Today we’d like to introduce you to Solange Comer.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Solange. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born in Brazil and come from a French-Italian family.. so I was exposed to many of the European cultures and foods at an early age. However, I grew up in the South Bay and have been a local for over 30 years. I have always wanted my own business, and have always had a passion for food (cheese!) and for making things pretty! (catering) I was a teacher for 22 years when I decided it was time to pursue another passion and try something different.
Growing up in the South Bay, I remembered the small mom and pop shops that used to be here and I loved how they connected our small community. I wanted to try and bring some of that small, family business back into the community I love so much. I knew this area needed a specialty cheese shop, but not just any shop.. something artisanal and personal all in one. I wanted a little European, a little beachy and a lot of me. When customers come into my shop, it becomes an experience! They can try before they buy… we teach, we taste, and we have fun!
Almost two years later, we are a thriving specialty, one stop cheese shop and we do a ton of catering. We have our weekly regulars and we have new customers still discovering us. It has been a journey for sure. It was a huge risk to leave a career that was dependable to venture into something completely different and unknown. But.. life is short, and I never want to regret the risks I was too afraid to take.
Has it been a smooth road?
Ha! I wish! I had so many struggles along the way of seeing my dream come true… I worked out my home for year just doing catering and saving every penny to open my shop. When that time finally came, I had many roadblocks with the city, build out and health department. There was a huge learning curve as I went through every step and every process. But it has all been worth it, and I still continue to learn something new everyday.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Cultured SLiCE story. Tell us more about the business.
We are a small, artisanal full-service cheese shop! We try to do a little of everything, including sandwiches, grab n go cheese boxes, private events and beer and cheeses pairings. I would say we are known for our cheese and charcuterie boards… our catering is very popular year round, but when it comes to the holidays, we are slammed!
One of my goals when opening CULTURED SliCE was to make sure that every customer that walked through my doors was greeted and treated like family. We are a small shop, in a small community and it’s the tight knit-family style businesses that help the keep the charm of South Bay. We encourage trying before buying, so when you step up to our cheese case, we are going to have some fun! We are here to teach, and taste and have a good time… buying cheese shouldn’t be intimidating and we never judge how much or how little you know about cheese or how little or how much you eat cheese!
I am extremely proud of our customer service and of my staff. I feel we all go above and beyond just talking about and selling cheese. We listen to our customers, and when something they have requested comes in or if we were out of their favorite and it’s back, we will personally call or text to let them know. For us, it’s not just about slinging cheese and being a monger, it’s about genuine care of our products, service and people. Proud to be a curd nerd!
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The great thing about this industry is that I really don’t think people will ever tire of cheese… people will still continue to entertain. Cheese, cheese boards, and all the accouterments that go with cheese are social foods. These products bring people together to gather and graze.
Contact Info:
- Address: 229 Pacific Coast Hwy
Hermosa Beach, CA 90254 - Website: culturedslice.com
- Phone: 4243908153
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: cultured_slice
- Facebook: cultured slice – cheese shop
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