We’re looking forward to introducing you to Dolores Allen-Flakes & Marcus Flakes. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Dolores & Marcus, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What do you think others are secretly struggling with, but never say?
Many people quietly struggle with the weight of everyday household chores but rarely admit it. There’s a sense of shame in saying, “I can’t keep up,” as if managing a home should come naturally or effortlessly. The truth is, behind closed doors, even the most accomplished individuals feel overwhelmed by the invisible labor of cooking, cleaning, and organizing.
Marcus said, “Dolores and I know this struggle firsthand; we live it too. Like so many others, we juggle family, work, and the endless cycle of chores, and some days it feels like pure survival. Marcus witnessed his parents go through the struggle as they got older. That’s exactly why I created Pantri App. We started the journey together and believe that freedom begins at home. Our vision is to redefine what it means to manage a household by creating a system where you can “deposit chores and withdraw freedom.
By acknowledging that these struggles are universal, not personal failings, we open the door to a healthier, more honest conversation. We want people to know it’s okay to say, “I need help.” In fact, that’s where innovation begins by transforming hidden struggles into shared solutions. Pantri App isn’t just about efficiency, it’s about restoring dignity, balance, and joy to the everyday lives of families and individuals alike.”
Can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers and tell them a bit about what you do, your brand or organization and what makes it interesting/special/unique?
We’re Marcus and Dolores Flakes, husband and wife, executive chefs, and founders who built our lives and our businesses around food, family, and community. Our story is rooted in kitchens, where recipes weren’t just meals but memories, and where we both discovered that food has the power to connect people in profound ways.
Marcus said, “I first honed my skills by running a full state of California culinary program while serving in the Army, where discipline, precision, and creativity had to work hand in hand. I also built Marcos Pepper Grill, restaurant turned food truck during the pandemic.”
Dolores said, “I trained as a chef in Chicago after studying culinary arts and business management, blending my love of food with a sharp eye for strategy and design. I ran my catering business for 8 years while working full-time in the oil & gas industry. During the pandemic, I was laid off and pivoted by starting my pizza company, Build a Pizza. Marcus and I eventually crossed paths while managing our businesses at Cloud Kitchen. Where our shared passion for food and entrepreneurship sparked both a partnership and a love story.
What makes our journey unique is that we’ve always worn many hats at once: chefs, entrepreneurs, parents, and partners. We know what it means to juggle long hours in the kitchen with the demands of raising a family, and we’ve learned to survive, and thrive by leaning on each other. That balance of grit and grace is what shapes everything we do.
Our latest chapter, Pantri App, grew out of those lived experiences. It’s our way of transforming the challenges we’ve faced into solutions for others. But at the heart of it all, we’re still chefs who believe food is love, family is everything, and freedom at home is worth fighting for.”
What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
Dolores said, “What often breaks the bonds between people isn’t a lack of love or care, it’s the weight of unspoken burdens. In households, that burden is usually the invisible labor of chores. Studies show that nearly 65% of household work still falls disproportionately on women, and that arguments about chores are one of the top three causes of relationship stress in families. It’s not the dishes or the laundry themselves that cause distance, it’s the resentment, exhaustion, and silence that build up when those tasks feel endless and unfairly distributed.”
Marcus said, “At Pantri App, we believe what restores bonds is honesty, balance, and shared solutions. Our mission is to create a system where families can “deposit chores and withdraw freedom.” By making invisible labor visible, and by offering tools to share, delegate, and celebrate progress, we help households move from survival mode to thrive together.
When people feel supported instead of overwhelmed, they have more energy for connection. Freedom at home isn’t just about a cleaner kitchen or folded laundry, it’s about restoring dignity, joy, and the time to sit down together, laugh, and remember why family matters in the first place.”
What do you believe is true but cannot prove?
Marcus said, “we believe success is reachable, but we cannot prove it. Not yet.
Our journey has been full of short-lived wins and long-haul lessons. We’ve built businesses, closed them, pivoted, and started again. And through it all, our tenacity has never wavered. We know what it takes to be successful, we’ve studied it, lived parts of it, and continue walking toward it, even in our 50s.”
Dolores mentions, “We listen to CEOs share stories of failure after failure before they found their breakthrough. We nod, because we understand. But proving it for ourselves, that’s the part we’re still working on.”
Marcus continues, “As African Americans, we know that society often says the path to success is harder for us. And in many ways, it is. But we also carry the wisdom of our mothers, who taught us to believe in divine timing and purpose. Dolores mom, Lu Ann Allen (RIP), used to tell her, “When it’s your time, it’s your time.” my mom, Barbara Davis, reminds us often, “What’s for you, is for you.
Those words are our compass. It reminds us that success isn’t just about external validation, it’s about staying the course, showing up with integrity, and believing that what we’re building matters.
We know we’re successful in our own minds. We feel it in our resilience, in our creativity, in the way we uplift others. But can we prove it? That’s the answer we’re still waiting to write.”
What has been one of the hardest challenges you’ve faced—and what did you learn from it?
Marcus said, “One of the hardest challenges was closing my business and stepping into corporate America as a military veteran. After running a full culinary program in the Army and later building my own venture, I believed I could simply “fit in” to a corporate structure. What I discovered instead was that my entrepreneurial spirit and leadership style didn’t always align with that world. It was a humbling season, but it taught me resilience, adaptability, and the importance of creating spaces where veterans and entrepreneurs alike can thrive on their own terms.”
Dolores said, “The hardest challenge was closing my business, but the lesson was different. It meant finding the courage and strength to start over, to rebuild, and to keep pursuing my dreams even when the path forward wasn’t clear. That experience became a turning point, proving that failure isn’t the end, it’s the foundation for reinventing.
Together, our challenges shaped the way we lead today. It gives us empathy for others who feel like they’re “starting over” and fueled our belief that freedom, whether in business, at home, or in life, comes from creating systems that support people when they need it most.”
Are you doing what you were born to do or what you were told to do?
Dolores said, “I believe we’re doing what we were born to do!
It started in my mother’s kitchen. I was the big sister who loved to explore the ingredients she rarely used and cooked for my siblings, then two sisters and one brother, now three sisters and three brothers. I took cooking classes in middle school and learned recipes like Monkey Bread at age 12. I’d make desserts and dishes for family gatherings, always trying to perfect them. The joy of bringing food to the table and seeing my family light up, that’s when I knew.
Later, when I started D’s Family Kitchen and Build a Pizza, it was built on the foundation of Family, Food, Friends, and Love. That wasn’t just a tagline, it was a reflection of who I’ve always been. Culinary isn’t just my career; it’s my calling. I injected this into my three children, who love to cook now as adults. I used to tell them when they were younger, we have everything at home to cook or bake what we want, pull out the ingredients! This is the foundation of the Cart-to-Table at Pantri App, but with help!
Marus said, “My path was different, but just as destined. My parents, Phillip Flakes Jr., and mom, named me Marcus Aurelius after the Roman emperor, believing I was born for greatness. They encouraged me to pursue college and a traditional career, but I chose to serve my country through the military instead. That’s where I discovered my passion for food, running a full culinary program and realizing that cooking wasn’t just a skill. It was a way to serve, to lead, and to create.
Even when I tried to walk away from it, thinking culinary wasn’t a “big career,” the art kept calling me back. I returned to college for my bachelor’s degree in culinary management and later earned a master’s in public health. That’s when I began refining my craft in a more strategic way, combining creativity with systems that could truly support people.
My four children watched that journey unfold. Now, as adults, they’re carving out their own paths, laying stones toward careers and lives that reflect their values. Through my experience, I taught them that where you think you’re supposed to be may not be where you’re destined to be. Again, going back to what my mother says, “What’s for you, is for you.”
Pantri App was born from the skills I gained through culinary arts and public health. It’s more than a business, it’s the blueprint for household freedom, built from a life of service, creativity, and the belief that purpose always finds its way home.
We’ve both had moments where we were told to do something else. But our hearts knew better. We were born to feed, to create, to connect, and now, through Pantri App, we’re building something that honors that purpose every single day.”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://pantri-app.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pantriapp
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pantriapp
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PantriApp/
Image Credits
Photos Credits:
ETC Studios by Tawana Cox
