Rising Stars: Meet Briana Compton

Hi Briana, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started my business on my friend’s couch in 2018. I had been homeless and broke and was crashing at her place until I saved enough to move. I had worked in kitchens for about 8 or 9 years at that point and I knew I wanted my own, I just didn’t know my own what! Then one day someone said reconstruct an ice cream truck! It was like an idea that I couldn’t shake. So I just did what I know, I started cooking things at home and taking pictures and asking my friends questions. Before I knew it, I had a logo and my first small catering gig at a “Parenting For Liberation” seminar.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t been a smooth road, but growing never is. I was homeless when I first started Green Fairy. That in itself was a struggle that lasted until early 2020. Me and my son bouncing around from home to home, one side of the country to another, borrowing whatever kitchen I could to fill orders, borrowing money and still trying to sell myself while sinking what little money I had that I wasn’t saving to look for a place or spending trying feed and clothe my kid, into a business that wasn’t at the stage of profit. It’s still mind-boggling to me how I managed it all.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Well, I am a personal and event caterer. I have won the first place for best recipe in culinary school (a million years ago) at the Ecoball in Baltimore, Maryland. I worked for about a year at one of the best jobs I’ve ever had at Tavern restaurant in Brentwood, Ca. I’ve been in this industry about 12 years and I specialize in pastry but I’m honestly an amazing cook as well. I’m most proud of my longevity and connections in this business. I won’t say every job I’ve ever had has ended with sunshine and roses but I have more good stories than bad and I’ve achieved a network of other small business chefs that is pretty phenomenal. I’m a connector and I bring people together to make new connections and I love that. The thing that makes me unique is honestly my creativity and flavoring. I truly believe that food should always taste good FIRST. If the taste isn’t there then it’s just a beautiful disaster. All my colors and designs are abstract and beautiful because I believe in putting beautiful delicious things in the world, not perfect, but undeniably moving.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I’m still looking for a mentor myself at this point hahaha. I’m forged from the school of hard knocks and life lessons with the culinary field. But I say if you feel that click then grab it, soak up all the knowledge you can from that person because it will save you a lot of “oops” in a lot of situations. What worked for me was just not being afraid to fail. I’ve burned things, and lost things, failed orders and lost jobs, but I always let that be a lesson not a roadblock. What didn’t work in a recipe and how can I change it? What didn’t work in this part of my career and how can I change it? I learned early on I am an entrepreneur. I have a desire to do things my own way and that’s ok, so I set wheels in motion and did it myself. That’s always what’s worked best, one foot in front of the other and keep the knowledge I pick up along the way

Contact Info:

• Email: Thegreenfairyc@gmail.com
• Instagram: @thegreenfairyc