EP#2: From Cowboys Kitchen to Twerk City Tacos: Jamar Seay's Journey of Resilience and Flavor
Jul 30, 2024Episode 2
Sophia Yvette & Jamar Seay
What makes Jamar Seay with Twerk City Tacos a good neighbor?
How does someone transition from cooking for the Cowboys to becoming a beloved taco aficionado? Meet Jamar Seay, the culinary talent behind Twerk City Tacos, who shares his incredible journey with us. Fueled by his passion for authentic street tacos and driven by a longing for the flavors of his California roots, Jamar turned a pandemic challenge into a thriving pop-up taqueria. Listen as he recounts the trials and triumphs of starting his own business, the mental and physical hurdles he overcame, and his unwavering love for food that keeps him going.
But Jamar's story isn't just about tacos. It's about resilience and rediscovery. From life's curveballs to finding solace in the kitchen, Jamar opens up about the personal hardships that shaped his path to culinary success. Beyond his business, he chats about his love for movies, art, music, and his adventures exploring Texas with his dog. This episode offers a heartfelt glimpse into the life of a passionate entrepreneur who turned a dream into a local sensation. Tune in for an inspiring conversation that serves up more than just delicious tacos.
What makes Jamar Seay with Twerk City Tacos a good neighbor?
How does someone transition from cooking for the Cowboys to becoming a beloved taco aficionado? Meet Jamar Seay, the culinary talent behind Twerk City Tacos, who shares his incredible journey with us. Fueled by his passion for authentic street tacos and driven by a longing for the flavors of his California roots, Jamar turned a pandemic challenge into a thriving pop-up taqueria. Listen as he recounts the trials and triumphs of starting his own business, the mental and physical hurdles he overcame, and his unwavering love for food that keeps him going.
But Jamar's story isn't just about tacos. It's about resilience and rediscovery. From life's curveballs to finding solace in the kitchen, Jamar opens up about the personal hardships that shaped his path to culinary success. Beyond his business, he chats about his love for movies, art, music, and his adventures exploring Texas with his dog. This episode offers a heartfelt glimpse into the life of a passionate entrepreneur who turned a dream into a local sensation. Tune in for an inspiring conversation that serves up more than just delicious tacos.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Sophia Yvette.
Speaker 2:
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a taco truck? Surprisingly, one might be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing you to your neighbor Jamar, with Twerk City Tacos. Jamar, how are you doing today?
Speaker 3:
I'm very good, Sophia. How are you? Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2:
Great Well, we're excited to learn all about you and your business. Tell us about your company.
Speaker 3:
So basically, it's a mini pop-up taqueria Born during the pandemic. I moved here from California to cook for the Cowboys in like March of 2020. And since I moved here from California to cook for the Cowboys in like March of 2020. And since I moved here, you know, three weeks later the pandemic started, I missed all the food from back home, I missed all the street tacos specifically, and just started practicing, trying to make them the way I remember them. And, yeah, I just started making videos, posting them online, and people would ask me where I got it from and I just tell them that I made it at the house. And that's kind of how it began.
Speaker 2:
You know, for the most part, it's like you read my mind, because my next question was how did you get into this business?
Speaker 3:
Oh word.
Speaker 2:
Well for such an interesting type of industry that you work in. What are the myths or misconceptions in your industry, if there are any?
Speaker 3:
I feel like being an entrepreneur is extremely hard. It's challenging mentally and physically. Mentally, because anytime you create something, you want to yield the maximum results and you want people to like it and you want it to take off you see other people's brands taking off. You have to keep yourself in check. Life happens the way it happens and you can only control what you build. Physically it's hard too, because normally you're by yourself, however big you're trying to be like. For me, I wanted to kind of appear to be like a mini restaurant. So I didn't have a mini restaurant, I didn't have a food trailer and, um, yeah, that started getting hard, like the more popular the food kind of became and just trying to, you know, satisfy the different customers that. But they wanted the food, but they didn't know it was just me, you know, running running around my house trying to cook the food.
Speaker 2:
Definitely. Well, with all this running around that you're doing outside of work, what do you like to do for fun?
Speaker 3:
I love watching movies. I love eating other people's food. Um, I have a dog that I love. I walk him all the time. We take our little journeys exploring Texas, you know um what else? Very into art. I love art, all forms of art, whether it be music or, you know, just actual paintings or sculptures. Like checking out that kind of stuff. A lot of music, for sure, that's a big thing for me.
Speaker 2:
So Okay, okay. Well, it's good to talk about all the positives, but let's change gears for a minute. Can you describe one hardship or life challenge that you rose above and can now say because of it, you're better and stronger? When I say that, what immediately comes to mind?
Speaker 3:
Man, this is getting deep quick. So I guess, to answer your previous question, how I became a chef I wasn't cooking at the time, I was another form of entrepreneur I'll say that Ended up getting in a little bit of trouble and that kind of you know, humbled me, kind of, got my attention. It helped me kind of focus on, I guess, what gifts I had that I wasn't really using, you know, and I've really always been into food. So I just didn't know how to, like you know, actually execute uh meals or whatever. But yeah, I just, you know, kind of went through my whatever I had to go through and, uh, cooking became like kind of like a safe haven for me.
Speaker 3:
It kind of helped me just kind of disappear from like distraction and you know have like another form of art to kind of like pour myself into and you know just learn and you know be a part of form of art to kind of like pour myself into and you know just learn and you know be a part of really, um, it's definitely a special community.
Speaker 3:
So I feel like you know, being a chef is there's a whole underworld about being a chef that you know only people would know about if you work in the kitchen. But, um, yeah, that's kind of how everything started and just it kind of became like an addiction type thing, because I was creating this food and you know people would like it, and I just had to learn how to scale a business and how to do all the different things I wanted to have happen for it, like build a website or, you know, do my advertising and marketing. Like I couldn't afford all that stuff just from being an entrepreneur, so I had to teach myself how to do it and, yeah, like that's definitely been the highlight for me for sure, coming out of a negative situation.
Speaker 2:
Wow. Well, it sounds like you've made the best of the situation that you were in, but please tell our listeners one thing they should remember about Twerk City Tacos.
Speaker 3:
Please tell our listeners one thing they should remember about Twerk City Tacos. Twerk City Tacos taste as good as they look. I love it. I mean I want to stop so many times, just from, you know, frustration or whatever it may be, but I feel like I personally I love food so much and I know that there's other people out there like me that appreciate, you know, good food that's been made with care and, uh, consideration, and so I just feel determined I'm like man, I have to, you know, go global with it. And you know I got a good friend of mine that's kind of helping me.
Speaker 3:
Sorry, that's my dog. I have a good friend, a good friend of mine that's helped me take it, um, take my brands overseas. So I've been kind of focused on that, just kind of creating just like a bigger umbrella to kind of, you know, house my, my entire brand. You know, with my tacos, my I'm planning on doing like a custom chef coats and, you know, custom aprons and cutlery, silverware, all that stuff. Like I definitely want to put my footprint in the, you know, the food and beverage game.
Speaker 2:
so yeah, okay, and how can our listeners learn more about twerk city tacos?
Speaker 3:
uh, you can check me out on instagram or facebook, um, at instagramcom slash twerk city tacos or facebookcom slash twerk city, tacos. Um, I'm pushing and promoting all the time. I have pop-ups all the time throughout dallas. So I'm actually traveling back to california for my first, my first official booking, uh, coming up here pretty soon, so I'm really excited about that. Um, but, yeah, just uh, follow me on social media and you know I'll try to keep you, keep you up to speed as much as I can as a as I you know, kind of lay out everything okay, well, jamar, I really appreciate you being on the show.
Speaker 2:
We wish you and your business the best moving forward thank you, sophie, I appreciate you.
Speaker 1:
Thank you for having me thank you for listening to the good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpfriscocom. That's gnpfriscocom, or call 469-221-9345.
