Daily Inspiration: Meet Rick DeMattos

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rick DeMattos.

Hi Rick, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’d been in the foodservice industry most of my life. There came a point where my knees just couldn’t take it any longer. Icing them in the morning and then again in the evening to relieve the pain. I started working for Lyft and GoKart, rideshares, as a driver and recruiter. The COVID-19 pandemic virtually put an end to my work with these two companies. I thought maybe the Covid pandemic would last only a couple of months, so I started cooking my favorite marinara sauce of 20 years. My first batch was 42 jars, it’s sold out within an hour from a Facebook post. This trend went on for several weeks when doubt reared its ugly head. We’re people just buying my sauce to help me out or did they truly like it? The next day I received an email from someone I did not know, asking if I could ship several jars to Michigan, my confidence was restored. Orders started coming in from across the country, I was doing local deliveries and pop up markets every weekend. I created the sauce highway along I-40 with the help of friends in Durham, Burlington, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Hickory, and Asheville. They were helping sell in their respective cities, sauce was handed off from one person to the next, city by city. Although marinara is not really hot, I had people asking if I could create a sauce without any peppers. Shortly thereafter, I created Balsamic Basil, Mother and most recently Chipotle. In January of this year, I started reaching out to specialty markets across the state, as of July I have been accepted into 14 independent markets from the mountains to the coast.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It was nice being in the kitchen again, not really having a timeline made workload easier. There came a time in summer/fall of 2020 where there was a nationwide shortage of mason jars. I was worried this would be the end of my endeavor, not being able to keep up inventory due to supply shortages. I did manage to find other suitable jars and keep the momentum going.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Thanks to my parents having a broad palate, I inherited a taste for international food at a young age. I’ve always been curious to taste whatever I could whenever I could. These experiences helped me become comfortable crossing cuisines in what is called fusion cooking. It led me to some catering gigs with other chefs and cooks in the area.

Ten years ago, frustrated with delivery charges and delivery minimum, I created “A Singles’ Serving” on Facebook. I wanted to help people learn how to cook restaurant quality food cost-effectively in less time than it took to have a pizza delivered. Over the years, it has morphed into a global community of chefs, cooks, home cooks, and beginners sharing ideas, recipes, and learning support.

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
To know me is to know my love of food, talking about food, trying new dishes and techniques, and helping others prepare food. Most of my positions in the foodservice industry were in a supervisory capacity, meaning, I am a good listener and teacher.

Contact Info:

• Email: Rick@asinglesserving.com
• Website: Bulletproof-Sauces.com
• Instagram: Bulletproof_Sauces
• Facebook: Bulletproof Sauces
• Other: Asinglesserving.com