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

Hi Roderica, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
That it’s about that time lol! But honestly my thought process was to start from the ground up, remain passionate, build & most importantly never give up! Being a new Atlanta resident made it challenging because people tend to follow trends, support the businesses and people they know or heard of, so I knew it wouldn’t be a simple task with zero following. Starting my own catering/private dining business was long overdue, my fiancé has been rooting for it prior to relocating from Philly. When my family & I relocated we truly missed “Philly” food and grew tired of being adventurous and trying new places which lead to overspending, bad service & disappointments. From this it led me to cook even more than I already did, asian-style cuisine, soul food, “bar” style food, seafood etc. basically the style of food we were accustomed to. I’ve always had a love for good food and great dining experiences. Ive been in the restaurant industry for 14 years, mainly serving, but also expo & prep so I’m familiar with both sides of the restaurant industry. With that being said I wanted to create a service that provides great food and even greater service and experience all around! Providing a five star experience minus the “celebrity” pricing & bad customer service was the goal. I wanted to build a brand for my two children whom also loves to cook and bake! So that’s where the name derived from, my children, Rihanna & Jyhmir, and Rihmir Cooks LLC was created!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Rihmir Cooks LLC is a local black owned business ran by women, providing catering and private dinner experiences throughout Atlanta & surrounding areas. We also sell “pop-up” plates weekly thru our Instagram @Rihmir_cooks. We strive to provide great food and an even better service & experience. It is a known fact, minorities are stereotyped and from personal experiences, are known to receive and sometimes give bad service and we are here to change that narrative! We value every client whether they purchased a plate/platter or booked us to cater a wedding. Atlanta has been very good to us & we love it here! I am excited for our future we want to see what more Atlanta has to offer & to showcase our talents for The “A”, all of Georgia & the entire world to see! Nothing worth having comes easy and I love a challenge. The most challenging aspect of creating my brand was convincing strangers to try food from an unknown source but BABY the food speaks for itself! Just six months ago we had about 50 followers on Instagram now we’re pushing 800! With running a business I’ve learned patience & consistency is key! From flyers & business cards being handed out & word of mouth we are growing organically and will continue to do so with the love & support of our beautiful clients! Thank you Atlanta!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
So I moved down here prior to the pandemic meaning I still consider myself “new” to the A lol, but places that I’ve visited and enjoyed and would take a friend visiting would definitely be Piedmont park I enjoy the atmosphere there and its perfect for pictures and site seeing. I would have to take them to the Trap Museum & Cascade skating rink for the culture. Phipps is pretty nice if they needed some retail therapy. I recently tried a new spot called The Goodz, black owned by another chef it was a hit! The vibes, food, hookah and service was top tier. World of Coca Cola is a must and I haven’t been to the Georgia aquarium yet but it’s at the top of the list I’ve heard great things!

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?
Shout out to my biggest supporters and also employees lol my fiancé Ranisha & children Rihanna & Jyhmir.. Without them there wouldn’t be Rihmir Cooks LLC. This business is a family business and since building our brand they all three have put in work and displayed a work ethic that’s unmatched. From great ideas being passed along, prep work, social media & networking, long road trips & flights to bookings & deliveries when we sell plates/platters. It does not go unnoticed. We are raising young bosses!

Website: https://rihmircooks.square.site/

Instagram: Rihmir_cooks

Facebook: Rihmirs Cookery

Other: Follow us on Tik Tok: Rihmir Cooks LLC Email: rihmirscookery@gmail.com

Image Credits
@diorshots

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