Meet Lina Thomas | Proprietor of Jars of Joy

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

Hi Lina, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?

The most important factor behind my success is believing in the work that I do. The brand is just the outward label of whatever it is you do.

There are lots of people going to mundane jobs every day because they feel they need the income to pay their bills, rather than doing what they believe in. Having a fulfilling job where you want to get out of bed and jump into every morning, is what I wanted for myself much more than the income it would bring. Interestingly enough, when you practice what you preach, the income seems to magically appear, and that lends credence to the whole project!

My brand consists of a monthly menu which is posted online, and tends to be seasonal with a varying assortment of Homemade Authentic Malaysian Cuisine of mainly sambals (sauces), pastes, cookies, cakes, pastries and kaya (coconut jam).

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?

My husband, also being an entrepreneur, managed to take care of me and my young daughter for quite a while, but eventually as I started making friends and seeing how other people lived and worked, I realized I wanted to create my own path and occupation. Part of having a social life included inviting friends over for meals and going to other mostly asian households for gatherings. As many of my friends wanted to eat Malaysian food I started to think that I could do something like this as an occupation.

With time, I realized that food could be a vehicle for me to interact not only with people in my city of Atlanta, but with many more people across the country and even back in Malaysia. The unique types of sauces and foods native to my culture could be replicated here, and as I developed a following, I began to understand that being authentic to the tastes of my country was something that could earn a good deal of respect that made me feel wonderful about the work I was doing. Taking the time and using only the finest ingredients assured that Malaysians across the country would enjoy the products I made.

Getting my business going was a bit of a roller coaster, as it is for most businesses I suppose. Learning about food is one thing, but even more of a challenge was the tech part of figuring out how to grow in a balanced and responsible way. I had the luxury of working from home and growing slowly which was advantageous, and even now, I’m not particularly interested in hiring others to work with me as I keep everything within arms length. My main advice to others trying to build a business is to take it easy, and allow the business the time to grow organically. Of course, your own story should be about you and not what someone else is doing. Personally, I’m the turtle: slow and steady!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

Perhaps the biggest advantage to living in a large metropolitan area like Atlanta is having the diversity of millions of other people all looking for their own niche in life. There is an area in town (Buford Highway) where several asian grocery stores (Buford Farmers Market “My Favorite Store”) and restaurants compete for the dollars of the masses, and if you’re willing to put up with the traffic, you too can join the crowds that come from near and far to partake in their offerings. Honestly, there’s not a lot of great places to eat there, as the hectic lifestyle pushes people into here-and-now eating habits, so they can get back to catching up with what they’re doing.

My favorite food is the food I make for myself at home anyway, so I spend more time engaging in the review of the products on the shelves at the stores (Buford Farmers Market) and dabbling in a variety of product options which smaller cities just don’t have.

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 moved to the U.S. about 16 years ago to marry my husband, and to be perfectly honest, at that time I was not much of a cook. My background was in mechanical engineering and I worked for 15 years for a German company in Penang Malaysia which was rewarding, but not really what I envisioned myself doing as a lifelong occupation.

A shout out goes to my husband who never ceases to amaze me with so much love, encouragement, and support that he gives me. When things get rough he’s the one that continues to push me and let me know that it’s okay to hit the reset button and start over if you have to. I also want to shout out to my family in Malaysia as they are my biggest supporters throughout my culinary journey, and are very proud of me and that makes me feel amazing.

Last but not least my 25 year old daughter deserves a shout out. I suppose in retrospect, if I had one person to thank for my success it would be my daughter as a driving force. Now that she is a young woman having her own life and success, I am grateful that these lessons of dedication have carried over.

Website: My website is under construction at the moment. I can be reached via email at lina6990@gmail.com I typically respond within 24 – 48hrs.

Instagram: Jars of Joy by Lina / mrs.lina.thomas

Facebook: Jars of Joy by Lina Thomas

Youtube: 6990lina

Other: TikTok: mrs.lina.thomas

Image Credits
Maria Allen Photography