Today we’d like to introduce you to Vanessa Turton.
Hi Vanessa, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was born in and grew up in Haiti until the age of 15 when I moved to Miami with my family. I finished high school here and started college. I met my husband in 1998. We married a couple of years later and started a family. At the time, I’d worked in many restaurants over the years. Not long after having my son, I went back to school to get my nursing license. During the program, through experiences and interactions with firefighters and medics, I became infatuated with the Fire department and becoming a firefighter/paramedic myself. I deviated into that part of the medical field shortly after. I went to EMT school, followed by a paramedic program (during which time I was pregnant with my daughter). I decided to stick it out and had my daughter two weeks before taking my final. Once I completed that, it was time for the firefighter portion. I then enrolled in the fire academy in the summer of 2009. Following that, I volunteered for five years and became the first minority female Driver/Engineer and Lieutenant in my department. I then got hired by a paid dept at the city of North Lauderdale, where I worked for another six years, where I also became Driver/Engineer. I also worked a second job as a flight medic, transporting patients from other countries (or back home if on vacation) to receive treatment in the US.
My career was my love and passion for sure. It wasn’t easy y any stretch of the imagination. I was a 5’2″ woman trying to keep up with bigger, taller men. But I was lucky to be at a department where my crew was nothing short of amazing. Some of the best people I’ve ever been around for sure! I felt home when I was at work. They were definitely my second family. It was also so gratifying to help people. I found my niche there and absolutely loved it.
During this time, my husband had left his previous job and began a food truck business. I, of course helped in any way I could. I dealt with HR/payroll, daily operations, licensing, etc. Our business grew into a brick and mortar location in beautiful Wynwood. Since then, we have expanded to several other locations and have grown so much that I had to make the tough decision of retiring prematurely from my career in order to grow our family business. Our legacy. Our kids work in our business as well. My passion led me to my purpose!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There were definitely some obstacles in the process. Working 24 hour shifts at the fire station while trying to run a business wasn’t easy! I definitely had some challenges balancing my two full-time jobs, my children, and growing a business in the process. My kids were still somewhat young and I was a bit of a soccer mom, so it made for some really interesting days at times. Getting off a 24 hour shift to be on call for the flight medic job while planning our kid’s pick-ups/drop-offs, playdates, MMA practice, Ballet lessons etc. But I muddled through the best I could and thankfully, it all worked out.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
World Famous House of Mac is a Caribbean/soul food concept specializing in Mac and cheese. We offer 19 different variations of mac and cheese, as well as wings, burgers, pastas, and some vegan options. I am part owner and deal with HR/Payroll and operations. We have a very homey comfortable vibe and have a clientele ranging from age 2-100! That’s the beauty of our restaurant! We have been featured on the Today Show, Rachel Ray, Fox Business, Miami New Times, Deco Drive, Local Channel 10, Essence, Good morning America, and Forbes, among others. We have just opened a new location in Orlando in the SODO district and also offer catering, as well as nationwide shipping via our website www.houseofmac.com. We also have a partnership with Hyatt hotels. We currently have locations in North Miami Beach and Doral as well.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
This is such a great question! I cant’ speak about risk without talking about my husband Derrick. When he took the leap to start a business, he was in the music industry and was doing very well. He decided he wanted to build his own legacy for his family, so he left music and bought a food truck. I still had my career, so I divided my time doing both. It was definitely a challenge for us both. I was running on fumes most of the time, and he was dealing with truck breakdowns regularly and strain due to all the issues with food trucks in Miami at the time. Thankfully, we had an incredible following and our customers would actually show up when our truck broke down and help push it, fix it, etc. Our customers are the best!
When Covid hit, we had just opened our Wynwood location and were in the process of trying to expand. But despite all odds, we managed to survive the worst of the pandemic and never laid off not even one employee. We managed to stay afloat through these crazy and trying times and are still doing well thank God.
I will say that when my husband decided to take the leap from music to a food truck, I was nervous. But knowing him, he would make it work, and he did! He has a theory about jumping off a cliff and building the parachute on the way down, and he sure did that! He is a marketing genius, a visionary, and by far the most driven ambitious person I know.
Thankfully, and by the grace of God, we still have a successful, thriving business that we love and pour all our blood, sweat and tears into daily. We are blessed with amazing, loyal staff and the best customers!!
Contact Info:
- Email: vanessa@houseofmac.com
- Website: www.houseofmac.com
- Instagram: worldfamoushouseofmac, queenof_mac
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