Company Description
Overview
Soturi Kitchen offers healthy, gluten-free and dairy-free foods that are made with earth-grown ingredients. We currently operate and connect with our community at local farmers' markets. We have experienced a growing demand for our food and with additional capital, we will purchase an existing cafe in a prime location so we can continue to feed our growth!
The Opportunity
By investing in Soturi Kitchen, you will support a business that is providing safe and healthy food for people that have allergies and sensitivities.
- Proven Demand - We’ve already identified a loyal customer base in San Francisco, San Jose, Los Gatos and surrounding areas via our farmers' market vending channel since May 2019.
- Competitive Advantage - We are one of the only local allergen-friendly food services that incorporates exclusively natural sweeteners, traditional medicines, and whole foods to help people heal their bodies and reconnect to the earth.
- Experienced Founders - Growing up with the need to feed herself, our founder, Sway, along with her curiosity, gained the skill of cooking. That passion became her work in the food and beverage industry for 15 years beginning at the age of 14. During those 15 years, she has had held positions as a bartender, server, cocktail waitress, host, dishwasher, and line cook. She worked in local bar and grills, fancy country clubs, fresh modern Mexican restaurants, renowned Jazz clubs, and famous celebrity chef restaurants like Alan Wong and Bourbon Steak. Her partner, Damian, is a graduate of the Professional Culinary Program and the International Baking & Pastry Program at the Florida Culinary Institute. He held a sous chef position at the award-winning Daniellas Restaurant that focused on the current food trend called "Farm to Table." For the past 2 decades, Damian has overseen kitchens for companies like Hilton Hotel Corporation, Starwood Hotel and Resorts, Eatzi’s Bakery, The Cheesecake Factory and Puesto.
"Soturi is the Finnish word for “Warrior.” Warriors are fearless, strong and skilled, forever striving toward mastery of their crafts. In our case, this is living a balanced healthy lifestyle. We practice the skill of nutritious eating, intentional physical training, and acts of awareness. Our warriors know this is the foundation of acquiring true strength and fortitude - being parents, daughters, sons, brothers, sisters, and all of the other roles you may be playing.
The beauty is in learning from mistakes, practicing discipline, and training ourselves to be present in the ups and downs of life."
Management Team / Advisory Board Bios
Sway Soturi
Born and raised in Taiwan, Sway grew up in a one-parent “home.” As a result, she often moved from relatives to relatives because her working mother was, well, working. It is fair to say that she had to take up cooking to ensure a full belly at the end of the day. The one person that influenced the most in her cooking is her aunt, who was her primary caretaker for many years. Aunty would make delicious whole fish, brothy chicken soups, and simple healthy veggies for this (then) young swimmer.It wasn’t after Sway moved to NYC did she realize how small her view on the world of food was. She indulged in pizza, oysters, falafels, and much much more. It was then she decided that it’s in the kitchen where she wanted to learn and work.In 2009 Sway became a mom and a mission was created - to raise a young man who understands the importance of eating healthy for his body and exercise to condition the mind to explore this wondrous world. Along this path, she became a certified personal trainer, a nutrition coach, and a yoga teacher. Sway continues to hone her skills in the hopes to contribute to her community. So how the heck did Soturi Kitchen happen? Around 2012, unusual health conditions prompted her to experiment with a diet that is gluten and dairy free. Today, Sway is happy to share her creations with you and wishes that you will also benefit from these small offerings.
Damian Mark
Forged from the stars, Damian was delivered to a world that didn't deserve him from Valhalla in 1976.Immediately recognized as a force to be reckoned with, Damian excelled at everything put before him. Sports, science, and arts. Damian had everything (except friends) in this world. His earth parents, Patty and David valued the ideals of hard work and free spirits. They lived on a remote farm and taught Damian the importance of self sustenance and the relationship between congestions to the earth and our food. Traveling taught a love of culture and interests in all art forms around the world. Exciting cuisines and different flavors showed young Damian that there is more to this world than the food you see in front of you, and that it too, can be exciting and different, even with the same ingredients.Damian's love for food was always present and after everything, that became his chosen profession. After his first kitchen job he decided that he wanted to know more, he wanted to know it all. First he enrolled in the culinary arts program at Florida Culinary Institute and finished both the culinary arts and the international baking and pastry program. Damian then moved to Gainesville and got a job as the sous chef at the University of Florida Hotel under Ivy Award winner Michael McBride. Influenced heavily by Charlie Trotter, he moved Midwest and earned a coveted internship with Chef Trotter.After some time working in and visiting some of the best restaurants around the globe, Damian spent the next few years working in hotel establishments. Eventually an opportunity landed him in Honolulu. Once in Hawai'i, the life of outdoors took hold. He spent time to explore the island, running and biking returned as great fun activities. Unfortunately, his great memories of surfing in Florida were replaced with the harsh reality that he just wasn't very good at it, so hiking and swimming became the thing. Luckily he met a great (beginner) surfer and even better swimmer in Sway. Damian loved (loves) her passion for food and wanted her to share his passion for the outdoors. He shared his expertise in cooking techniques that she didn't have experience with and took her camping. Sway shared her passions with Damian as well, but sadly he still lacks even a basic understanding or concept of fashion and civility.Damian has a strong desire to share his knowledge and skills. In Ratatouille they showed anyone can cook, but it still ended with an unrealistic image that cooking is an innate skill. Cooking is a skill that can be learned and taught. It is dinner with your family; it is an excitement for new or fresh produce; it is a skill to be passed on. And Damian's biggest passion is passing it on to as many people as he possibly can!P.S. Damian is also the Chef de Cusine @ Puesto in Santa Clara. Please say hi sometime!
