The Black Parade: Meet Janna Bates of Zero-2-OneHundred
An Interview with Jessica Wise
Tell us about you and your business.
My name is Janna Bates. I started Zero-2-OneHundred CS in 2018. Z20 is a full service catering service that offers event catering, private dinners, pop-ups, and meal prep.
What got you into cooking?
I always really liked to cook but my passion was sparked while managing at Pappadeaux. It is an all scratch kitchen and the knowledge I gained really made me lean towards the creative side of the restaurant industry.
How has social media changed the food and beverage business?
During this pandemic social media has become exceedingly important to the private sector of F&B but I feel as though public restaurants are still fueled by word of mouth. For me, I have found if you stay consistent and be original, social media can be very lucrative.
We see how the global pandemic has affected the sit-down restaurant business. How can we as a community support catering businesses like yours and help you all stay open?
I think making a conscious effort to support your local restaurants and Pop-Ups is important. Right now, restaurants are best for small groups, however people holding private events in their home is becoming very popular. Privacy is becoming extremely valuable.
Millennials are often stereotyped for lacking basic life skills, like being able to cook a meal. Do you believe this is true? If so, what can be done to change this?
Millennials grew up with food trends leaning towards microwaving and instant food so the art of cooking was lost. A lot of mothers didn't feel they had time to teach their kids to cook.
Personally, I don't hang out with people that can't cook. It's like a minimum requirement for me. I will say that my girlfriends are aware that people don't cook anymore and have made efforts to make sure their children can cook. I was that kid that took every imaginable class that had food in it, so i really learned basic skills in school. I still started a couple fires in my day though. I had my first fire at the age of 10. Not only did I start the fire but I put it out as well. My parents should have put me in culinary school that day!
How can one begin getting comfortable in the kitchen?
The Internet is a great tool to learn to cook but every food site is not for every level of cooking. If you are starting out cooking I would go with the Food Network or someone like Rachael Ray. They keep their recipes pretty straightforward and simple. I'm very comfortable so I love Bon Appetite, Spruce Eats and Gordon Ramsay is my favorite. However the site All Recipes hasn't failed me yet.
Is it possible to make quality food on a tight budget?
Most definitely. A good way to take simple recipes up a notch is to start making your own sauces. Making your own alfredo sauce would cost the same if not less expensive and it would taste so much better. Getting the jarred stuff to taste right takes just as long if I were to make from scratch.
This chore is the only way any of us get out of the house these days. Tell us your grocery shopping strategy!
I am all about Instacart right now. I do still love to go and pick out my produce and meat personally but save yourself the time and exposure and try it out. My little secret is to use it during the week. It's cheaper!
What’s your ultimate goal with your business?
I love to educate people about food and the history of food. I use my social media not only to showcase my food but to also expose people to different cultures and flavors. You would be pretty surprised to find that a lot of cultures are under-represented on the Internet so I make a point to educate people about foods from all over the world.
Want to learn more? Follow Janna on IG @janna_kan_cook13.
Take a virtual cooking class with Janna at Audacity’s Round Table Talk: Love, Work, & Rona. Click here for tickets.
