Today we’d like to introduce you to Karissa Odom.
Hi Karissa, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
The conception of Karissa’s Creations happened much earlier than the company itself. Our company growth is all about God’s Wonderful plan and Grace even when we weren’t looking for it. I grew up as a military brat traveling between Europe, Asia and Hawaii. When I was young, I was always in the kitchen with my mom making “Pie”, bricks really, just making messes and trying to convince my parents to eat it as they reluctantly put it into the freezer hoping I would forget about it. I always loved food, just being around it, smelling it and tasting different cultures through their cuisine as we traveled. I grew up in a loving, supportive Christian household, I knew who Jesus was and that He was God but I did not live for him or even try to live the Christian life, it was my parents’ faith, not my own.
One year when I was 20 years old celebrating Christmas with my family and future husband, My dad presented me with an envelope containing the formation of a company he created using the name Karissa’s Creations. I was currently a manager at Jasons’s deli in San Antonio and creating a company was nowhere on my radar. Having gone to Texas State University for a degree in Marine Biology and miserably failing Chemistry, I was back home working trying to figure out what to do with my life. I tried going to community college for communications, which was a terrible fit as well since I hated public speaking. Needless to say, I felt stuck in a routine not going anywhere, just stuck in a circle of going into work, going home and repeat. Throughout this time frame however I had incredible mentors constantly pouring into me. I met Andre, my future husband at my first Job which was at SeaWorld holding a dust pan and cleaning bathrooms. At the time we met, I was just an employee and he was my boss, I saw him working while admin were giving us a tour for our first day introduction and all I felt was red cheeks and butterflies. Then to my surprise I was actually assigned by our higher ups to work under him, SCORE! As we worked and talked keeping it professional, I already knew he was the one, flash forward three and a half years later, and 2 jobs later we were getting married!
My first job in restaurants however was as a fry/shake girl at Steak n’ Shake. Some of my early mentors Adam Melkonian and Lisa Gallegos, saw potential in me, trained me and elevated me to the position of management. They helped me develop leadership skills and teach me about running a restaurant with P&L, Labor ETC. and how to treat employees and setting boundaries between work and home life. Once my time was finished with Steak n Shake, I began working as a Manager at Jasons deli, during my tenor there I learned all about mediating between people, providing exceptional customer service, and how grow a thick skin while remaining loving and kind. Rosemarie Acerra, a wonderful woman of God extended so much love and knowledge and took me under her wing as she was a living example of God’s Grace and Forgiveness while I constantly stumbled making mistakes and learned to navigate being a maturing woman in the workplace, setting boundaries and learning how to hold yourself with respect.
During the time while I was working at Jason’s Deli, at home one evening my dad asked, ” would you be interested in going to culinary school?” , Having tried everything else I said, “Sure why not?”. That spring I started culinary school at the CIA in San Antonio and I was in love! All the chefs there were wonderful, pouring into each of the students, cultivating skills and techniques and training us to be professionals and take the culinary world by storm. I excelled in all of my classes….. Except baking in which I got a “B” ! Not that I don’t like baking, its just takes a lot of technique and patience, I have a deep respect for bakers however that is ABSOLUTELY NOT my calling, although of course I have a few great recipes for basic breads and pastries that every Chef should be well trained in. Towards the end of culinary school it was required that we all had to complete an externship in which we get real life experience being in a professional kitchen honing our skills before graduation. I was accepted to work as a Chef 3 at A fine dining restaurant in San Antonio, learning how to call orders and work multiple stations in a classically French style kitchen. I Loved it, It was long hours, hardwork and sore feet. After my externship was over, I was honored be invited to stay on as a full-time employee.
During this time frame I had held a few plate sales trying to pay for tuition and during one the plate sales one of the customers asked, “Would you consider making meals for my whole family that I could heat up like a meal prep?” Thus, Karissa’s Creations as we know it now was born. I started with just 2 clients serving their families weekly meals while going to school full time and working full time. To this day I don’t know how I did it other than God’s grace. Not being surrendered to Jesus Christ yet or as I say My “BC” Before Christ era, I hit an ultimate free fall (so I thought). I made a terrible mistake in moral conduct, and I stole some Items from my job at the time and thus was caught and fired. I was heartbroken for what I had done and also terrified of how I was going to pay bills, My husband at the time was working for the City and he made enough for us to barely get by, between my two clients and his income we were pretty broke.
But God is good even when we aren’t, even though I had done what I did, He blessed us with a few more clients gradually getting busier and busier working out of a tiny kitchen with limited countertop space. I was cooking, cleaning and delivering all orders by myself while my husband served the city. We hardly had any time together, maybe about 2 hours a day,1 hour before he left for work and 1 hour before I went to sleep due to our schedules. It was a very hard time for our marriage. Thankfully the business continued to grow, and I continued to grow in integrity and wisdom, however, it was becoming too much for me to handle by myself and being that I could not afford to pay another employee I felt tapped out and burnt out. God knew what I needed and in an unexpected way he provided that help. At that time my Husband was let go from his job with the city now leaving all our bills in the hands of this little start up business. It was terrifying, but God had a plan. As soon as my husband lost his job, orders started to pick up more and more, so My husband jumped on board as our first employee. He started handling all the dish washing and deliveries and eventually took over the bookkeeping letting me focus on our customer relations and cooking. We were and are a great team, I never got tired of seeing him and it was like God was giving us back the time we had lost when we were working elsewhere, it took some adjustment with not stepping on each other’s toes, but once we had our roles it was and is so FUN! He is truly my best friend through good and bad, arguments and the heart break of trying to have a baby with no success. My mom and dad were always there to support as well wherever they were needed, whether it was prep work, getting ingredients, building our new facility etc., our company is built on family, and we are dedicated to serving families both in everyday life and well as life changing events such as weddings, baby showers and birthdays.
About 6 months in we got our first catering request, and my mom went into full mom mode. She gifted us our first commercial sized cooking equipment and helped with marketing. From then on it was just nonstop. In the midst of growing the company however, my marriage was falling apart. We both were struggling with infidelity and it led us to one of the most heated arguments that almost broke our marriage apart for good. It was at that moment Jesus stepped in, He brought me to my knees and all I could say was ” Jesus please help, I don’t know what else to do”. That was the moment of surrender, from that day forward God not only took control of my marriage, but he took control of our business. Now married almost 9 years I can say with full confidence that He healed our addictions; broke chains we had been holding and continues to heal hurts from our past. We Shifted our focus from not just trying to acquire more clients for business but really becoming stewards of all the blessings, he gave us. We choose to live with radical generosity at the for front of our business and profit in the back, yet we never lacked. We focused on serving the underserved, helping the hurting and feeding the hungry. There were times where we had $10 in our bank account with an event coming up that we had no idea of how we were going to buy the ingredients to serve at the event, yet right in time God would always come through, many times he provided far more than we needed to give us breathing room. I can testify that to date with God’s help we have not taken a single Business loan, and we do not use Credit cards for any purchases. Its God’s Business and he has provided everything for us to expand and grow in ways that are completely out of the norm. With No debit, no degrees other than my 2-year culinary degree, God has blessed us with a thriving company that continues to grow. We are now completing year 4 and we have officially moved into our homestead style business property owned by ChefLyfe Farms LLC in Pipe creek Texas. We have learned to raise livestock such as sheep, goats, chickens, and rabbits, as well as grow our own produce. On the Acreage, my dad was able to help build our very own fully paid, commercial kitchen. Our focus is now to serve our immediate community and bring families back to the dinner table to enjoy strong family bonds again. My mom is now our Sous-Chef and baker, my husband is the Manager, and my dad is our Event Coordinator. We are currently looking into building a new venue where people can affordably come and celebrate life’s most cherished moments.
God has had his handprint on this company from beginning till now, from teaching me through my various job experiences how to run a food business, to trusting him with finances when it seems to make no sense. We have committed everything we do to Him and Pray over every meal we serve then just watch him work his wonders in our lives and the lives of others.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has definitely been a roller coaster, from learning how to work with family and set boundaries while at work while still respecting that fact that you will always put their role in your family first over their role in the business.
Taxes were a big hurdle for us, not knowing how to or that we even needed to claim sales tax, led us into a hole for a while until we were able to get caught up and learn how to manage paying taxes both payroll and sale on time and budgeting since neither of us went to business school.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
At Karissa’s Creations LLC , we always prioritize God, family and health. We understand the importance of family dinners but know how challenging it can be to prepare a delicious meal from scratch. Let us take the stress out of mealtime with our fresh, farm-to-table options delivered right to your doorstep!
Whether you’re looking for a quick, gourmet lunch during work or planning catering for a special occasion, we have a wide variety of fully cooked meal prep options and gourmet catering services to meet your needs.
We are a Family, minority, woman, and Veteran owned company
Chef Karissa, a CIA Alumna and native to San Antonio, Texas. Throughout her career she has worked everywhere from the fast-paced working environment of a fast-food kitchen to the elevated, high intensity pressure of working in a fine dining establishment. As a daughter of two military veterans, she understands and exemplifies what it means to serve others. She has had the opportunity to travel abroad to many countries, including France, Greece, Spain, Japan, and Egypt, immersing herself into their culture and cuisine. She finds the flavors that speaks to her, then takes what she has learned and applies it to her cooking. Specializing in Asian and Mediterranean cuisine, you will find that her cooking will elevate your taste buds and take you on a culinary road trip while sharing her heart with you along the way!
What matters most to you?
God and Family matters the most to me because when everything else falls away of fails a strong family and our Awesome will always be there. We share our love for each other by sharing that passion and family values with our guests and in turn each of the become part of our Karissa’s Creations family
Pricing:
- Meal Prep Options $15.00+
- Catering Options- Created to order usually starts between $25+ Per guest
- Family meals $75.00 includes desserts
- 3-course Private dinners start to $80/pp
- 5-course Private dinners start to $120/pp
Contact Info:
- Website: Karissascreations210.com
