Soul Box - A Celebration of Love with Chef Tirzah

In celebration of Black History Month and Women’s History Month, we are honored to have interviewed Chef Tirzah to find out what being an entrepreneur means to her! We get to the heart of what Soul Box is and how she brought her passions to life.

Soul Box is a monthly subscription experience that brings families and friends together for a curated cooking and eating experience. Chef Tirzah Love sources non-perishable ingredients for these experiences from East Bay black-owned businesses wherever possible. She accompanies these with one-click shopping for fresh ingredients, curated DJ playlists, video instruction, small wares. Soul Box customers can add extras including wine pairings, desserts, and more.

Tirzah Love is a graduate of Port Labs Pitch Your Product accelerator, and has been hand in hand with our coaches to hone her story. Hard work paid off for Tirzah when she won the $500 pitch competition at Port Labs’ Hustle Circle in February 2022!

Chef Tirzah has been featured in the lifestyle column of Essence, and on Food Network’s “Beat Bobby Flay, Season 22, Episode 12, where her recipe for Turkey Meatloaf with Cranberry Relish is showcased on page 201 in Beat Bobby Flay: Conquer the Kitchen with 100+ Battle-Tested Recipes!

What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?

I didn't know that I would become an entrepreneur, but I always had a boss mentality. I worked a corporate job for seven years, and was miserable in my position. I found a way to get promoted to a department where I had no education or experience, because it gave me the flexibility to be a good mom, and to practice my passion for cooking. I cooked for people because it brought me joy. I hosted dinner parties at my home, catered church events, made food for sick friends, and for new moms. I started a blog to document what I was doing, and recognition of my talents grew. Eventually, I landed the opportunity of my dreams when I was asked to be a private chef for several players of the Sacramento Kings.

I was never "inspired" to be an entrepreneur, I got there through my passion!

What excites you about Soul Box, about being a Chef?

Soul Box is my heart's work.

I’m thrilled as I think about my recipes, cooking videos, and hand selected products reaching people in homes across the country! I love that it allows me to share my cuisine, while lifting up BIPOC and women owned brands that I believe in. It's also really important to me to enable bonding time between loved ones over a great meal.

What is intriguing about Soul Box that people cannot read about on your website?

Soul Box is an experience that is unique to each person who tries it. Each element of the experience—the music, the cooking video, the conversation cards—all evoke a different emotion. Most people who have tried Soul Box are unexpectedly surprised by the value that it provides and are deeply moved by the experience.

Mothers have told me that Soul Box let them connect with their teenagers. Couples said the conversation cards enabled vulnerable conversations they've never had before, and bonded them more closely. Families shared that they’ve never had so much fun making dinner in their life, and really enjoyed learning something new in the kitchen!

How has COVID-19 changed your business? Soul Box? What is your version of the new normal?

Before COVID-19 I was catering a lot. I had events booked in every month of 2020. When the pandemic came, I had no idea how I would make ends meet. Soul Box was an idea that I had for a very long time, and the pandemic gave me the time and space I needed to think through how I would present it.

I am very proud of the way I was able to pivot. A younger me would have panicked, but instead I gave birth to something that is really special, and a new opportunity I wouldn’t have seen without the challenge.

Are there tools that have made a difference in the running of your business that you would recommend?

I use Asana to manage my business, and stay on top of my day to day tasks. Canva has been amazing at helping me create brand continuity in my website, Instagram posts, and newsletter. I highly recommend both!

How has being a woman impacted your ability to launch your business?

A lot has changed since I first became an entrepreneur.

It used to feel like there was a gender barrier to entry in a lot of spaces in the culinary world…it’s traditionally a male-dominated industry. But now, I feel empowered to take up space because more and more women are opening their own businesses and succeeding!

Programs like Port Labs, SBDC, Black Culinary Collective, Uptima, and I Fund Women have been integral to Soul Box’s success. I no longer feel like I’m doing everything on my own. These programs have not only made me feel part of something bigger, but also provided me with the tools I needed to level up. I am grateful!

How has being a Black woman, African American woman, and/or BIWOC, impacted your ability to launch your business?

I have never felt held back by the color of my skin, or by being a woman.

I've only ever held myself back through negative thought patterns, and self-doubt. I’ve experienced some colorism with people thinking because I am a fair skinned black woman that I can't cook as well as more melanated black folks. It's always awkward to talk about this, but because I am a fairly attractive woman I am sometimes treated as if I've got by on my looks rather than my talent. But I have proven people wrong over and over through my tenacity, work ethic, and relentless can-do spirit.

Although we do live in a patriarchal society, I've found ways to navigate it as a black woman by never sacrificing my self respect to get to where I want to be.