Community Highlights: Meet Sara STALLWORTH of Nite Kravens LLC, Nite Kravens Bakery LLC & Mama Sara Express Kitchen LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara STALLWORTH.

Hi Sara, 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?
Sara Ann Moton was born in Compton, California and raised in Lynwood, California, where she attended Lynwood USD schools. After marriage, she became Sara Ann Moton-Stallworth. She has five children and 10 grandkids. Sara began making cakes for the family holiday dinners. Later, she started experimenting with different recipes of foods and desserts to feed her family and friends. In 2019, Sara was encouraged by her 8 year old granddaughter Laylonnie Harris to write a cookbook. Sara is from black heritage and Laylonnie was born biracial of Mexican and black heritage. Laylonnie lives in the household of mexican heritage. Laylonnie didn’t care for mexican cuisines, she said they mostly were soup cuisines. If Laylonnie father of black heritage didn’t frequently visit the hamburger stand then Laylonnie would prefer to just go to sleep without eating. In 2022, After Sara finished writing Laylonnie a cookbook. Sara was in the process of printing the cookbook out and placing them in a binder when she had to stop printing to have a parent conference for her daughter Kayla Stallworth over the Internet because the state of California was still taking precautions for the coronavirus pandemic. Sara meet with Kayla’s teacher Cecilia Caballero after parent conference. Cecilia Caballero is an author and publisher for Belle Lune Publishing House. Sara was asked to contact Cecilia if she would like to have her cookbook published. In June 2022, Sara and Cecilia met in person to have an interview. Sara was accepted as the newest author for her first cookbook by Belle Lune publishing house. Sara first cookbook release party was held at Midnight Books for her Back To Basics Holiday Edition Cookbook December 20, 2022 in Whittier California.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Starting a business from scratch, has its obstacles and challenges some of them are having a team that can deal with flexibility from working indoor and outdoor vendor events. sometimes there’s a lot of anxiety with transforming from one event to the other. The weather could also be a challenge when changing from one temperature to the other when dealing with food and the vendor event.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
On July 2022, Sara Stallworth gave herself a completion party to pat herself on the back for completing her cookbook. Sara served assorted cheesecake jars and assorted cheesecake swirl cupcakes to her guests. Sara posted her assorted cheesecake jars and assorted cheesecake swirl cupcakes on her social media page. The next day Sara was contacted through Instagram by the owner of Deluxcuts Barbershop Derek Hodoh a former friend from her high school years. To be a vendor for her assorted cheesecake jars and assorted cheesecake swirl cupcakes that she had posted on her instagram page (Nite_Kravens) for his barbecue competition. On August 2022, Back To Basics sold 400 cheesecake jars for this event. That’s when Sara realize that she wanted to take her vision a little bit further by becoming a food vendor to create a brand that offers delicious treats to awaken everyone’s taste buds and generate additional income from the comfort of her home. Sara created a name for her business and contacted her niece Jessica Carey, who specializes in graphic design to create her logo for Nite Kravens. Sara didn’t know where to begin so she started scrolling down her Instagram page and ran across Eventbrite and applied for a ticket believing that she was gonna be a vendor for that day. Sara packed up all her necessities and went to the event, only to find out it was just a ticket to attend and win a gift, with disappointment in her heart, Sara asked the Lady (Zoila Callejas) in charge well do you have room for me. Zoila responded yes I do just go right over there and set up and see me at the end of the event, it was the most welcoming comment Sara could’ve heard. This was the first day of a long welcoming journey with the Pop Up Shop. Two weeks later, Sara learned how to properly schedule a vendor event on Instagram where Sara joined Maria the owner of Un Pokito De Todo Markets in the city of Lynwood California, where Sara later learn that Zolia and Maria Callejas we’re sisters after joining several vendor events, In June 2023, they joined forces to establish a collective storefront, providing a home for over 40 small business owners. This innovative space allowed Nite Kravens to showcase our first Back To Basic Holiday Edition Cookbook that was published December 2022., and our delicious entrées and desserts. Nite Kravens expanded into three different businesses, Nite Kravens LLC offers 33 different flavors of assorted cheesecake jars, 13 different flavors of sugar substitute (Splenda) assorted cheesecake jars and 5 different flavors of assorted cheesecake swirl cupcakes. Nite Kravens Bakery LLC offers, baked goods, pastries, and treats. Mama Sara Express Kitchen LLC offers homemade comfort foods that we cater for all occasions from our Back To Basics Cookbook, within four years since joining their community of vendors with the Callejas sisters. Sara Stallworth owner of Back To Basics Holiday Edition Cookbook, Nite Kravens LLC, Nite Kravens Bakery LLC and Mama Sara Express Kitchen LLC now cater to public events and private parties. Sara Stallworth has been seen on multiple platforms. Just to name a few, The City of Lynwood Holiday Events, Lynwood Jr. Knight Football Games, Los Angeles Times Festivals Of Books, Belle Lune Books Literacy & Career Festivals, Whittier, California Christmas Parade even in 2023, Sara participated in Deluxcuts Barbershop Barbecue Competition at T. Mayne Thompson Park, Bellflower Ca. for side dishes, taking first place for Potato Salad, Macaroni and Cheese and second place for Bake Beans overall winning the first place Championship Trophy. As Sara reflect on her journey, Sara is filled with gratitude to God for the opportunity to create cookbooks that are home-cooked cuisines from the heart to nourish our bodies and multiple businesses to pass down to her children and the next generation to come.

What do you like and dislike about the city?
I think that we should learn to take time to focus and breathe and run our race, with patience. The world wasn’t built in one day. Learn to keep your rhythm and calm your spirit and quietness and patience will be your strength. Just know that God is in control and continue pressing forward.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nitekravens.wixsite.com/nitekravens
• Instagram: @Nite_Kravens
• Facebook: @nite_Kravens.bakery
• Other: @mama.saras_express

Image Credits
@Nite_Kravens
@Nite_Kravens.Bakery
@Mama.Saras_Express
@Bellelunebooks