Today we’d like to introduce you to Latresha Norris.
Hi Latresha, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Hello, my name is Latresha Norris and I’m the owner of Trease Ann’s Bartending and Catering Services here in Jackson TN. I’m 48, and I have been in the food business service for over 30 years. I actually started cooking when I was five.
I always had a love for cooking no matter what point I was in my life. So in 2018, I decided to go back to Chef school to reinvent myself because the cooking scene has definitely changed over the last 25 years. I have graduated with a certified chef also the studies of culinary arts and I am currently in school to finish up my food and beverage directors certificate.
Graduating March 2022, I’m also a contracted chef who gets to travel around the United States feeding our soldiers and FEMA. Which many of them were vegan vegetarian and or gluten-free. A lot of people really know me by my cheesecakes. I have over 30 different recipes and am able to make anything by request.
I decided to open Trease Ann’s in January of 2019. It started off as a catering service but as I got more in-depth about what brides wanted. I decided to add bartending. It was easy to find someone to cook for your event than it was to find a certified bartender. And actually, I was doing both separately. Hence, I decided to join them together. In order to give clients the opportunity of having both catering and Bartending for the events without the hassle of spending extra money.
As we all know when covid hit the scene I lost a lot of events between March and June. Plus, I was out of work with both of my jobs as well. I took to the kitchen and started catering meals to older people who cannot get out to get food. So to make up for my income, I started making meals and delivering them to anyone who needed a meal for their family at a very small price. And of course, it did include dessert.
Even though everybody was down because of covid I wanted to give them a ray of sunshine. I started offering my lunches on Wednesday and Fridays and I catered brunch to those who wanted on Sunday mornings. It didn’t matter where you needed lunch or dinner. if you are at home alone I delivered. It went from factories to the jail and even the businesses in the area that couldn’t get out to get lunch.
My love for food is in a whole nother world. One of my biggest dreams is being able to go and let people know that it is okay to try and eat different foods out of their comfort zone. My biggest joy is knowing that I can put a smile on anyone that comes across my food, my passion is my work of art.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It was definitely not a smooth road!! I mean I believe I might have started my brand over at least three times since 2010. Especially being in a new city since 2006 it took a while for people to get used to me. Even with that being said I still had bumps in the road. I was a single mom with one child with me and two still in Mississippi.
So, I really didn’t have the support system for me to build the business like it needed to. Everybody here was so accustomed to certain kinds of food. Meaning it was all about pork fried chicken and well-done steaks. So, I really started off baking cakes and cheesecakes.
I had a few catering gigs here and there but it wasn’t enough to say I’m making a living off of it. The way that I wanted to highlight food was not the same way some people saw it.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Well, this question is a wide range for me because I especially a few things more than one. I’m a professional bartender with a culinary background and I love baking desserts. Let me reiterate I love baking desserts I cannot design a cake to save my life LOL.
So the fact that you can call me and you can literally get a complete meal with drinks food and desserts all in one spot at a very affordable price. I mean who doesn’t love a one-stop-shop that they can afford. Plus I love giving my clients unexpected personal touches.
I always leave my personality whatever I go. I want my clients to know that they’re being taken care of fully in every aspect. It doesn’t matter if they’re spending $20 or if they’re spending $2,000. They all got the same level of priority.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
The one thing that I do want to leave is that. Life is a journey, not a destination. It doesn’t matter how old we may become it is never too late to pick yourself up by the bootstraps and make it happen!! To be honest, I work two jobs.
I’m trying to build a business. I feed soldiers every month and I’m in school finishing up my third degree since 2018. Plus, every venue on this side of Jackson Tennessee has seen my face multiple times within the last two years. I am one of the biggest vendors for the Bella Barn in West Tennessee in McKenzie Tennessee!
That’s a huge plus for me!! The vision that I have is to have a venue of my own. This way I could take something from everyone’s venue and build a One-Stop shop that my clients will never forget!
Contact Info:
- Email: trease292000@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.tabartendingandcatering.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Trease-Anns-Bartending-and-Catering-Services-108511317255649/
