Community Highlights: Meet Asha Starks of Hot Grease

Today we’d like to introduce you to Asha Starks.

Hi Asha, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m Asha Starks, founder of Hot Grease, a Black-owned, queer-owned Southern fish fry pop-up based in Santa Ana.

Hot Grease started at the intersection of memory, identity, and place. My family has been in Orange County since the 1960s, and growing up here, I was often the only Black person in the room. The Orange County I heard people talk about in the media and popular culture never quite reflected my experience, nor the stories my father and grandparents told about the communities they knew in Santa Ana and Buena Park.

As an adult, I spent more than a decade living in Georgia and Florida, where I was surrounded by Black culture in a way I hadn’t experienced growing up. Fish fries, cookouts, family gatherings, and Southern food traditions weren’t niche; they were simply part of everyday life.

When I moved back to Orange County in 2023, I had one of those moments where I thought, “Damn, I forgot it was like this.” I couldn’t find the food traditions I missed, but more than that, I couldn’t find many spaces that reflected the culture and sense of community I had come to value. At the same time, I kept thinking about the stories my family told about a different Orange County; one that included Black neighborhoods, Black businesses, and generations of people whose contributions are often overlooked.

So I started Hot Grease.

What began as a fish fry pop-up became something much bigger: a way to share Southern food traditions, create joyful gathering spaces, and remind people that Black Orange County has always existed. Through food, storytelling, and community events, we’re creating the kind of space I wish I’d had growing up while honoring the generations who came before me.

Since launching in 2025, Hot Grease has served thousands of customers across Southern California and been featured by major media outlets. But what I’m most proud of is that we’ve built a community around the simple idea that food can help people feel seen, connected, and at home in OC and LA

At its core, Hot Grease is about giving people a taste of something that feels both deeply personal and deeply collective; a piece of culture, history, and belonging that deserves to be celebrated.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road.

I launched Hot Grease as a newly divorced single mother of two without investors, a restaurant background, or a large financial safety net. Like many founders, I started with more vision than resources. There were plenty of moments where I was figuring things out in real time; from learning permitting requirements and food costs to hauling equipment across Southern California and washing dishes late into the night after an event.

One of the biggest challenges has been building a business that doesn’t fit neatly into a box. Hot Grease is a food business, but it’s also a cultural project, a community gathering space, and a platform for storytelling. Sometimes people understand the food immediately but take longer to understand the larger vision. I’ve had to learn how to communicate that what we’re really creating is an experience rooted in culture, connection, and belonging.

Financially, there have been challenges too. Like many small business owners, I’ve experienced periods where the business was growing while my personal finances felt incredibly uncertain. There were times when I was navigating housing issues, parenting responsibilities, and business growth simultaneously. Entrepreneurship can be lonely, and there are moments when the weight of every decision falls squarely on your shoulders.

At the same time, those challenges have forced me to become resourceful. I’ve participated in business accelerators, built relationships with mentors, secured grants, developed partnerships, and learned how to grow sustainably rather than chasing growth for growth’s sake.

Looking back, every obstacle has reinforced why Hot Grease matters. The support we’ve received from customers and community members has shown me that people aren’t just showing up for fish. They’re showing up because they’re hungry for connection, culture, and spaces where they feel welcome. That’s what keeps me going when things get hard.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Hot Grease?
Hot Grease is a Southern fish fry pop-up and cultural food brand based in Santa Ana, California. We specialize in authentic Southern fish fry traditions rooted in Black foodways, serving crispy fried fish, homemade tartar sauce, seasoned fries, hush puppies, sweet tea, and other dishes inspired by my family’s Southern roots.

What sets us apart is that we’re not trying to reinvent Southern food or make it trendy. We’re focused on honoring a tradition that has brought Black families and communities together for generations. When people come to a Hot Grease event, they’re getting more than a meal; they’re participating in a cultural experience.

Our poups often include educational zines, storytelling, community partnerships, and opportunities to learn about the history and traditions behind the food. We believe food can be a gateway to deeper conversations about culture, belonging, and community care.

We’re also deeply committed to reinvesting in our community. Through The Potlikker Line, a portion of every sale supports reproductive justice and mutual aid efforts. That commitment to moving resources (not just plates) is built into our business model.

What I’m most proud of is that we’ve created something that resonates with so many different people. Southern transplants tell us our food reminds them of home. Black customers tell us it feels familiar and affirming. People who have never been to a fish fry before tell us they’ve discovered a tradition they didn’t know existed. Somehow Hot Grease has become a meeting place for all of those experiences.

In just over a year, we’ve built partnerships with community organizations, breweries, brands, and cultural institutions, and earned recognition from major media outlets. But the accomplishment I’m proudest of is building a brand that stands for something bigger than food.

At its heart, Hot Grease is about preserving culture, creating joy, and making sure the stories of Black Southern communities (including those here in Orange County) continue to be shared, celebrated, and passed on to future generations.

As we grow, we’re expanding beyond pop-ups into packaged products, catering, and new experiences that allow more people to bring a little bit of that fish fry feeling home with them.

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I’ve come to think of risk differently over the years.

As a single mother, I don’t have the luxury of taking reckless risks. Every decision has consequences, not just for me, but for my children. So when I think about risk, I think less about gambling and more about choosing which uncertainty I’m willing to live with.

Starting Hot Grease was one of the biggest risks I’ve ever taken, but what’s funny is that I didn’t start with some grand entrepreneurial vision or unwavering confidence. In many ways, I started because I was exhausted.

I had recently returned to California after more than a decade in the South. I was rebuilding my life after a divorce, raising two young children, and trying to imagine what my future could look like. At the same time, the political climate was becoming increasingly difficult to navigate. The idea of organizing under this administration again, working in spaces where I constantly felt responsible for responding to racism, anti-Blackness, and attacks on vulnerable communities felt emotionally and physically exhausting.

My brother was actually one of the people who kept pushing me to pursue Hot Grease. I wasn’t fully convinced it would work. I wasn’t walking around saying, “This is definitely a business.” What I knew was that I missed the food, culture, and sense of community I’d experienced in the South, and I felt a deep desire to create something that reflected the stories and traditions I wasn’t seeing represented in Orange County.

Looking back, the risk wasn’t just starting a business. The risk was choosing to build something for myself instead of continuing down a path that no longer felt sustainable. It was trusting that creating joy, culture, and community could be just as meaningful as the work I’d done in other sectors.

What I’ve learned is that sometimes risk isn’t about confidence. Sometimes it’s about listening to the small voice that says there might be another way forward, even when you can’t yet see exactly where it leads.

Pricing:

• Fish Nugget Basket $20
• Quick Fix $15
• Hush Puppies $6
• Boiled Peanuts $5
• Mint Julep Arnold Palmer $6

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hotgreaseco.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/hotgreaseco
• LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/azstarks
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@hotgreaseco
• Yelp: https://m.yelp.com/biz/hot-grease-santa-ana

Image Credits
@diariesofafatty