Fresh off the State Fair vending trail, Sharon Richards-Noel fills us in on how West Indies Soul Food sustains its 15-year presence at Minnesota’s State Fair International Bizarre stand. You can get a taste of her Carribean creations by catering an event and by purchasing her famous sauces. Bring Carribean Island flavors into your kitchen.

Sharon has come a long way to provide Minnesotans with those Carribean flavors that keep us warm and sassy, long into the winter season. It isn’t an easy climate to adjust to coming from Trinidad and Tobago. Who knew Moon Boots would be feet savers for those coming from warm climates! Learning to walk on ice, and in the snow, takes on its own special art form when you hear Sharon describe her experience acclimating to this winter climate. So funny! DOWNLOAD

How Sharon explains what makes her Jerk Chicken succulent to the bone will create hunger pains. What she has learned and implemented from her Mom and Dad have been some of the keys to Sharon’s business success. Her Dad’s way of teaching her about money is a simple enough formula for all of us to apply and teach others.

How would you like your child’s school to offer Carribean Wednesday lunches? Sharon is looking to acquire a couple more school contracts. Sharon’s heart goes beyond filling children’s tummies. She believes in teaching life skills one conversation at a time. She has other projects in the works that combine hands-on entrepreneurship training and life skill development worth hearing.

We also talk about:

• Growing up in a family of 9 (7 children) and being the middle child,
• How Sharon’s Dad creatively solved a dilemma for her Mom by helping her generate money while staying at home (this was before the days of the internet),
• One of Sharon’s sisters was the 1^st African American to attend St. Catherine University (I couldn’t fact check this. It wasn’t available on the www.stkate.edu website.),
• How she starts her day,
• Her emerging nonprofit in the works, Emmanuel House, a vision that came out of loss,
• Her yummy creative creations, getting sauces in stores, and food trucks, and
• Where there are kids and adults celebrating, you will find Sharon catering: weddings, graduation parties, anniversaries, birthdays, etc.

WeMentor Self-Leadership Activation Exercises

After listening, do the following WeMentor Self-Leadership Exercises:

1. Gratitude: meditate for five minutes sending all those you work with loving kindness.
2. Take a risk: write down your vision 20 times each day on a sheet of paper for six days.
3. Self-Compassion: meditate for five minutes after you complete a big task during each day.

Self-Leadership Mentoring Help

• One-On-One Mentoring during your transition. Paul Turek of Turek Consulting LLC says, “Nancy is a well-connected leadership development icon in this market…she’s got an interesting perspective on identifying and addressing leadership opportunities within oneself that is timely in our diverse and mobile workforce these days.”
• Subscribe to this podcast.

Dishing About Caribbean Sauces with Chef Sharon Richards-Noel    Episode 193  West Indies Soul Food