like fresh herbs for a small GEG batch, I am trying to feel the feels fully.

07/17/2025

Asking firm. Hmu w/ serious inquiries & a few more pics.

07/10/2025

Was a real struggle to muster cooking for loved ones & family when I was running the cart seasons & trying to cater indoor winter events on a tiny little flat top w/ 1 steam table. I managed to just feed absolutely everybody biz & personal for the first couple years, but—the last two, the people I love most stopped getting plates set for them. And that. That is the antithesis of why I started my biz in the first place. They are why.

It feels good. To be empowered by the choice to close out my license. And to take a step FORWARD into actually earning & really wanting to set the table again for my loved ones.
——————
STAY TUNED for details about the sale of my little ole food cart. She cute. She ain’t much. But she has fed literal thousands (sometimes at 1 pop up), so trust me, she can make it happen.

She comes as-is. Umbrella shown not included, but a similar navy blue one is. I haven’t had any issues keeping her on the up-and-up for 6 years though. She has passed ALL inspections w/out problem. She has my beloved graffiti & an easy to remove/cover quick decal on side panels that I am sure you can revise as you want pretty easily. I will create/share a Marketplace Ad soon (IF I can find time away from these plants lol) & I am hoping someone wants to keep ole Suckah Punch rolling.

THANK YOU for all the plates you enjoyed. THANK YOU for my ride-or-dies who always showed up. THANK YOU for so many who didn’t try to change any part of me or my cart or my vision to fit them. THANK YOU for the love🌱🖤

SAO

Cornbread. Cause I wanted to & FOR SALE signs. Cause it’s time.

06/24/2025

They may not know juuuuuust yet who they actually asked to make the company beach picnic for our team staycation day lol🤷🏻‍♀️

Soon though. They’ll meet SAO…soon🌱🖤

Lemon & Green Onion Cashew Spread
House Crostinis for Charcuterie
Blueberry Crumble Bars
Creamy Almond Crunch Chocolates
Brazil Nut Cheese Wheels

Coming up:
Buffalo Chickpea Dip
Spinach Hummus
Green Eyed Goddess
House Maple Dijon
Tofu Salad Sammies
Lions Mane Salad Wraps

Summer, summer, summer time…

06/21/2025

Nothin’ like the soul shine of being able to spoil your V E R Y hardworking tiny little skeleton crew at your full time gig’s company beach picnic day🌞

Trying to fit shopping & prep around Mo-sitting & regular clock in may prove challenging, but—my heart needs the uplift that a small no-pressure gathering of your own work team to whom you can serve plates full of plant based love can provide🌱🖤

Just a little nerdy planning share…ain’t sourced inventory for several courses or prepped for more than 2 in a HOT damn minute. So, here’s to hoping I still got it👀🫣😶

Ready for a day in the sand w/ plant based love in my hands. Tuesday here we come🤙

06/20/2025

The Greenhouse by SAO food cart, as I am sure most who are even still tuned in have put together already, is parked for the season. Tucked away. A reflection of a business model of yesterday. I was due to pop up for one event series this season, to celebrate a great community & to save my soul by serving a few final plates before—the letting go.

At this point, all events have been taken off calendar though so that my time off my other full time weekly grind can be put into the recovery of my babe, MoMo. The stress of trying to make this economy & my solo hustle continue to make sense has become more overwhelming than fulfilling. With capital reassigned to My Moreland recently, my heart knew the time had already passed by—the last call.

It is not that outreach for potential private prepaid services will not be considered, they will & are welcomed, but the regular pop up community event & festival grind is something I am leaving behind. When putting food on my family’s table is a challenge while I fight against all odds to fill your plates w/ love—it’s time to take a beat & focus on home.

THANK YOU. For…everythang. The plant based love is real🌱🖤
————
with .repost
・・・
So grateful for the time to keep him safe. So thankful for the team My Man & I continue to be to make thangs happen as the pack needs them. Keeping him kicked back is a little hard, but only b/c he’s feeling great & he ain’t got no time to wait to play💘

The shine in his coat is coming back so fresh & even though the budget had to be reprioritized from food biz to family—we are staying grounded in knowing there was no choice other than MoMo & we celebrate the ability to do so.

We appreciate what matters.
Mo. Mo is what matters.

Recovery game strong. So much more than hanging on for his 11th year around the sun.

06/04/2025

Found some GA Peaches the other day. Man, eem when they gotta ripen on the window sill for a few, they s t i l l taste better than any a’them sours y’all got round these parts.

A little Maple Miso Sweet Potato Purée + Sautéed 🍑 + Fresh Herb Sriracha Brazil Nut Cheese + Mixed Veg. Felt like makin’ a real plate tonight. And I am grateful.
————
Thank you to anyone who has reached out to inquire or invite. Especially for your patience/understanding w/ any delay in or even at this point non-response. I am taking it paced & protective of just finding my inspiration again, my palette again, my…worth. This season, I will only consider events ready to book dates w/ a deposit & depending on menu/platform, potentially a minimum plate count. You may (soonish) find me on a truck prepping a new kind of menu, maybe/hopefully my farm market bottled/packaged products eventually shelved locally as well. The brand is shifting, the cook is…marinating w/ plans to collab in some major ways soon(ish).

Head down. 40 hours a week. On that hustle. Planning w/ investor. Building new biz blueprints. Creating delicious bites🌱🖤🌌

04/23/2025

There I go.

Ta**us Season.

Peace Up.

A-Town Down.

Rotations.

03/29/2025

It’s a brunch kinda blackout window shades down late winter snow day kinda day. This plate hit that spot oh so well & I needed the time in my kitchen studio to remember how much I love feeding my people.
——————-
This entrepreneurial hustle is— a different world, let me tell you. It’s had me booked & busy this winter to say the least; and I am beyond grateful. Acclimating to the schedule & putting my all into the hard work of indoor crops has def had me w/ very little energy for the kitchen. And the grind to keep thangs on track & proper for that business’ future goals & edible program is— no doubt full of those perpetual high stress risks & reconfigurations that living in professional independence can often require. To say the least, the business of my small food business is still—hibernating.

So. I’m defining my now under new license as caregiver & my food business’ upcoming season w/ new event protocols. You should be able to find some yummy items being sold on a couple of my favorite farms & Suckah Punch food cart at a pop up event or two. For the most part though, I will be more exclusively available for clients/venues to apply for dates. So if you have an event The Greenhouse would be perfect for, hmu so we can talk deposits to book dates & minimum plate orders.

Until then…Ima just keep breaking these glass ceilings that seem to encase entrepreneurs at all times, working hard &….making freaking amazing brunches for me & My Man, watching favorite reruns & exhaling on my day off🖤🌱

01/25/2025

Contemplating a sixth season is proving to feel like high stepping the bog w/out proper gear or any stamina. My professional journey from Atlanta to Maine has been. Is. Very tough. Still. It more often than not makes me feel like I am simply not enough. Takes me too long w/ each wave to remind myself that— I am worth. I. Am. Worth.

My motivation & drive get tied to my confidence like anchor, when all I want to do is fashion a sail & catch the wind until I reach my shore. I see my business plan & attempts to diversify off of the food cart so clearly. But when it comes to knowing how to execute & who to ask for help? Now that is so fleeting that frustration overwhelms quickly. It’s like daily, my dreams hit. Like pangs for a fruit that you can grow. That blossoms in full capacity almost instantly then immediately wilts & gets lost in foliage like a beautiful line of poetry you forget to write down.

Six years is something. But the capital to reinvest is. Nothing. I have worked most common ideas until the dough is stiff & unpleasant. Watching other people so assuredly grow their businesses is so inspiring. But I feel broken when I try to consider how it looks for me. There is no cookie cutter business plan that I’m interested in, but there has to be a happy medium to feeling so inept at creating my own. So. I am thankful for those who have received my lightbulb moments & have responded providing outlets of belief to keep the light on for another season. If I can find the fuse box & battle the power outages, so to speak.

I haven’t found the know-how or fortitude to sew these threads for year 6. Yet. Still in the gray area. Timelines feel. Like a vertical climb atm. For now. I’ll still be by the wood stove letting ideas incubate & confidence cool & thicken. I am having a cooking block, if you will—so until I can connect back w/ the kitchen in a real way, just know…I’m still here. You’ll be able to find me this season somewhere around the way….so…stay tuned, neighbor.

SAO Cooks & Catering

09/21/2025

08/02/2025

07/27/2025

07/17/2025

07/10/2025

06/24/2025

06/21/2025

06/20/2025

06/04/2025

04/23/2025

03/29/2025

01/25/2025

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