Today we’d like to introduce you to Rolan Pongpuntara.
In 2014, Rolan, who was a pharmacy technician, began getting into of cold-pressed juices and their health benefits over conventional juicing. As these ideas diverged, she decided to open a small healthy eatery in Santa Monica, a place where the community could have the option of drinking cold-pressed juices and devouring a healthy burger or salad. The community lacked a restaurant like this, so filling the void was only natural.
In 2017, Rolan decided to venture off to Side Kitch, a catering and event concept, healing through food. Having started in the food industry at the age of 7, Rolan is able to combine her knowledge of the business and pharmacy background into a wholesome new service.
Backstory:
As a licensed pharmacy tech with 6 years of experience, Rolan developed a strong love of nutrition and started developing her popular cold-pressed juices. Over the next several years working on Chomp Eatery, she’s expanded that range into healthy eats that are both nutritious While at Chomp, she pioneered their catering and creative vision that landed the business clients from Buzzfeed to Netflix. In 2017, she officially launched her newest brainchild, Side Kitch.
Great, 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 truth is, nothing worth having is ever easy, and all the best things in life are the result of hard work and overcoming hardships. Ultimately, that’s what makes it all worth the struggle. I’ve come a long way since 2013. I had started a small juicery and was juicing from home and personally driving all over LA delivering to all my friends and family. In 2014, I officially started Chomp Eatery and Juice Station, turning a dry cleaner into a restaurant in the heart of Santa Monica. This experience was the most grueling for me.
When we first opened in April 2014, I would work very long shifts sometimes up to 17 hours. As a small business owner, I was responsible for everything. from washing dishes to bussing tables to managing all employees. In 2017, my ex – and business partner – parted ways and led to me venturing off and starting Side Kitch Catering. A year later, after bouncing from one industrial kitchen to the next, I’m ready to settle down and devote myself to making Side Kitch a successful catering company.
Please tell us about SIDE KITCH.
The name Side Kitch came to me after weeks of thought and meditation. With years of experience in nutrition, wellness, and running a kitchen, I wanted to heal people through food. When I’m in the kitchen, I focus on putting ingredients together that will benefit an individual. As a caterer, I offer a wide variety of diets and cuisines and my vision is to provide food that is not only delicious but makes people feel good too. For example, I use fresh herbs, balsamic lavender, lemon thyme and rosemary lemon butter. I’m very proud of being able to combine my two passions and that I’ve had so many people believe in me along the way.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite childhood memory is when I would hang out with my dad but at the same time we will be “working.” I cherish every moment of that because I got to hang out with him and work at the same time. Now, I enjoy “supply day” but I do it by myself. 🙁
Contact Info:
- Website: sidekitch.com
- Phone: 8184481966
- Email: [email protected]
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