Inspiring Conversations with Alyrica Cooper of Lyric’s Kitchen

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alyrica Cooper

Hi Alyrica, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
When I was six, my cousin would take my younger cousin and me to her house to help prepare for Sunday family dinners. Preparing family dinners with my cousins was my first introduction to cooking, and I loved it! Consequently, I began recreating family recipes and sharing them on Facebook over the years. In 2015, my aunts opened a restaurant called Family Diner in Oxford, NC, where I worked on weekends. It was there that my passion for cooking was ignited.

I loved cooking a spread for Sunday dinner and sharing it with my friends on Facebook. I received many compliments on how good my food looked. From time to time, I would cook for my friends in college, and they always raved about how well I cooked in my college apartment. After graduating from NCCU and joining the workforce, I stopped cooking and posting content. However, when my job sent employees home during the pandemic, I started cooking more and sharing my creations with my Facebook friends and Instagram followers.

Out of nowhere, at the height of the pandemic, I decided I wanted to create a cookbook. I had no prior knowledge of how to achieve this goal and wanted to launch it on my birthday, which was just 50 days away! Determined to succeed, and with the help of prayer and YouTube, I managed to accomplish it. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do more than just take a photo of what I cooked for dinner, and I did.

A couple of months later, I came across a YouTube channel discussing monetizing content through a blog. I saw how profitable it could be and decided to create a blog. My blog now features over 100 recipes available for free, and I’m proud of that.

I have always dreamed of creating products. After two to three years of product development and rebranding, that dream became a reality. I now have an Everyday Low Sodium Seasoning Collection that includes All Purpose Seasoning, Garlic and Herb, and Cajun Seasoning. I’m excited to continue creating more products and sharing more recipes with my community.

Over the past four years, I’ve had the opportunity to cook for special events in my community, and I’ve gladly accepted! I have enjoyed being part of their milestones by serving them my food and hope to do even more in the future.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has NOT been smooth! Transitioning from cooking at home to recording every measurement of food and spices has been challenging, but I eventually got the hang of it.

When I started my blog, I didn’t have anyone to turn to for personal guidance on how to get started. So, YouTube became my best friend and a valuable resource.

Creating my seasoning collection was more complicated than starting a blog, and I knew I would need help. I invested in a mentor who guided me from start to finish. Mentorship proved to be an invaluable resource. Although I received help in creating the product, it didn’t lessen the amount of work required. It took months to perfect the blends and a significant amount of time and effort to develop the branding and rebranding of my seasoning line. It was a long process involving considerable time and money. But I persevered, and now I have my first collection, with more to come.

When my community began asking me to cater their events, I was eager but didn’t fully understand the logistical challenges involved. Cooking for a family of four is quite different from cooking for 75 people. I’ve lost money and spent countless hours preparing, cooking, and food styling, but the results have always been worth it.

At the start of my business, I named it Lyric’s Kitchen. Knowing I wanted to pursue food entrepreneurship long-term, I considered trademarking the name. I hired a lawyer, who informed me that filing was considered high-risk due to existing similar names. Two and a half years into building my brand, the name was in jeopardy. I decided to pivot and use a new name, but ultimately, I was able to trademark Lyric’s Kitchen, and that name is now mine!

Starting anything new, especially a business, comes with its obstacles and struggles. Struggles are inevitable. To keep pushing and pivoting when needed, you must remember why you’re doing it and whom you’re doing it for.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Aside from having recipes go viral, which brings visibility to my brand, and having a supportive community backing whatever I offer, I’m incredibly proud of my perseverance. Despite going through my MBA program, working full-time, dealing with the loss of my papa, and managing life’s challenges, I have continued to push forward with my business and am excited about the future.

Lyric’s Kitchen is a food brand dedicated to crafting products with the finest ingredients and providing easy-to-make, mouthwatering recipes for you and your family to enjoy. Recipes can be found on my blog and social media accounts.

My Everyday Low Sodium Collection, Reusable Grocery Tote Bag, and made-to-order cookies are available for purchase at lyricskitchen.com.

For catering inquiries, you can email me at lyricskitchen1@gmail.com

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I would consider myself a risk-taker. Being an entrepreneur involves significant risk. You invest so much time, money, energy, and effort into a dream, and you don’t know if the world will be receptive to it. My papa always said it takes money to make money. I’ve never been afraid to try something new or invest in different opportunities. I either win or I learn, but I never take an L.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lyricskitchen.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alyricacooper/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/AlyricaCooper
• Other: https://alyricacooper.com

Image Credits
Elizabeth Ashley & Co.