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

Hi Tanisha, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I have always loved cooking, I wanted to share my food love with more people in a more accessible capacity.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Besides food… I am also a spoken word artist, Burlesque and Drsg Performer. I originally tried to keep everything separate, but sometimes it all feeds off of one another. One art inspires another and it builds together. During the pandemic, when I was unable to bartend the thing that saved me was other performing artists reaching out and purchasing treats. It’s always a challenge to balance work/life when you own your own business, but I’ve been really working on maintaining that. It’s important to understand that even though we are entrepreneurs and creatives, we are also humans who need rest and care.

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?
If my friend was visiting me here in Merced, we would go frolick around Yosemite at some point(hopefully in the springtime so we could sit among the flowers). In town, I would take them to an event(trivia, dj night, live show etc) at The Partisan where I bartend. Depending on what food they were feeling we would frequent any of our downtown restaurants like Bella Luna, Little Oven, JR Tacos or Taste of Little India. At some point we would go thrifting at The Antique Mall or Abracadabra and might take a yoga or movement class at UPLIFT Merced with my friend Lolo. We would pop by and say hi to Melissa at Coffee Bandits at various points along the way, I’m obsessed with iced London Fogs with oat milk. At some point we would make our way to both 17th Street Pub and Vista Winery to socialize and chat with friends.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would not be where I am without my regulars who have continued to support my vision of seasonal making and who have also embraced the human behind the cuisine.

Website: Quicheycreations.com

Instagram: Quicheyfairy

Facebook: Facebook.com/Quicheycreations

Image Credits
@keith Johnson for the 3rd photo.

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.