Episode 455: Chef Pop of Soul Bowls - Hartford, CT. What [THE SMELL] is BIG MAC ROLLS? A Culinary Journey from Truck Driver to Soul Food Chef [MASTER]. Chipotle BBQ Tender My Bowl Baby. LOBSTER KRACK?

Welcome to another episode of the JUSTIN AND THE [FOOD] ENTREPRNEURS Show, where our host Justin Bizzarro, delves into the inspiring journey of Chef Pop, a former truck driver who turned the challenges of life into a successful soul food business. Starting from humble beginnings and a childhood aspiration to become a chef, Chef Pop's story is one of perseverance, passion, and an unyielding quest for freedom. Throughout this episode, Chef Pop candidly shares his experiences, from observing his hardworking parents to his early job learnings in various restaurant operations. A pivotal turning point comes when he and his wife face personal loss, pushing him to rethink his career as a truck driver and to follow his culinary dreams more resolutely. As COVID-19 hit, Chef Pop took a leap of faith, launching his food venture from home that quickly gained traction with its unique, evolving daily menus that captivated his community. Embracing soul food's deep roots and the power of community, Chef Pop didn't just build a restaurant but started creating an industry around soul food bowls, with a keen eye on scalability and innovation. His journey reflects the importance of resilience, teamwork, and the impact of compassionate leadership, emphasizing how love and energy infused in food can overcome hurdles and fuel success. Tune in to immerse yourself in a story that goes beyond food – about building meaningful relationships, staying true to values, and having a vision that creates not just a thriving business but a legacy.   IG: @soulbowls Location: 489 Whethersfield Ave, Hartford, CT Location: 1142 New Britain Ave West Hartford CT    Entrepreneur interested in being on the show: https://calendly.com/justin-bizzarro/podcast   Hosted By: Justin Ryan Bizzarro (IG: @justinbizzarro and LinkedIn: FOLLOW ME )   Who is Justin Ryan Bizzarro? – Justin Bizzarro is a serial food, restaurant, technology, media and marketing entrepreneur, who helped build a 24-year-old group of food and restaurant related businesses, he created with his father and business partners out of his family’s basement, in 1998. He is a highly desired business management, personal and athlete growth, free market, food diversity, and entrepreneurial leadership speaker. Justin’s expertise are in human growth, motivation, leadership and management development, health foods and beverages, global lean manufacturing facilities, vertically integrating businesses, food marketing and advertising, supply chain creation and management, direct to consumer fulfillment, transportation and distribution, personal brand building, restaurant development and construction, and entrepreneur acceleration. Justin received his BA in International Business and Management from Dickinson College, in 2002, and his MBA from University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, in 2014. He is currently pursuing his Master of Divinity in Leadership from Denver Seminary. His leadership and entrepreneur podcasts have positively impacted millions of people across the globe.   Our [ELITE] Food, Farming, Hospitality, Nutrition, and Beverage Entrepreneurs Community: www.gorillabrave.love  Blog Anyone?: GorillaBrave Blog Fellowship and Food: GorillaBrave Events & Summits Private [FREE and CONFIDENTIAL] Facebook Group: GorillaBrave Troop Group Facebook Business Page: The Gorilla Face Place On Instagram: GorillaBrave on Instagram The Apparel Store: GorillaBrave Drips Wanna Link Up: GorillaBrave on Linkedin GorillaBrave Group on Whoop: COMM-473D96   Free Podcast.  No Advertisements.  The stories of Food, Beverage, Farming, Hospitality, and Nutrition Entrepreneurs and how their failures led to the successes in their lives and in their business.  What does the future have in store for the food, beverage, and nutrition entrepreneur?   JUSTIN AND THE [FOOD] ENTREPRENEURS Email: [email protected] Instagram: @justinandthefoodentrepreneurs ( #foodentrepreneurs )   All music is scored by host or royalty free.