Meet Tracy Roberts: Chef

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tracy Roberts and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tracy, what is the most important factor behind your success?
The people that I surround myself with have been the biggest influence with my business. My circle pushes me hard, holds me accountable, and will not allow me to become complacent. When they see an idea or something dope, they send it my way as a source of creative inspiration! I am constantly encouraged to get myself out there more to make my presence more known. My village is always there to help me at a moments notice with no questions asked because they know I’m so driven and hardworking! I am so blessed to have them because I would not be where I am without them. They are the type of people that want to see me win and that is essentially the secret to the current success of my business!

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I previously started a catering business in 2010 and got extremely discouraged. I could not find a way to get my self “known” or book an events, so I started to give up. At the time, I was also a Flight Attendant and I decided to take a Leave of Absence because of the pandemic. During this time, I honed my skills and put a laser like focus on the marketing and branding of my company and I had this great idea to start making and selling cookie kits for both adults and kids. I thought this would be a fun way to cure the boredom as a result of the pandemic Unfortunately, they weren’t very popular, so one day, my friends and I were in search of a personal chef to cook for her family function and I was like why wouldn’t you just ask me (seeing as though I cook and my friends frequents my house for lunch and or dinner). Once I posted the food I prepared people began to message me and inquire about the food I had posted. Suddenly, my menu grew from food plates to, Cheesecake Stuffed Waffle Cones, Breakable Pinata/Smash Cakes , and chocolate covered strawberries and thats how “That’s Tracy Cooking” started!

I am a mother to a nine year old so I had to make the difficult decision to leave the airline after three and a half years to be home with my son so he could attend school virtually. It was important for me to have a flexible schedule all the while, being able to do something I love. I have had the pleasure of cooking in restaurant kitchens around Atlanta, for over 15 years. What I enjoy most about my craft is that I can combine two of my culinary talents–cooking meals and making creative desserts. I never thought I’d be where I am today with my business but I’m truly thankful.

I tend to over work and over extend myself and that has been my biggest challenge. I sometimes pull overnighters, have plenty of sleepless nights, and days when I wake up between two to four a.m. just to get multiple orders completed. In the end, I learned it will cost me my time, money, and will utlitmately affect my business.

I love that my son has been with me on this journey. He sees so many aspects of what I do and my hope for him is that he takes away a solid work ethic from watching me work hard and build a brand. Most recently, during my role as a vendor at the Dessert Wars Festival here in Atlanta, I had the pleasure of placing number twelve out of over sixty vendors for Peoples Choice .This was the the most exciting moments of my life and something that I was proud to share with my son. That competition was tough and going into it I had no idea what to expect as a firtst time vendor on that large of a scale, but it has most certainly equipped me to take on bigger challenges and even more events!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
First thing first, I’m not much of a breakfast person so I would head to “Everythang Nola”and grab a Cronut and Coffee then I would slideover to the East Atlanta Beltline . I love to view the artwork that’s constantly changing and there are so many shops and places to grab food. Next, I would have a snack or a quick drink along the way into Piedmont Park. While there, you can’t go wrong with the Detroit Style Pizza from Nina & Rafi’s, Chicken Puffy Tacos at Superica, or Korean Philly at Fred’s Meat & Market. The scenery is absolutley amazing around Piedmont Park and you can observe barbeques, tennis matches, dog walking, photography sessions and so much life just thriving while your enjoying a bite. As a means to wind the day down I’d grab tickets to the High Mueseum of Art and enjoy dinner at Bangkok Station. The best part about all of this is that all of these activities are within minutes of each other and are extremely cost effective! As the evening came to a close, I would enteratin my guest at one of my favorite relaxing places with a stunning view of the city The Rooftop at the Glen.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to take the time to thank my close friends and family for being there in every way they can and have been for me! I would like to also highlight every friend and customer who has supported my business via social media during a pandemic. When all hope seemed loss, many found ways to celebrate and invited me into their home to add a bit of joy during a dark time in our lives. I would be remissed if I did not shout out my favorite person in the world, my son Calvin, for motivating me to go harder and be better than I was the day before. My son has become my mini Sous Chef and is gleaning the skills necessary to be a young entrepreneur! When there are days that I feel overwhelmed, he gives me the motivation to push through and reminds me of the most important hat I wear–which is mom, not chef! He also lends a helping hand to help me with whatever I need. His favorite thing to do is taste test my new dessert and provide quality feedback that had helped drive critical adjustments in my business. Most importantly, my biggest reason for existence, drive, commitment and the ultimately heavenly shout out goes to my mom . Before she passed away, I promised to make her proud and I strongly believe she is smiling down on me proud, all- knowing that I am giving it my very best each and every day!

Website: www.ThatsTracyCooking.com

Instagram: @ThatsTracyCooking

Facebook: Thats Tracy Cooking

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