Meet Ranita Bullock of Soulful Bites Food

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ranita Bullock. 

Hi Ranita, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
We all know the familiar expression “put your heart and soul into something”…Well, this is how I feel when it comes to cooking. Cooking is my means of expression, passion, creativity, and community. My name is Ranita Bullock, NC native, food enthusiast, and creator of Soulful Bites Food an intimate catering and events company based in Raleigh, NC. 

I was introduced to the hospitality industry during my matriculation at North Carolina Central University where I studied Hospitality & Tourism. During college, I learned about the various sectors of the hospitality industry and found myself most attracted to the areas of culinary arts and event planning because of the creative aspect that both presented. Therefore, upon graduation in 2007, I pursued a career as a Restaurant Manager followed by various leadership roles from Event Manager, Culinary Instructor, District Catering Manager to now Owner of Soulful Bites Food. 

Soulful Bites Food was birthed in 2015 in my apartment in Burbank, CA as a food blog dedicated to highlighting good restaurants, delicious recipes, and easy cooking techniques. In testing recipes for the blog, I found myself cooking more and more and wanting to share my creations, so I would host dinner parties, cook in my friends’ homes and provide weekly meal prep. This helped me expand my culinary skills while also satisfying my craving to create. I became the honorary cook amongst my network and with much encouragement and word of mouth I started to gain an unexpected amount of request for meal prep from friends, friends of friends, and Instagram followers. 

One of my good friends Mez, who was a faithful meal prep client, presented me with an opportunity to join him on set as the caterer for a project his company Heirs Entertainment was directing for J. Cole Puma Dreamers launch. I immediately said yes because I knew this was a huge opportunity and exactly what I needed to expand my business. However, I was very nervous of the idea of catering at this level so I had to reassure myself that my educational training, industry experience, and practice had prepared me for this very moment. This was truly my big break and I honestly was afraid to fail so I worked extremely hard preparing for this gig by excessively planning, practicing, and depending on the help of my husband, Marcus to get everything done. This gig set the foundation of possibilities and opened the door to opportunities for me to work on sets in Los Angeles, New York, and North Carolina amongst various musical artists, directors, NBA players, actors, and entertainers. 

In January 2021 I moved back to Raleigh, North Carolina, and expanded the scope of Soulful Bites Food to accommodate the market demand for intimate catering and events. The response has been remarkable and allowed me curate some of the most special moments for my clients from milestone birthday celebrations, luxury anniversary picnics, healthy meal prep, and production crew luncheons. 

I got to where I am today by faith, encouragement, and hard work. I look forward to continuing to help people make memories over food. 

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?
Catering and event planning is not for the weak. It requires long days, a ton of preparation, and is physically demanding. It is also a service business that is fueled by customer satisfaction. Therefore, at times I have struggled with being burned out. 

What has helped me along the way is to set realistic expectations for the scope of business I can take on in addition to expanding my team, delegating, and finding resources that save me time. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Soulful Bites Food?
Soulful Bites Food is an intimate catering and events company based in Raleigh, NC 

We curate soulful food and event experiences for all occasions. 

We are known for attention to detail and creating memorable experiences. 

We stand out because were constantly exceeding expectations by throwing in an unexpected component to each of our events. 

We are most proud of the food we produce using a cooking style, which is simply soulful meaning we don’t like to overload or disguise our food but rather enhance its natural flavors with complementary ingredients and care in cooking procedures, techniques, and presentation. 

A soulful bites experience is one of great consideration to our client’s vision. We strive for excellence and satisfaction. 

Our services include catering for social events, production crews, meal planning, and private chef services. We also provide event planning services from tablescapes, luxury picnic packages, and event décor. Our services are all-inclusive meaning we provide preparation, set up, clean up, execution, equipment, and supplies. All you have to do is show up. 

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I like that Raleigh is a city of growth and expansion yet still maintains that special down-home feeling. This makes Raleigh a very attractive place to live. 

The thing that I like least about our city is the slow progression towards fair wages. 

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.soulfulbitesfood.com
• Instagram: soulfulbitesfood
• Facebook: Soulful Bites Food