Today we’d like to introduce you to Britany Vinson
Hi Britany, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hello!
I am Britany Vinson… Chef and Owner of Tomé! Tome is an acronym that stands for “The Ordinary Made Extraordinary.”
I am enjoying my journey as an entrepreneur in a field I am passionate about. I truly enjoy making people happy with FOOD! The opportunity to serve people with the creative art of cooking, seeing them smile and feel less stressed because of a meal or service we provided, is truly a blessing. I am giving ALL GLORY to GOD because I wouldn’t be where I am without his Grace, Love, and Guidance. My resume consists of a Bachelor’s Degree in Hospitality Administration from Stephen F. Austin State University, a Gourmet Cooking and Catering Degree from Ashworth University, and an Associate Degree in Culinary Arts from The Art Institute of Houston, where I graduated with Honors and a Chef Certification. I have more than a decade of experience in managing a restaurant.
In 2014, Tome went from a dream and vision on paper to a legal business. We started out only doing catering for parties/ events from 50 people to 1200 people. We started in a 500 sq. ft building, and in 2 years, we outgrew it and moved to a 3500 sq. ft kitchen. This vision has been to feed the multitudes just as Jesus fed the 5000 in the Bible. We strive to cook and serve in an Extraordinary way. We make 95% of all of our meals from scratch daily. In 2016, we expanded to add a drive-thru window for customers to order breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Over the last 10 years, we have evolved to feed the multitudes through many different avenues. We have two Brick-and-mortar restaurants, Catering services, 15 Vending machines, shipping meals, and School contracts. Our vending machines are unique as we do not sell processed foods, only homemade meals we make and sell in our express drive-thru! I am so grateful for the opportunities we have had over the past 10 years to serve our community, and I look forward to what God has in store for the future of Tomé.
“I know the plans I have for you, for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
JEREMIAH 29:11
“My only power and success comes from God.”
2 CORINTHIANS 3:5
I have stood on those scriptures for the past 20 years. Through Tomé, I will strive to fulfill my purpose by adding a twist to ordinary foods, making special days extraordinary, and positively impacting lives for the sake of Jesus Christ.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, it has not been a smooth road. I have had two big struggles:
1- Financial Struggles- The phrase “it takes money to make money” is so true! I have had to borrow money through loans to help grow my growing business. I do not like being in debt at all, but I know it is what I have to do to get where I am. I look forward to paying off all debt in the next few years.
2 – Staffing Struggles- Crag Groeschel says, “You can have control or growth, but you cannot have both.” This phrase has got me off the rat race of trying to do everything myself. It has taken time to find the right people for the right positions but it is one of the most important things to have in any business “strong, teachable, and hardworking leaders” to surround you and help you grow. I have been very blessed to have such a loyal team members who have been with me for 3-10 years.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am creative at heart and enjoyed many different things growing up. I played basketball, drew cartoons, and enjoyed cooking. I knew I would either be a professional basketball player or own my own restaurant. I get my love for cooking from my grandma. She taught me how to measure ingredients by sight, how to cook with love, and how to always make sure you cook enough to share. She is still alive at 96 years old, and she inspires me to continue to work hard to bring all my dreams to life, as she did not have the many opportunities we have today.
Many of the recipes we use in the business come from her. We specialize in cooking comfort food from scratch. We want you to be able to feel like you are eating at Grandma’s Kitchen when you come eat with us. We are known for our Chicken Spaghetti, Bacon Wrapped Chicken, Beef Tips & Rice, Fiesta Ranch Chicken Bowl, Grandma Brownies, and Broccoli Salad. These are some of our most popular items. It’s a funny story because I had never heard of Chicken Spaghetti until I moved to East Texas, and my best friend taught me how to make it.
I believe what sets us apart is the fact that we still cook a home-cooked meal for our customers. We do not buy pre-battered fish or tender. We hand batter our fish and chicken tender to order. We get all of our meat from a local butcher who cuts our meat to order. We hand-cut our tomatoes, bell peppers, and potatoes daily. We season and grill every piece of chicken breast from our kitchen. We truly strive to live up to our name to make ordinary food extraordinary and food you are proud to eat.
I am most proud of three things:
1- GROWTH: Seeing Tomé’s growth in the past 10 years is AMAZING. I never saw it getting this big, but God definitely had bigger plans than me to help us feed the multitudes in many different ways.
2-TEAM: To be able to impact the lives of the people God brings across my path is an amazing opportunity that I do not take lightly.
-I have had my best friend of 12 years, Ashley, come straight out of her cancer battle to help me start and grow Tomé. She put her vision on hold for 2-3 years to help me, and now, it is so rewarding to see her thrive in her own businesses and non-profits.
-To have Temi by my side for over 20 years between another restaurant and Tomé. He stuck with me in the good and bad and never gave up on me or the vision. To be able to help him work his way up from a dishwasher to a chef to a Kitchen manager is so rewarding. I am so proud of the man, husband, and father he has become.
-To be able to see Mrs Ricks come into this job by faith and obedience to God as her first job 6 years ago to now running the whole Catering / Client relations department as our Catering Manager.
– For Arlen to start cleaning restrooms and Offices for us at Tomé to be over the whole office as our Team Liasion. She is also cross-trained to work in 6 different positions in the company. So proud to see her growth.
3- AWARDS: for others to recognize your hard work means so much. Many days, I am so focused working that I never stop to appreciate the journey or how far we have come. Some of the amazing rewards we have received definitely help me appreciate the progress so much more!
Any big plans?
My biggest goal for the future is to franchise Tomé. I want to be able to have many of them across the US, especially in Georgia, where my family lives.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.EatTome.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomecatering/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tomecatering
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@EatTome1
