Today we’d like to introduce you to Cory Gray.
Cory, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi thanks for taking the time to interview us. My name is cory gray i am happily married to my best friend shannon and we have 5 amazing kids, Sutton, Memphis, Madison, Emma, Ryker. I grew up in the fair industry since I was 7 years old. My aunt Shirley (mai li) was serving Chinese food in all the different fairs and festivals at the time, and I got to travel with her and my family. She had us rolling eggrolls, washing dishes, and serving the moment we were able to. Now, each year, we still help her out when we are not busy with our own events. So, fairs and festivals became my main income till I was about 23 24 years old. My aunt’s health wasn’t the same, and she had to move and stay in Columbus. So, we decided in 2015 to make our own. I’ve always wanted to do my own thing and all my family and friends recall me saying it my entire life, so my wife said let’s do it. We started out in a starter tent and food trailer with our first company, Wack-e-Wontons LLC. Then, with a good amount of success from the one we went on to start, cheekys twisted eatz LLC, sassy shays twisted mac n eatz, notcho totchos. We plan on making a few more in the near future.
I think our success is due to growing up in the business. The fact that my wife backs me and supports my every decision, how excited our kiddos get from it, and above all else, how blessed we have been by our amazing followers near and far, this truly would not be possible without any of them.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road has been so full of highs and lows. Anyone who is self-employed should be aware that there will be hiccups, there will be naysayers, and obstacles. But the main thing to remember is there are also a bunch of people who are rooting for you and your success as well. I’ve always said the best and worst part of the business is the people you cross paths with.
Some struggles are the back-and-forth promises of event hosts and fair managers or other event organizers, other struggles have been staffing and the economy. We all took a hit from covid from sales, but going through that, I think, showed us a lot of those who genuinely love us and our companies. One big struggle is the lack of support from some local community people and organizations, and the amount of constant duplications of signature items tend to take the uniqueness out of self-made items. Besides those minor issues, the overall atmosphere and amazing followers make every moment very special.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I love every single day getting to create new ideas from my mind and not from what I’ve seen others do such as our crab rangoon egg rolls, gourmet doughnut bites, and Korean bbq pulled pork totchos. I enjoy and love the freedom a food truck and traveling to different events and fairs allows you to have. Getting to meet new people and watching them love and enjoy the food I made and created.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I think the main thing is looking for those established in the business. We have been so lucky to have Amy and Kurt Otterbacher, Ryan Kuzma, DG Peterman, Adam Geitgey and his dad, and several other amazing people who took us under their wing. But the biggest piece of advice I can give is to never give up if it’s something you genuinely love and wanna do a lot of times you question it and push through, and I’ve never given up and the positives definitely outweigh the negative. and always treat your amazing followers with the utmost respect and love because without them your dream is just a dream.
Contact Info:
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/cheekystwistedeatz
