Teen, Sophia “SJ” Thomas, Chats on Cooking Business, SJ Savory Kitchen

By Leslie Ramirez / December 27, 2020 / CREATIVES IN ACTION, CULTURE / 0 Comments

Television has made it easier now for anyone to compete for cash prizes and scholarships. But not only that, it can also encourage our youth to pursue whatever it that want to do. For example, there are several cooking shows for kids and we are seeing more youth who love cooking, such as Sophia “SJ” Thomas.

Sophia “SJ” Thomas is the founder of SJ Savory Kitchen and when I tell you that this chile’ gets down, she gets down! Check out my exclusive interview with the rising chef.

H.O.R: Sophia thank you so much for being here on House of Ramirez, I appreciate you so much. You are doing great things; big things and I am very proud of you…we all are. I do see that you are on social media and that you are the owner of “SJ” Savory Kitchen, and you are also the owner of Sophia “SJ” Cookware, that is amazing!

Sophia: Thank you.

H.O.R: Can you tell me what inspired you to start “SJ” Savory Kitchen and “SJ” Cookware?

Sophia: I started to cook at the age of 3 for my mom, my dad, and my grandfather. After a while, my mom started trusting me in the kitchen as I made my own food and desserts. One day I told her that I wanted to have my own cookware line because I wanted to show kids that although cooking can be a little messy, you can still be fashionable while you are cooking.

H.O.R: Exactly. I noticed on your page that you have a lot of recipes and not just recipes for entrees, but you have recipes for desserts and that is big because we all have a sweet tooth. Since we are at home with our families due to the pandemic, it is a great time for us to tune into your channel so that we can see all the great recipes that you have, and we can actually cook at home with our loved ones. Sharing these delicious recipes is also a great way to come together.

Can you tell me more about your stylish cookware, you have a 4-piece set, is that correct?

Sophia: Yes. So, as you can see, I have one of my aprons on right now, I have a potholder (which she holds up so that we can see it) and then I have my mitten (which is a large, all of these items have her name on them).

H.O.R: I like it. I definitely want to thank you because you are being so thoughtful. You are not only thinking about adults that have to be in the kitchen daily but also for the youth. It does not matter how old you are, young ones much like yourself love to go into the kitchen and whip something up. So, you have stylish gear for adults and for our youth. I want to thank you for that because you are including everybody in the family and that is important especially now with the holidays when we are all at home and we are cooking, we are all in the kitchen and it does not matter what age you are.

Can you tell me thus far, what is one of your favorite recipes for something that you have actually made?

Sophia: Well there are a lot of recipes but my favorite one is filet of steak with mash potatoes and green beans because I know that my whole family likes this dish and that is just one of my favorites.

H.O.R: I think that is a signature dish for favorites because that is one of my favorites too, especially string beans…OMG! I do not just have seconds, I have thirds (she laughs). I noticed that you are featured on the cover of Teen Cruze with your sister. That is big Sophia, that’s big!

How does it feel to be a successful, young entrepreneur?

Sophia: It feels good now that I know that I have something in my life that will carry on for the rest of my life. When my mother first mentioned that my sister and I were going to be on the cover of a magazine, I always see magazines in stores and I thought, oh we are going to be on a magazine (she says matter of fact) but when the magazine came in and I saw my face on it, I got really excited and happy because I was on it with my sister. That just tells us that the Thomas girls can achieve anything that we want to.

H.O.R: You and your sister are trailblazers. You are creating a blueprint for all of our youth that are looking to do something special in their lives. If you really want to do something, you and your sister are setting the example of what it looks like to go and get it. There is no limit, and it is always encouraging to see young people that are working on their dreams without giving up…so thank you for that.

It does not matter who is telling you what as long as you know what it is that you want to do, and you pursue it that is what is important, and we are very proud of you.

Sophia: Thank you.

H.O.R: So today there are a lot of adults as well as our youth…so this goes for everyone that are pursuing their dreams as we just mentioned. You are very successful at what you are doing, and we encourage you to keep on doing what you are doing.

What advice and tips do you have for all of us that want to venture into entrepreneurship?

Sophia: I would say that if you want to start your own business or to do something that you really want to do, then go for it. Because usually people are afraid to do the things that they want to do, like if someone wants to be a dancer or a chef like me, they get scared because they think about all the negative things that can happen. Being a chef is a lot of fun because you get to learn new recipes, you get to cook and create with different people and it is just amazing to see what you can do when you are preparing food.

H.O.R: It is true just like you said, go for it. There is no limit to what you can do, and you are clearly living that, and you are showing us that. Cooking is a lot of fun and it brings people together, and it is something that anybody can do. If you do not know how to cook, then we can tune into your show @sjsavorykitchen and learn. You have something for all of us so that we can come together, and it is very important that we pay attention and that we follow you and continue to encourage you. Thank you for creating an opportunity for all of us to come together and doing something that is fun and that we do at least 3 times a day.

Sophia: Yes.

H.O.R: I noticed that you have a sale going on right now Sophia…girrrlll tis the season to shop, get the family together and tell us where we can go to take advantage of this sale, tell me more about it.

Sophia: My sale comes with free shipping, so you will not have to pay for shipping at all. You will be able to find my things on Instagram and Facebook @sophiajthomas, and if you want to go to my website to buy my cookware, you can find the link in my Instagram bio or you can go to @aoagwllc.com

H.O.R: I know that’s right. We will go ahead and check out all the products that you have available now, we need to go ahead and get our hands on it, we need to make sure that our families are well equipped for the kitchen and if they want to try something new for the holidays, then they can tune into your show.

You have amazing recipes, and I cannot wait to try some. Thank you so much, it is an amazing thing for us all especially now during the holidays where we are coming together. It is a little different due to COVID-19, but we are still coming together, and we are still in the kitchen, whipping it up…so thank you.

Sophia: Thank you. The other night I made my famous lemon cookies, my family enjoys them very much and my mom and sister fight over them (laughter) and I make them whenever I can and there is a lot of flour that goes into that recipe and so there is flour all over the kitchen. My family loves when I make cookies whether it’s lemon, chocolate chip or oatmeal…they love them all.

H.O.R: That is awesome, and like I mentioned everybody has a sweet tooth and we want cookies, cupcakes, and cake at some point. I did notice that you do have a recipe for cupcakes as well. I will definitely need to tune in for that because cupcakes are my weakness.

At the end of our show we always do a shoutout, a House of Ramirez shoutout. Is there anyone that you would like to shoutout?

Sophia: Yes, I would like to shoutout my family, my mom, my dad, and my sister, and my grandfather. Because they were the ones that actually got me into cooking, especially my parents, and my grandfather. My sister has been pushing me to be the best when it comes to my cooking and she is always telling me that my recipes are amazing. Whenever my family tells me that my recipes are amazing, I get really happy, so I want to give them a shoutout.

H.O.R: That is something that is very important, we give a platform, and we show love to the ones that actually support us, that is what it is all about…encouragement and support. You definitely have your family in your corner, you have all of us fans and all of us loved ones that are encouraging you as well, who are tuning in, and we love what you are doing so keep up the great work Sophia, we are very proud of you, and thank you so much for being on House of Ramirez today.

Sophia: Thank you for having me…bye (she waves)

H.O.R: Bye (waves back)