#6 Badass Business Babes*: Gladys Nyoth
It feels like the media/press recycle the “same old” influential [white cis men] creatives. So, instead of just complaining about this (which I’m super good at!), I decided to begin highlighting some of my favorite creative business babes! (Here, “babe” is used as a gender neutral term.)
A few weeks ago, I put out on a call on my Facebook, asking folks to introduce me to badass creatives, doing their thing™ full-time. My friend Mira Joleigh, CPC, introduced me to Gladys Nyoth, a hospitality entrepreneur “reviving the legacy of Africa,” through Mbombo, a traveling dining experience that brings people together.
Y’all, I thought that I was going to be talking to a badass chef, which I was, but Gladys’ work encapsulates so much more than the imagery that comes to mind (á la Chopped) when we say “chef.” To really share what the hell that even means, I’ve shared a more complete transcript of our conversation — trust me, you’ll be glad I did.
1. Hi, Gladys! Thank you for taking the time to chat with me. I’d like to jump right into questions if that’s okay with you. Feel free to say “pass” if you’re not comfortable discussing something I ask about — I don’t plan on asking “heavy hitting” questions, but I do want you to know that it’s okay to decline to answer.
Well, actually, before we start I’d like to hear more about you. Your goals for these articles, where you’re coming from and a bit more about you.
[Note, I felt pretty sheepish at this point, because I was ready to rock’n’roll, but Gladys made it clear she wanted more intention behind our chat. That intentionality reverberates in everything she does, especially in Mbombo.
So, I backtracked and explained that I wanted to spotlight folks who normally aren’t spotlighted, and hopefully provide a bunch people for #RealJournalists to feature. And, also, honestly refill my “inspiration cup” by talking to folks who are Doing the Damn Thing. Thank you for asking for a pause, Gladys. ❤]
2. So, how did this all get started? I feel like there had to be some sort of catalyst to make Mbombo come to life.
I am expert cheese finder.
2a. Whaaat, you mean like Who Moved My Cheese?!
Haha, yes. So my life has been full of ups and downs, leading me to find “cheese” in unexpected places. I wanted to follow my dreams as an actor and an astrophysicist and having doors shut in my face. I kept coming up against financial barriers, and I couldn’t afford further education for physics, and I didn’t want to grow debt.
And, as far as acting goes — it is a world where other people are making decisions for me. I realized I needed some way to be creative on my terms.
Working at a restaurant, I realized there’s this performance and circus aspect — we’re a team and create magic every night. There was something about the restaurant business that made me realize, “Wait a minute, this is who I am.” There’s always been a host in me.
I decided I wanted to become a restauranteur.
But the start of my restaurant was really shaky. I realized, the best way for me to create a restaurant was to rely on the skill set I already had. I come from a place of scarcity, and I know how to create something out of nothing.
Hence a nomadic restaurant. It’s a traveling restaurant that’s not a brick and mortar. We started four years ago, before the “popup craze” began.
3. I love this. This is so cool. How did people know to come? You know, like, with a restaurant that has a building, you know where to go. How does it work for Mbombo?
The first one was a test — I did a dinner and invited friends. They gave feedback, and then we moved into the public setting. It was all through people knowing me, and people telling friends. As I was doing this, popups began to grow. So I went from doing dinners in creative multifunctional spaces, to eventually finding companies that were all about Mbombo, and wanted to either host us in their space or bring their people to us.
The first year, I spent so much money on renting spaces. Then, food critics and food bloggers wrote about me. Feastly has also been wonderful to work with — chefs use their premises and chefs are allowed to be creative and have their own menus and online ticketing. It lets you be much more creative, as opposed to having a brick and mortar restaurant.
By the time Feastly got to LA, I became one of their starting chefs.
4. Can you walk us through the flow of what a dinner looks like?
Usually, I do as much prep as I can. I do most of the cooking prior to the doors being open. So people come to where there are communal tables with bouquets and the right music in the background, we usually have an ice- breaking session. Serve an hors d’oeuvre while people mingle for about 30 minutes.
Then we tell them to find their seats.
Then everything is shut down dramatically, using my own voice. Think the cry of Xena the Warrior Princess. I do it for 20 seconds.
Then — silence.
Everyone has stopped talking.
And I say, “Welcome.”
I let them know we’ll be eating with our hands — no flatware here! And I talk them through the hands washing ritual. In a lot of regions in Africa, people wash their hands together, and I give them a saying to recite from my tribe.
Then comes the food. Once the dinner is being served the performers enter.
After the performers and main meal is done, we move into dessert. We used to not do anything for dessert, but now we talk about thought-provoking discussions with my team during dinner.
5. This sounds wonderful. What do you talk about during desert?
We get real. At one dinner, my team thought I was crazy, because I literally asked our guests, “How does it feel to carry an heritage of oppression? To know that your ancestors participated in the subjugation of other people? What is like? How does it feel to know that most likely your ancestors were part of crimes against humanity? What is it like to be connected to those roots?”
And I asked, because I’m curious. I asked that question because I wanted to understand. As a West-African who is first generation French, I know my heritage and history and though there is good and bad in all cultures, our story is not founded on the same atrocities found in the western world…and that’s something super heavy to carry.
They think they’re here to eat, but then they go through a heart felt experience with deep topics of conversation.
6. Hoo-o-o-ly shit. I know as a white person, that’s not something that’s talked about, even in ‘super liberal’ white allyship workshops and groups. How did people take it?
It got emotional. I started to realize that people are conflicted. It’s hard to deal with that. But truly, universally speaking, it’s about what you do about it. It’s about what people do with that inheritance.
People need to ask the real questions.
7. So, I know a lot of other people will be thinking this, at this point in the article. Where do you want to take Mbombo? How can people support you? When can I come to a dinner?
I want to get as far as I can. The big dream would be like a Cirque de Soleil of food. Where we go to different places in the world and create transformational dinners, with food and dialogue and performers, so when people go they feel like they’ve stepped into a different world.
We’re focusing more on retreats now, and you can find out about future events by following Mbombo on Instagram, checking out our website, and joining me on Instagram.
8. Wow, thank you so much for sharing this with me. What advice do you have for those who come after you?
I would say that first as a general thing, don’t be afraid to embrace your story — but also tweak your vision. When we start a business we are blinded by what we want. If I had gotten what I originally wanted I would be miserable at a brick and mortar.
Don’t be too focused on what you don’t have when it comes to money. Because that’s the perfect starting point. Don’t wait until everything is perfect.
Practical advice: Don’t fuck with the IRS. Learn how to document your expenses, be as organized as possible, because you need to that. But also with contract terms. Keep everything in writing.
Starting a business you go with verbal agreements, and that’s fine, but the more you document the more you can hold everyone accountable. Whether it’s a one-time, seasonal, etc. And with staff. Being clear, in writing and a thorough way with what you agreed.
9. Is there anything else you’d like to add?
I would say something about being a businesswoman. When I started, it’s funny that there’s this…….. When a woman is in need it attracts some weird mofos. I had some perverted investors try to get things from me that had nothing to do with the business. I respect all decisions, if a woman or man does make the decision to involve sex, but it’s not for me.
When a woman is in need it attracts some weird mofos.
When you’re in a place of vulnerability, reach out to other women. We have a right of passage to becoming entrepreneurs. The business world has been mostly led by men, they have these delusional idea that their system is the only way.
We need solidarity with other women, because we’re going against a system that prioritizes men.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hi, I’m Bri! A queer fashion designer (currently paying for that calling as a business and marketing professional for HBICs). Insta here, twitter here. If you’re a Creative Business Babe, and would like to be featured, drop me a line!
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