The Birth of Peachy's Pantry

 

.

Ms. Sharon H. Benjamin born and raised on the Island of St. Croix, graduated from Central High School and moved to the mainland to attend college at Savannah State University. She graduated Cum Laude with a BBA in Business Management and began a 26-year career in Retail Management. Ms. Benjamin likes cooking and she operated a successful catering business from her home in Douglasville, Georgia which she named Peachy's Pantry.t

 

?VI Voice 2.0 is eager to hear about the birth of Peachy's Pantry. When and how did you start this cooking career

​

A: "I have been cooking my whole life and have always been fascinated with recipes and using them to create dishes I won't otherwise get at home. I like and dislike a lot of different food, I just go with what my appetite wants.

​

Q: How did you arrived at that rare name, 'Peachy's Pantry?

​

A: "Peachy is a nickname given to me by my Aunt Paulette Lewis when I was a teen.  Pantry is just a play on the 'P' in Peachy and a kitchen term. 

​

Q: Great! Was this a full-time business?

​

A: "No, Peachy's Pantry is and has always been a

part-time side business while I worked full-time. The last

two and a half years I made orders just one to two days

a week.

​

Q: Were you interested in taking up cooking as a career?

​

A: "I always enjoyed cooking but I never chose it as a

career, cooking chose me in a sort of roundabout way.

At one point three years ago, I got sick and had to stop

working. During my recovery time and while waiting to

get back into the workforce, I spent a lot of time cooking

for myself and my mother who was there to help after my

major surgery. At that time, I tried to make mostly items I

ate growing up and always posted the outcomes on my

personal Facebook (FB) Page.

 

Lots of people were interested and the more I posted the

more they were intrigued. I decided to make a dedicated

page just for the food images, so it would not annoy my

Facebook friends, this is how Peachy's Pantry was born.

It was just a FB page. As time went along, requests came

in for recipes or to purchase items. After a couple of months,

I decided to start the business.

​

Q: What were the procedures for the opening of Peachy's Pantry?

​

A: "I got my Limited Loyalty Corporation (LLC) formed, registered and got safety certification, then I made a menu and business card etc., that's how it started.

​

Q: For some people, cooking takes a long time. What is your time-frame in preparing the dishes you cook? 

​

A: "The time spent preparing dishes depends on the order that was made. Most things are done in a 2-hour time frame. I mostly bake, so there is lots of waiting while the items are in the oven, so it is not too bad. Most things come out great on the first try but I usually make some revisions to make the recipes how I like them each time I make a dish.

​

Q: Is there a recipe that you don't care to make?

​

A: "Yes, I have not been able to get a Vienna Cake made to my liking and since I don't like that cake I find it hard to keep trying. My taste testers did like the ones I made but I still don't like how they turned out. I learned all my cooking on my own, so Vienna Cake is still in the works.

​

Q: Wow! you sound like a professional cook, the recipes must be done to your liking before you post them to Facebook. This tells me that your customers are special and are getting -well prepared food. So how large is your customer base?

​

A: "My followers are in all 50 states, the Caribbean and Europe. I have over 3000 followers on social media and several hundred have ordered pastries, food and cookbook.

​

Q: You are the only cook in Peachy's Pantry?

​

A: "Yes, as of today, I made every order on my own, so I only take on the amount of orders I am personally able to manage. I am organized and plan my strategy for order taking, grocery shopping, prepping, cooking, delivery, shipping etc. all this is done while working as a full-time Store Manager."

​

Businesses improve when customers are satisfied and give feedback. Do you have any such reviews?

​

A: "So far, I have only positive feedback from my customers and all the reviews are posted on my Facebook page as they come in.

​

Q: Why did you decide to return to St. Croix?

​

A: I have been trying to move back to St. Croix permanently for over 10 years and have no luck finding work here. This time, since I now cook, I felt that I would at least have a way to make a living without depending on the workforce to call me in for an interview to get a chance to work

​

Q: What is the reason why you believe you could not find a job on St. Croix, even as a Retail Store Manager?

​

A: "I have been told that I am over-qualified over and over the last time I was here and that I don't have the necessary skills or experience for other positions, so I returned to the U.S and back to retail management.

​

Q: Are there any obstacles preventing you from going forward on a larger scale than what you are doing now?

​

A: "Yes, there are still little setbacks because I am having a hard time finding an affordable home and vehicle to start my in-home catering business. Since I know that it was God who set me on this path, I feel that I have to get the plan in motion so as to have Peachy's Pantry my primary employment.

​

Q: Is writing the cookbook something you wanted to do?

​

A: "The writing of the cookbook was at the request of my Facebook followers, It was completed in September of 2017. The cookbooks are available for purchase they are selling well and are at 6 retail locations across the Virgin Islands." (Peachy's Pantry is on Facebook. https://m.facebook.com/PeachysPantry)./

​

​

​

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

​

​