Today we’d like to introduce you to Sheila Blue.
Sheila, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I lost my only brother, SSG Mark C. Wells, serving in Afghanistan and he left behind a wife, a son and an unborn daughter. In my grief I wanted a way to give back to those who have lost a loved one in service to our country and to make beauty out of the ashes of grief. My chicken pot pie was always my brother’s favorite dish. He would call for the recipe over and over. I decided to start selling my chicken pot pie and giving back the proceeds to veterans and their families through different organizations. My pies sold out week after week and requests for more flavors began coming in. A year later, I was able to open a small pie shop and cafe so that we could make and give back more. My husband has been a first responder for more than 35 years and since opening my cafe my three sons have chosen to serve our country and communities as well with military and civil service careers. Giving back to the families who make sacrifices daily to provide safety and service to our country is at the heart of everything we do at Victory Pie Company.
With the support and incredible community that we have been surrounded by, we have had the honor supporting countless military and first responders and their families.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
This journey has definitely had its challenges and obstacles. My background was in the legal field and then I had stayed home for more than 12 years at that time to raise my sons. I had no experience in business or the food industry, other than I loved to cook and serve. Learning how to run and business and then how to grow and lead a team have been some of the most challenging and greatest lessons of my time as a business woman. I actually hadn’t realized how much being a stay at home mom had prepared me for business until I was in the thick of it. Seeking out great business coaching as well as surrounding myself with other women in business who could speak into my life and teach me what I didn’t know.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As a restauranteur, I pride myself on quality. Making quality pies as well as meals from scratch and using ingredients when they are at their freshest and in season is what I am known for. Every pie is hand made. The crusts, the fillings, all of it. I am most proud of the quality of the ingredients I use as well as the excellence with which we make and serve every dish here. I tell my team when they join us, that if I had just one more meal with my brother, once more chance to sit and eat and talk with him, what would it look like? That is how we make and serve each and every plate and pie here in our cafe. Our customers matter to us and we believe it shows in our food and our service.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
I wish I had asked more restaurant owners specifically what it was like to run their restaurants and possibly even worked in one for at least 6 months before jumping in with both feet The reason for this is just to have learned some of the little “unseen” things it takes behind the scenes to keep a machine like this running. Styles of leadership and working with so many different personalities in a fast paced and sometimes highly charged environment is a skill all its own. I would have also liked to have learned more about the business and administrative side of business so that I wasn’t learning both at the same time and could focus on a bit more detail.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.victorypiecompany.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/victorypiecompany/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victorypiecompany
