On Not Taking No for an Answer and Successfully Launching a Food-Related Business With Lamicka Cottingham of Southeast Fusion 619

Startups get the party Startups get the party started. Startups get the party Startups get the party started. You want tech and tacos tacos and tech you know we got tacos and tech is on smash border green guacamole keeper captains counting beans Contador quentan frijoles found us trying to raise some queso la vida San Diego school of rappy rapping fire tortillas round jalapenos in these modern times a crappy my coding yoga posse fold the body origami we be surfing coronado eating tacos el gordo the tacos standing puesto lucha libre and sombrero got a shout out to cost angels by the ocean watch the sunset la Jolla shores Entrepreneurs trying to get funded when San Diego Startup Week is popping in the summer Oceanside, the Tijuana esti be full of hustlers from couch surfing to penthouses right on the beach Tech leaders believe stars are within reach we interview and founders who be shooting for the Moon SD TechOS with your host, Neil Bloom. Startups get the party Startups get the party started.

Welcome to the Tacos and Tech Podcast. I'm your host, Neil Bloom, and I am thrilled to have you here on the Tacos and Tech podcast. We interview builders of technologies, of companies, of communities, and we do it weekly, so thanks for tuning in. Every Tuesday, a new interview and on Fridays we talk about what's new in the San Diego tech ecosystem from a news perspective. So make sure you join us there as well too. We also have a tech newsletter that comes out every other week@freshbroodtech.com you can subscribe to listen to it without further ado. Enjoy this episode. I'm thrilled to have with me Lamika Cottingham, founder of Southeast Fusion619. Hey, Lamika, thanks for being on the podcast.

Hi Noah. Thanks for having us.

Well, this being a tacos and tech podcast, we love to talk food here. I think we're going to have a fun conversation here with you as well. Do you want to give us a quick one minute overview of what Southeast Fusion is?

Sure. So Southeast Fusion is founded by myself, Lanika. I'm born and raised right here in southeast San Diego. So that's where the name Southeast Fusion comes from. What we do is we do micro catering instead of the big catering that we're used to. We've scaled it down since the pandemic, so we like to provide small meals and do pop ups for our local neighborhoods.

Super cool. I want to hear how that came to Be super relevant, obviously, like you said during the pandemic and other things. But, you know, you're born, raised in southeast San Diego. But tell us a little bit about your story. Where did you get your start? Where did you jump into in your professional career?

Sure. So I've been actually cooking since I was 4 years old. My parents are from, like, down south. My dad's from Arkansas, my mom's from Oklahoma, and we have family from all over. So growing up in our household, everything was like, cooked from scratch. There was no jiffy boxes. There was nothing out of the box. It was like, go to the store, buy fresh, prep it. So from a young age, I've just had this go hard about cooking, just very passionate about it. I always knew this is something that I could do and I wouldn't look forward to retiring later in life. You know, I did a little bit of culinary training, and I so happened to be pregnant with my first child. I didn't know what I was going to do. I just thought, I'm going to graduate. I'm going to go work at a restaurant. Right? Like, that's the big dream. Work at some big restaurant. And that's not how it happened to her. I got a bunch of no's, or you need experience, or you're lacking experience. And it was like, how do I get experience if nobody will hire me? So I was like, I'm hiring myself. I'm going to make my own business. You know what? I'm like, how? Like, I have to do it. And it came from passion. It came from just family and friends. Like, you should really turn this hobby into a business. I'm like, no, I don't want to do it. But then it got to a point where it's like, you know what? I'm an adult. I don't have the skills that I. That I needed, per se, but I had to learn them along the way. So it's just something that I kind of picked up and turned my passion into, like, work. It's something that I love to do. I don't complain about cooking. If it's hot in the kitchen, that's fine. I can handle it. But it just really stemmed from, you know, just my mentality. You know, do you want to leave something for your kids later? Just overthinking as a parent, as a woman, and just trying to make it all happen.

I love that. So you grew up around, obviously, cooking. Were there entrepreneurs, like business owners in your family as well, that you kind of knew you'd run your Own one day or how do you picture yourself as the boss?

So for me, it's kind of the opposite. We had other. Lots of family on my dad's side. There's a story that went around growing up that we had a relative that invented the crust at Pizza Hut, right? And ever since then, I was kind of, like, interested in every little story that I heard because I love bread. We love. We do everything from scratch. So bread, it's one of those things so kind of researched that I didn't really get a clear answer on how we're related or how it all meshed together. It just kind of sent me on a journey to ask my family, why don't we have our own restaurant? Like, we all can cook. Everybody can cook. Everybody had a different profession. My dad is the eldest of 10 children, so he was the one that was doing all the cooking and stuff. So he had all the stories. And just hearing all the different stories of the different aspects. Who baked, who fried, who did this, who did that. It just kept me curious. And I was like, I don't want to be that person telling that story to my kids and my grandkids. I want to be like, I don't talk about it. I did. You know, I own something. I have a business. So it just made me want to be that one person in the family that just took off with it, like, make a business out of it. Just don't talk about the stories of someone else's story, how we could have, should have. I want it to be a business.

Oh, that's a very inspiring motivator. You know, that engine for sure. I actually grew up with a restaurateur family, too. My grandpa had a butcher. Butcher shop. And together with him and my dad, they had a burger joint. They had actually three burger joints. So I grew up around, you know, kind of that. That grill, the flat grill. So you grew up around a specific kind of food as well, too. Is that what you always dreamed of, building a restaurant with that kind of. That kind of food? Or how was your exploration of the kinds of things you like to cook turned into what you're doing now?

Sure. So growing up, our group was just Southern. Everything was Southern. Since my parents are not from California, they only moved here when they were, like, adults. Later adults. So there's no California influence in the food that I grew up in. But because I was born and raised here, I have that opportunity to kind of mix the both. So I have what I call, like, double Southern flair. Meaning, like, I have the Southern Upbringing, but I'm from Southern California, so I meshed the two and you know, we're pretty much known for our taco shops and stuff like that. And don't get me wrong, I love Mexican food, is my favorite, but I just always felt like there should be so much more flavor. I felt like I can do a Mexican dish but also make it Southern, you know. So I kind of like to. That's the Fusion 619 part. It's fusing the cultures and, you know, everything together to make a meal. So that's kind of my style of cooking is what I call double Southern flair. So you're going to get a little bit of south, you're going to get a little bit of California. It's going to mesh together. And so it gave you something different.

Oh, that's cool. So in culinary school, were you learning like formal kinds of cooking or it was take what you wanted to learn and apply it to a kind of a commercial.

So with that, it was just like formal training. It was like, this is how you do it, this is how you don't do it. And my instructor, he had like 20 plus years of experience in the restaurant industry and he was one of those where I have a restaurant, but I'm also teaching you guys, so bear with me. Everything was like, it was so different for me because I was pregnant and everything is about tasting and it was a horrible experience for me. So I was like, oh, I don't like that taste. And you have to learn to work with your taste. I felt like with culinary training and getting out of your, getting out of your shell, I was the student that never asked a question because I was always listening, always just into the training part, onto the hands on part. And it just really, I feel like it made me a stronger cook. I grew up cooking, but it's different when you add a little bit of culinary training to it, just a different aspect to it. But with my style of cooking, I don't like to have everything in uniform shape and just like, oh, you know, this person had culinary training. I like to keep it, you know, homestyle. You're going to get a good portion, you're going to be full satiety is like satisfaction. Like, I don't like to go, I don't like to offer something that's, oh, it's so small and like, I want more and you're scared to order more. And like I like a whole meal. So I like to kind of offer that, that meal aspect and I like to do like the Meet and threes. Like, we're not just going to have one meat in one side, three sides, four sides, what have you. I like that to be option for sure.

All right, so take us through the founding story of this, right? Because it's one thing to have the idea, another thing to put into motion. So when, when were you ready to pull the trigger and actually start executing on the business?

Sure. So 2019 is when I made my first move. I was like, well, let me at least make a name. And this name came up because, of course, community. But I was in culinary school, I was in training, I was going to Mesa, and I had this project that I had to do. I had to make my own menu. And I was so nervous. I was like, oh, my God. Like, it seems so real. But it was that stepping stone that allowed me to know that I am capable of making my own menu. And I don't have to get anyone's opinion about it. Like, I know how to cook, I can make a menu. And just using my experience for different jobs that I had, combining that I thought, take one step, what does it take to do the next step? I was one of those people where I was scared to get a loan to get started, so I never got a loan. So it's taken me quite some time to get off the ground. But for me, I preferred it that way because I've started from the very, very bottom, you know, making my way up gradually. So for me, after 2019, I was like, do this, do that. 2020 hit. And it was like, I'm supposed to be running a business. What's happening? What do I do? What do I do? You know, I couldn't work, you know, I could not. But I had time to pivot. I had time to work on my recipes, I had time to make sure that my portions were together, and I had time to, like, discover customers. So for me, I took a very serious 2019. 2020. The idea was like, it's rolling, it's happening. 2021, I'm done pivoting. You know, get educated things where I was lacking that. I was like, let me go find where I can get some of that help at so that I can really stick to not getting into debt. I'm debt free. I'm proud to say that right there is very important. For me, coming from a low income neighborhood, growing up was fine. But as an adult, you know, I'm born and raised in southeast San Diego and I still reside here, raising my family as well. And the reason I stay here is because I want to give back to the community. I want to build my business here. So I'm renting and I'm doing all of those things. I'm just taking the proper measures like any normal person would do when you're just living your day to day. I live my day to day, but I think about my business ahead. I think about the people around me. So taking a series is one thing, but taking those steps is something else. And when you're a solopreneur, I just feel like it's just you. It's just you a lot of times, and you just got to make that choice, like, do you really want to do this? And I decided that it's. It was. It's given to me. It wasn't something that I just thought about. It was one of those. There was a sign here, there was a sign here and I was like, it's enough signs. Let me know that this is my calling. Stay on the stove and don't be scared about it, you know, so.

For sure. So. So pre Covid, you were envisioning like a stand, your standalone restaurant was. That was the original idea, or you always were going to do catering.

So I was. I had done catering previously, just private catering from home, small events. I wanted to continue that. I wanted to hire somebody, have someone alongside me. Because Covid hit. That was just not reality. It was one of those things people want to eat no matter what. But it was something we haven't dealt with a pandemic. So it was just really like pivoting. Does it make sense? Food costs and all that kind of stuff is. Is important to me. When I do a menu, I want to know that I'm not spending over the budget that I have allocated for. So pre pandemic, I was dibbling and dabbling, but I didn't have a website. I wasn't that. You know, my social media was like, you go there and you don't know it's a business. You just go there. You engage with somebody that likes to cook. And I like to keep it that way because that's how I get a lot of customers, a lot of clients, they feel like it feels like home or reminds me of home or something we don't have in my home. And I like to kind of keep that option open for people where they'll feel like, gosh, if I click on it, you're going to make me want to order. You got to make me want to become a client. Like, we have to build a relationship with the people you know, and I like to do it through food, for sure. I feel like food is always going to be around, and no matter what style you like, there's something for everybody. And for me, me personally, my style of cooking, it's not that it's for everybody, but I haven't met a person that had a complaint. I can say that much. Definitely, I can say that, and I have confidence in that. And like I said, I do everything from scratch. And my one biggest thing that I've been doing for several years is making my own barbecue sauce. So that's the one thing right now where I'm really focused on in the business is getting that barbecue sauce out on the market. So I'm a couple steps away from making that happen. And that's something that people remember me by if they're not ordering the food. Like, can I get some of that barbecue sauce? So having a product, having a service, taking it serious, you know, past the pandemic, my focus is just totally on. Everything is on right now. So I'm on board with whatever is coming towards me.

We love that. How did you. Who did you find either for help, you know, other business owners, you felt comfortable just approaching other catering business owners. Like, what did you do to surround yourself with people to give you advice.

Actually, to connect all. I went to connect all because one day I was out looking at. They were building something in the back, and I was like, are they going to make like a restaurant is going to be more food? I was being a nosy, nosy person. And something enticed me to go inside the building. And I met with Danaya, let me know how I can contact them and get a tour, and they just let me know about everything that was offered there. And at the time, I was just a little bit intimidated. Like, I don't think I'm ready, you know, for that. But then I was. Because who's not ready for free information and writing your neighborhood? So it wasn't a restriction. It wasn't like I couldn't get to that place. It's very convenient. I could drive, I could walk. It was one of those things where it was a blessing in disguise. And just being in that program, it just allowed me to connect with other people. I don't have per se, entrepreneurial friends. We got foodie friends, people who like to eat, but it's different on the business side. So that's something I think that I was lacking in. Just building those different relationships with people of all, from all over, all different types of jobs. It kind of helped me just elevate my thought on what it is to be a business owner. I'm not alone. I thought it was like I'm the only one that feels that way. But there's so many other people out there where it's just them. So we're talking to the four walls at the end of the day. So being in connect all just allowed me to have like a business refresher that you never knew that you needed. I don't have a business degree and being in a program like that, it doesn't intimidate you. It lets you know, like, hey, you can do it and we can give you the resources to get you to here, there and there, you know, until you find success. So that's how I kind of got all the extra.

That's smart. That's smart to put your surround yourself. I mean, so like you said, so many entrepreneurs just go at it purely alone and it's lonely. Right. Like every day you're dealing with 10,000 fires literally in the kitchen. And to know that even just to know that someone else is going through it as well too, you know, there's some camaraderie built in there, but I think specific connect all has had some other food entrepreneurs go through it. Right. So have you been able to connect and even build connections with specifically people in your industry too?

Not in my specific industry. I've met other people that do other forms of cooking or sauces just through mentorship. So I've been able to connect with different people on different aspects. But I hadn't met someone that was like in my particular like business doing Southern cooking or anything like that. But being in that, being in that setting, I have the opportunity. So if there's others out there, I'm going to connect with them regardless. You know, it's just something good, keep your mind open where. Yeah, I'm not alone. And if you feel like you need to talk to somebody, you need some advice, you can talk to other people, you know, from the program or the mentors. Something that I'm like, it was a plus for me. I needed it, you know, I needed that.

Yeah, well you're, you're picking up also on like a big national trend like micro catering is becoming, you know, there's a few things like these micro enterprise home kitchen.

Yes.

Whole law that passed recently that's allowing this. What else are you seeing like from the industry itself that's changing, that's helping.

You build your business. So that I followed that, that movement since 2017. And I had been waiting so long for it to pass so that I could finally do it. And then it got here, and I was just like, do I do it? Do I not? So I'm kind of in between, you know, because that program doesn't allow you to do catering and the microenterprise. So I had to choose. And I know that in my heart, I still want to be able to give to people and cater. But also it's one of those things where it's an opportunity to directly, you know, help your neighborhood, the people around you. So it's something I'm still considering as far as the business. I just kind of want to let it warm up, you know, before I allow myself to make that 100% choice that this is where we're going. Because I would have to separate my business, which is fine. I could still run it, but it's just a consideration. But definitely just keeping up on the county side in general, for me, just knowing what's going on, that's kind of what kept me kind of ahead of things and not kind of behind, waiting for Covid to end. Because some people are like, I'm waiting. I was waiting, too. And it's something that. It's a thing of the past. We're living through it. We know how to survive through it. So I'm not even, like, scared to go out or scared to serve a customer or something like that. It's like, it's all good for me. I know before 2020, I wouldn't do it. I was too scared. You know, I have a family, so I just like, I don't want to get sick, because if I get sick, then it's. It's just me. So you have to consider sometimes when it's just you or you have minimal help, you know, what other ways can I get extra help from my business? And is it going to cost or is it not going to cost? Sometimes just cost a pretty penny, and sometimes it doesn't, you know, But I take it all in just to help me move forward, really.

Where can people find your food right now?

So I do have a website@southeastfusion6Winner.com and right now I'm switching to a new platform with go site. So it is up and running. And there it's very simple. You'll just get, you know, to contact me. For me, I like to do kind of do like a consultation rather than just throw a menu in your face, because I kind of want to know, got allergies first and foremost, you know, and what are you looking for? So you can definitely find me online. I'm very active on Facebook, my page there in the kitchen with Southeast fusion. And there you just find me posting random foods, you know, just random things that you might have heard, you might not have heard. But it's all in the interest of being a foodie at heart.

And your barbecue sauce, can you buy it? You said you're going through like a branding and everything exercise right now can be.

I am. So before the summer is here, you'll have it out. You'll have it. And I'm going to. I have to send you some.

Yeah, I'll have some in my fridge. I am a big barbecue sauce fan. What's the style? Because I know you've got some, you've got some southern roots. Like what do you consider your barbecue sauce kind of to blend in from.

Yeah. So the sauce is actually gonna be called double southern. And that style of sauce, I don't wanna tell too much about it, but I have about three flavors. So I have like my house flavor. And that's just more of a. And I'll just be honest. And I'm not saying this because it's my barbecue sauce, but this sauce is good on any, any meats. And I've tried it. This recipe has. I've been doing it since I was 15, 36. Okay. So it's been nothing but training myself. So I have my original sauce and I have a pineapple and I do it on a mango sauce. And pineapple is one of those people don't know at first. And they're like, something in there is sweet, something is kicking in there. And it's the pineapple. I just have three right now, and it's one of those. I'm on the grill, you know, whether it's summer or not. I believe in San Diego we don't have where you can't grill. It's 365 for me. So definitely you will see the sauce very soon. Sixteen ounces of goodness.

Oh yeah. That's great. Well, where are you? Where do you think you're headed? So you're gonna have a sauce brand you're deciding to use micro enterprise or not? Like, where do you, where do you think you'll be in a year or so?

So in a year or so, I'm definitely more focused on my barbecue sauce to getting that out right now because it's not that it's the easiest, but it's what I put the most work into. Pretty much one of those all my life I've been doing it, so I feel like just getting that flavor out there, getting people curious about what goes good on this sauce that I make. Because it's not necessary that all foods needs a sauce. But if the food is good, you don't necessarily need it. But when. If the sauce is good and the food is good, it's one of those combinations where you're gonna come back for more for sure.

Awesome. Well, I'm so excited to try the food you mentioned. Obviously, our taco scene here is huge. Maybe even do a little. I'm sure the barbecue sauce is good on some, like, you know, meat based tacos. Do you have a favorite taco spot or do you make your own?

I definitely, of course, make my own tacos. But growing up, my favorite taco shop was Humberto's off of 43rd and, like national division. And I've eaten there for about 30 years. You know, it's been my favorite. And I do have a second favorite, which is Cotijas. It's in Point Loma. And I went out to that school area in like junior high and high school. So that's for years. That was my taco shop before I would come home before school. Sometimes I'd go over there and just, you know, I love it. I'm a taco person. Like, sign me up, you know, I would never deny a taco shop. I just. I love it. I love it.

You cannot go wrong. And there's one in that, like pretty much anywhere you can throw it. You can. You can't go wrong. And now you can throw your sauce on it too. So good fusion in that regard as well too.

Absolutely. Get a nice pulled pork taco.

Yeah, exactly. Yeah. We're not only fish tacos here. We've got some pretty good meat tacos here in San Diego as well, too. Well, Nika, thank you so much for being on the show, sharing your story. We're excited to help spread the word as well as make sure that anyone else who's interested in starting a business and wants to go through Connect all make sure you hear your story. And I'm sure you'd be able to talk to them if they have some questions about going through the program as well too.

Absolutely, I would be delighted to. It's great over there. Alex and Dana, they'll hook you up. Marin, it's great over there.

Yeah. They've been such a great resource for the community. We're so glad that they connected us so we could hear your story. And thanks again. For being on the podcast.

Thank you for having us.

Cheers.