Today we’d like to introduce you to Yasmine Wahab.
Hi Yasmine, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Well, I started my career by accomplishing my biggest dream at the time – working in the entertainment/studio industry after graduating from college. I landed a job at Paramount Pictures working on marketing campaigns for some of the top releases in the non-theatrical arena then made my way to overseeing all theatrical marketing campaigns in Canada followed by working at Warner Bros where I managed marketing for home theatre releases. The thrill of working on a studio lot was surreal and one of my favorite memories. I slowly started pivoting to tech where I got an amazing opportunity to craft a white glove hospitality program and grow brand sponsorships at Dolby. While there I had the chance to work with some of the biggest brands in entertainment and with The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences and Television Academy on some of the biggest shows in Hollywood such as the Oscars and Emmys. Along with other partnership deals, I worked to bring Dolby tech into the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures (the first film museum in LA!) and hosted World Premieres at The Dolby Theatre.
The work was thrilling, but after 14+ years in the corporate world, I knew there was more to my story. When the pandemic hit, I tapped into what always brought me joy and inspiration – cooking & baking. With a little down time (and because I cannot sit still), I started a food blog to share my and my family’s favorite recipes. I started to see my recipes make it onto people’s dinner tables and felt a sense of community. During this time, food pop-ups were becoming popular, so I started to partner with other local food vendors and sold my famous banana bread with pecans and chocolate chips by the slice. As it grew popularity it opened my eyes to a whole new potential for a side hustle. Food has a way of bringing people together, and after a long pandemic where people were separated from their loved ones, I wanted to create something that would bring people together (safely of course) to regain that human connection and spread some joy. I always knew I wanted to start my own business and given I was at a pivotal point in my life the timing felt right. I dedicated a lot of time and energy, before and after my full-time job, to making my dream into a reality.
I launched The Seed on November 5, 2021, selling gourmet appetizer and dessert boards for all types of events and custom grazing stations for larger parties. The support was overwhelming, and every order felt like I was on the right path. As the business grew and after much thought, planning, and saving, I decided to step away from my full-time job and jump both feet in to take on The Seed full-time. I am proud to say that within one year, we’ve expanded our appetizer and dessert options from only 4 to now 13, grown our customer base, obtained five partnerships with local businesses and added a roster of corporate clientele such as Amazon, Neiman Marcus, Paramount Pictures, Saks Fifth Ave, Beauty Bio, to name just a few.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road to entrepreneurship hasn’t always been easy. As a person who for most of her life chose the safe road, it has taken a certain amount of courage, belief, and grit to leave a comfortable job to pave my own path. I’ve learned a lot along the way, and I am grateful for the invaluable lessons in both life and in business. For example, I’ve always been great at juggling multiple things at once but owning your own company means juggling on a whole other level, learning to prioritize, and not sweating the small stuff. Especially in the beginning, I was a one-woman show where I managed everything from sourcing groceries and creating the boards, to sales, marketing, partnership outreach, obtaining licenses, and delivering the boards — all while fighting inflation. It tested me in many ways, but it also gave me a creative outlet to express myself through food and seeing the joy on people’s faces when they receive our boards is what makes it all worth it. I did, however, realize that I cannot grow this business doing everything myself, so we slowly hired a delivery service and help to assist with larger events and prep. What has been incredibly helpful is that I adopted this mindset from the start of my business that I would never do anything that didn’t fill me with joy. It’s that joy in what we do that sets the intention and energy that we put out every day. We want our customers to feel that love and joy with every bite. It’s thrilling to build and nurture something with so much love and watch it grow before your eyes. We’ve truly poured our blood, sweat, and tears (of joy) into this little seed and allowed it to nourish our vision and today, we stand on a solid foundation that we are so proud of with a supportive community that is only growing and allowing us to do what we love every day.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
At The Seed, we specialize in making gourmet and locally sourced appetizer and dessert boards for order and curate custom grazing tables. We are based in Van Nuys and offer everything from cheese & charcuterie, farm-fresh crudités, seasonal fruit boards, an epic bagel board, mini sandwiches, and various dessert options such as chocolate-covered strawberries, cookie boards ranging from chocolate chunk cookies with sea salt to rose tea and linzer cookies which we bake fresh in-house. We also create seasonal cookie boards for various holidays such as Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, Christmas etc. and they’ve been incredibly popular.
We believe we specialize in taking the stress and hassle out of planning a get-together and making it a simple and seamless process from ordering to delivery. Our show-stopping and drool-worthy boards elevate the entertaining experience and bring a sense of modern luxury into our customer’s homes without them lifting a finger.
Our mission is simple — it’s to bring people together over an array of high-quality food while supporting other small businesses and our local farmers for the incredible work that they do. We take pride that most of the produce on our boards are hand-picked weekly and at the peak of its season from the local farmer’s market and bringing our customers the finest ingredients made in small batches from various small businesses. In addition, our packaging is eco-friendly, re-usable, and recyclable without harming the planet and we offer free delivery for all orders within LA county.
Over the last year, we’ve partnered with five local businesses from Bliss Beach, French Florist, Crumbles Patisserie, Arnett Farms, and Cafecita Coffee for special holiday promotions to bring their offering to our customers and vice versa. Another great way to honor our mission and support our local community. More partnerships are currently in the works!
What’s next?
We have come so far in such a short period of time and have been overwhelmed by the support that we’ve had and how our offerings has been received. This year alone, we have big plans to roll out new offerings and further expand new and current partnerships with local businesses to make our boards accessible to more people. Our customers are at the heart of what we do therefore, we strive to always make them part of our decision-making process when it comes to new offerings we are considering. Their needs and feedback inspire us to continue to provide a service that enhances the joy of entertaining and make their life easier. We are looking forward to The Seed’s budding future!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.theseedca.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theseedca/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSeedCa
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@theseedca
Image Credits
Felicia Lasala
