We had the good fortune of connecting with Tara Torrence and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tara, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Risk taking/ how do you think about risks? What role has risk played in your life/career.

I like to think of risk as a challenge or an opportunity for success.  I wholehearted believe that our thoughts and words have extreme power so therefore, I never go into a situation that could be perceived as risky thinking about failure. I embrace uncertainly and see it as a necessary part of growth and progress!
Of course, a risk can result in multiple different outcomes but I only see one- success!!! I believe if you have a great idea/product/process and you put everything into it, there’s very little chance that things won’t work out in your favor!

And of course, If things don’t go as planned, there is a ALWAYS a lesson to be learned and I still consider that a win!

To share a bit about my professional background, I come from finance and real estate and in those fields, I’ve held various positions (Many at Fortune 500 companies) I was often surrounded by colleagues with decades of experience under their belt. In several of those positions, I had been perceived as the underdog (due to being younger than many of colleagues and less experienced) and sometimes heard from others “oh you’re not gonna make it”, “there’s no way you’ll  be at the top” “it’s gonna be hard”.  The grind and grit are in my blood and I never back down from a challenge. Being the underdog sort of motivates me in a way! 

What should our readers know about your business?
I have a really fun breakfast spot where just about every single piece of food we create is made from scratch! Our food is centered around buttermilk biscuits which are mixed by hand and baked fresh every single morning! I affectionately call our customers the “Biscuit Fam” as they have become like family to me! We are very passionate about creating the best possible experience and most amazing food for our biscuit fam members!

The idea for my business was born in my very own kitchen, baking biscuits for my family every weekend for breakfast!

I started my business in August of 2022.

Our story was built on an idea I had while sitting on the beach one day.. the best way I can describe the beginning is a true lightbulb moment where my vision became so clear to me… so much so that I designed the logo that evening and wrote down all the ideas and plans that were coming to me over the next several days (on vacation). I want every single person reading this to understand that anything in this world is possible so long as you dedicate the time and effort to make your dream a reality!

This past year and has been an incredible whirlwind (where I have grown my business nearly 400%) but certainly not without tons and tons of hours, retrying recipes over and over and lots of blood, sweat and tears! In the beginning, I didn’t have a single employee which means I was the cook, the baker, front of house, barista, dishwasher, and social media manager! Whew! Im exhausted thinking back to those days and I do think about them often (because I believe it’s super important to never forget where you came from). During this time, I was able to persevere and look past my exhaustion by staying locked in to my goal. 

I had tunnel vision and really just kept pushing as hard as I could!

 

Some people wonder why I didn’t hire anyone to start out… I chose to do this because at the time, I didn’t know just how successful the concept would be and although I didn’t have any qualms about that, I didn’t want to face laying anyone off if we weren’t busy enough to keep up with payroll!

After realizing we had something incredibly special, I was able to hire my first two employees within 3 weeks!

Through this journey, the biggest lesson  I’ve learned so far is that there is always a lesson in everyday, in every interaction, through every triumph and through every struggle. If you aren’t winning, you’re learning and that is still a win! It allows you to pivot or improve next time around!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Ohhhh that’s a great question and I am ready.

The first thing I would do is a big bus tour around the city. As cheesy as that may sound, I feel like it’s a nice way to take in the history of Philadelphia via a tour guide. I love theater so I would absolutely take them to see a show at the Academy of Music or the Walnut street theater.
True to my inner Philly foodie girl a lot of our time would be centered around food, I would have to take them for a cheesesteak at Angelo’s, ice cream at 1-900 Ice cream in Ardmore, Hopes cookies in Bryn Mawr, The Cheesecake Lady in Jenkintown and of course Redding terminal market to check out the many delicious stops inside (Hershel’s and Beilers are my personal favorites)

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would love to acknowledge the place in which we found our first home, Luckys Trading Company. I I was looking for a ghost kitchen and Chris Barnes (managing partner of Luckys Roadside Stand and Sunshine sandwich shop) had admittedly been simultaneously stalking my IG account! We set up a meeting (I brought biscuit samples of course) and I was offered the opportunity to lease a spot inside Luckys Trading company!! I have learned a ton from Chris and his management team. I am very greatful for that!  I want to thank my dedicated team members who have stood beside me through all of the growing pains and have helped shape The Biscuit Lady into what it is today!

Last but not least, I would like to give a special shout out to my husband,

St. Martin and my two precious daughters for all the sacrifices they have made during the past year as well. My husband has been holding down the fort on the home front (and helping lug in gigantic bags of flour week in and week out) so I could continue to develop my passion and grow my business.

Website: https://thatsmyjam3.com/

Instagram: TheBiscuitLady_Philly

Image Credits
Photo credit Hiromi Vandergoes Photography

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