Q: Can you share with our audience when your passion for cooking started?
CM: My first memory, or so it is told to me, was at age 5 when my parents were having a party and they put me to bed. Apparently, I got up out of bed and snuck into the kitchen, buttered some saltines, put them on a tray and proceeded to serve them to the guests … cooking and entertaining have always been in my blood.

Q: When did you know you wanted to be a Chef?
CM: I have always been a cook—or a ‘cooker” as my girls call me. A chef was never an aspiration because I wanted to be a mama most of all. I knew the life of a chef would not be conducive to be a chef with the late hours and weekends. I’ve always had entrepreneurial spirts, so I was searching for a way to have a career in food and still be a full-time mama.

Q: What was your first job? And how did it shape or impact you?
CM: My first job was at 14 and at the local pharmacy—Pitt Street Pharmacy – in our neighborhood. I served milkshakes, malts, and made grilled cheese sandwiches. I served soup out of a can, heated in the microwave—I loved it! My dad made me ride my bike to work and I can remember hating the ride, but once I got there, I loved working that busy milkshake counter.

Q: Tell us about some of your popular dishes your customers come back for?
CM: Our customers love our Bacon, Egg and Cheese Biscuit Sandwich; Sausage egg and Pimento Cheese Biscuit Sandwich; and the top hot little biscuit flavors are Country Ham, Blueberry, and our Cinnamon is a crowd favorite as well.

Q: What’s your regular comfort meal?
CM: I need and crave a roasted chicken with rice and gravy, butter beans, or green beans (and sometimes biscuits) at least once a week.

Q: What's the greatest fear you've had to overcome to get where you are today?  
CM: I think the fear of failure and the fear of not being a success.

Q: What is the best cooking tip for a novice just getting into the business?
CM: Keep is simple –cook what you know and don’t try to get crazy—if your food is good it doesn’t need dressing up.

Q: Can you tell our audience one of your most memorable moments your career?
CM: I could tell you about all the highs and incredible press we’ve received, but I’d rather tell you about the most memorable events of struggle that have happened, and we overcame. Examples like our recall last year that cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars, or when the 40-ton biscuits mix shipment to a huge customer went awry and we somehow pulled it together. These are the things that remind me that we will always survive! You must have the right mindset of being a problem solver in the business of being an entrepreneur.

Q: What’s one lesson you’ve learned in your career that you can share with our audience?
CM: You get more bees with honey.

Q: Which woman inspires you and why? 
CM: So many women inspire me, and I’m not sure I have just one. I am inspired by women who work hard, build things, go for their dreams, and inspire others to do the same. I think women who are open minded, kind, and lead with those things in mind are the best inspiration.

Q: What are some of the challenges you feel women face today?
CM: I think women face the challenge of not being seen as equal, taken seriously, and the biggest, tying to juggle all that life gives them. 

Q: What advice would you give to young women who want to succeed in the workplace?
CM: Write down your goals, decide your priority, and refer back to it often as you go through your journey. Remember why you started and be true to that. Your success will come daily, and you need to celebrate it. There is no time limit. Work hard, be kind, do good and you will succeed.

Q: What's your advice for women in male-dominated fields?
CM: Rise tall, and be warm and buttery on the inside, and open to anyone’s jam. Don’t get caught up in the emotion of Male/Female conflict. Do your job really well and people will notice your work, not your gender–and if not, find another tribe that will!

Four Things About Carrie Morey

1. If you could talk to one famous person past or present, who would it be and why?
My grandmothers, they have so much to share, wisdom, recipes, and more!

2. What’s the best advice anyone’s given you?
Be kind always

3. Do you have a favorite quotation? 
Work hard and play harder

4. What place you always dreamed about visiting? 
India, Vietnam, and many more—more travel, more experiencing of other cultures and food