Today we’d like to introduce you to Leila Campomanes and Jordan Pierce. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Leila graduated from Rutgers University with a double major in Bachelors in Nursing and Psychology. She was employed at the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation as a Registered Nurse in charge of units specializing in ventilators. Her heart is for local and international missions; she has been in over 26 countries providing medical services in remote areas of the world. In November of 2012, she started a non-profit organization called Love Never Fails Charities, where she hosts and sponsors events that raise awareness and funding for organizations involved in topics such as child sex trafficking, the building of orphanages, and wherever there is an immediate need. However, Leila’s hidden passion has always been intertwined with food, the kitchen, and feeding the masses. Food is her love language. One of Leila’s dreams was to start a restaurant with her late father, an amazing chef, but when her Dad passed away, that dream died and became almost impossible. But God! That dream came true when she crossed paths with her dear friend, Jordan, at Resting Place House of Prayer and formed Heaven’s Cuisine!
As a child, Jordan has always been fascinated with the kitchen. He explored his creativity and dreamed of owning his pizzeria and restaurant. Jordan was raised in the church and always had a heart for people and serving. He enrolled in a culinary school to get hands-on training and hone his skills. He landed his first employment as a cook at Sea World and quickly received a promotion to lead cook. He continued to gain experience in management through employment at Chipotle Mexican Grill, doing everything from cooking to scheduling and supervising the kitchen and service staff. Along his journey, he performed for several catering events, including a private event hosted by “The Fat Radish,” a restaurant based out of New York.
In 2018, he joined the hospitality team at Resting Place House of Prayer, where he frequently prepared large meals for the congregation and community. He was chosen as a private chef alongside his business partner, Leila, to prepare dishes for the Pastors and leadership each week. Jordan and Leila are passionate about uniting and serving communities. Both their dreams became a reality when Heaven’s Cuisine was formed. Together, they create mouth-watering meals that incorporate flavors from different cultures. Currently, Jordan and Leila own two trucks operating in NJ and SC.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
This question made us chuckle! If we could sum this journey into one word, “struggle” would be an understatement. The road was everything but smooth. They were full of challenges, from obtaining permits to finding locations and finding the right people to work with. One of them was being inspected by the health and fire departments, but by the grace of God, we have not failed anything, and we intend to keep it that way. Another bump in the road was finding optimal locations to park our food truck. It’s true what they say. It’s all about location, location, location! There were events when we under-prepared and sold out in 2 hours, but there were also events when we over-prepared and only made a few sales. Although food is our passion, both of us are still fairly new to the industry, and mistakes were unavoidable. One time we had a catering event and made sure we triple-checked everything we needed before we left, only to find out when we were setting up that we had forgotten the grill! Oh, the horror, we had a line quickly forming, and the vital equipment we needed was about an hour away. Thank God, there was a restaurant depot 10 minutes within driving distance. However, the most difficult, in our opinion, is finding the right help. Good and reliable employees are gems! If you ever find them, treat them well. But despite all the trials and hindrances we both encountered, we wouldn’t trade this adventure for the world! Would there be things we could have done differently? Sure, but seeing how our customers’ faces light up when they taste little glimpses of heaven makes the journey worth every struggle.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Heaven’s Cuisine is a food truck and catering company based in New Jersey and is currently expanding to South Carolina. Each dish is crafted with quality, fresh produce, and top-notch flavors. We strive to reflect God’s love by providing a heavenly experience through exceptional food and quality service that you will “taste and see that the Lord is good.” We are best known for our specialty sliders. Each one is specifically constructed to perfection. From the toasting of the bun, the grilling style of the meat, and melting the cheese to the arrangement of the toppings, we pride ourselves that every customer can expect to receive the same high-quality product consistently.
We envision our business flourishing and impacting communities across state lines and even the world. We are firm believers that you reap what you sow! With our increasing blessings, our heart is to always give back to those in need and have impactful causes. We donate 10% of our profits to organizations, churches, police, firefighters, etc. Our tagline is “every nation, every tongue” because we believe in celebrating all ethnicities and cuisines; each has unique qualities they bring to the table. Food does play a vital tool in bringing unity! It doesn’t matter what culture anyone is from; if there’s food, there’s harmony.
What do you think about happiness?
Leila – This is probably one of the hardest questions to answer because happiness is temporary. Happiness is always dependent on external occurrences. Joy is the main reason our business continues to thrive, and is determined to move forward despite all the obstacles we face. Joy is not based on circumstances; rather, joy remains constant and immovable despite the opposition. Happiness is fleeting, but joy is eternal. I live each day in pursuit of joy instead of happiness. It’s where I truly experience unrestricted freedom. So, to answer the question, joy makes me happy because it gives me overflowing hope. The South Carolina license plate says, “while I breathe, I hope.” There’s nothing more fitting than that statement in this journey. And I also have every intention of breathing for a very long time!
Jordan – Progress makes me happy. I find true satisfaction in reaching goals, whether physically, mentally, or spiritually. I love to challenge myself. Through challenges, there is growth that takes place. You learn more about who you are and discover your weaknesses.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tasteheavenscuisine.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tasteheavenscuisine/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tasteheavenscuisine/
