Hidden Gems: Meet Butta Gant of Da Butta Junt

Today we’d like to introduce you to Butta Gant.

Hi Butta, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
At first, I always wanted a family-owned soul food restaurant. Everyone in my family can cook. So, I wanted to showcase everyone’s talents. Cooking has always been my passion since I was a kid. You could always find me in the kitchen, especially when granny was cooking for the holidays.

It’s therapeutic for me. When I have a rough day/week, I’ll cook something. This journey started when I was in college, where I got my Bachelor’s Degree in Business at Miles College Fairfield, AL C/O 2017. I was supposed to start in 2017, but I was scared and didn’t have faith or courage.

Everyone kept telling me to start, but I just couldn’t. Then I met one of my best friends, Chandler Mitchell (@clawsbychief). She kept trying to get me to start cooking. She saw my vision more than I could see at that moment.

She’s the reason for all this. I always give her credit sometimes, you may catch me calling her the owner, and I’ll refer to myself as the co-owner. If it weren’t for her, my business wouldn’t be where it’s at today. One day, she asked me for a selfie which I thought nothing of. A few days later, she turned my selfie into my logo. That was all the motivation I needed.

A few months later (February 15, 2019). We launched the business out of my apartment in Birmingham, AL, with the help of Aaron. I originally wanted to open up on Valentine’s Day because that is my favorite day of the year.

Also, women and college students are the people I target. Aaron and I had little to no knowledge about running a business, but he believed in me, so we stepped out on faith, and the outcome was amazing. I still remember my first supporter and his order. A few months after opening in Birmingham, I decided to move back to Memphis and started cooking out the house.

In November 2020, I purchased my first food truck as a birthday gift. Cooking out of my apartment to cooking in a food truck was a big risk, but I was willing to take it. I still can’t believe I got a food truck on certain days.

October of 2021, with the assistance of my staff (Quay, EDawgg, Shedd, Mook, Kristen, Nikk, Chandler, Aaron, and Smoke), we went on tour “Rich Off Sell’n Birds Homecoming Tour.” This tour was something I been wanted to do since 2017. I want to showcase our talents across the world, not just locally.

We put together four schools for the entire month of October Miles College, Jackson State, Tuskegee University, and Clark Atlanta. We were unable to finish the tour, but I plan on finishing it this upcoming homecoming.

June 12, 2021 was the grand opening of my food truck. During that entire week, I couldn’t get any sleep I was too excited. I couldn’t believe my dreams were actually coming true. I believe I underestimated my grand opening. It was a lot of people that came for it. I had a lot of people from out of town to come as well. Sometimes, I sit back and reflect on that day things could have been done differently but it still turned out good.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road was everything but smooth. I won’t complain I like challenges. I’ve been faced with a lot of bumps in the road. It’s still a few bumps in the road two years later. Staying consistent has been my biggest struggle honestly. I’ll do good for a few months then I’ll take months off.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
I have a lot of childhood memories. My favorite has to be at my mama’s house cooking, decide to sit in my room as the food cook. Unfortunately, I forgot I was cooking and almost burnt my mama’s house. She didn’t know about this but after reading this she will.

Contact Info:

• Email: dabuttajunt@yahoo.com
• Instagram: @dabuttajunt
• Facebook: @dabuttajunt
• Twitter: @dabuttajunt
• Youtube: @dabuttajunt