Hidden Gems: Meet Kiana Farr of Nelle’s Eatz and treatz

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kiana Farr.

Hi Kiana, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today. 
I begin cooking because of my grandmother her famous words? Were you better learn now because when I’m gone, it’s gonna be gone with me. (she recently just passed) I’ve always had a passion for designing things and just try new things. When I was pregnant with my first child, I did my own baby shower, and when I had his first birthday party, I also did the same thing. Following my second child, I did her first birthday party and the baby shower. I’ve always had friends asked me to make things for them for their birthday parties or baby showers, and I always cook and post on social media, so I’ve always had people ask me oh, you should start a business, but I felt I never had the time because I was a single mother with two children. During the year of Covid, I was out of work because my kids were out of school, so I became a stay-at-home Mother. I need some type of income to pay bills and pay my rent, and it was just really tough at the time, so I was watching TikTok and YouTube channels, and I decided to try to make a cheesecake jar. I had never made cheesecake jars before my life never made cheesecake before, so I was just experimenting my cousin lived downstairs for me, so him and his wife used to try everything I was making, so I took a leap and I began to make some and sell them to see who would like them, which went great whenever I cook dinner I will post on Facebook or Snapchat, and people always want plates, so I made a post saying if I was a sell plate to buy them so the first thing I made was a potato steak casserole, which considered potatoes, cheese, bacon, broccoli, and steak and when I did that I made about $160 the first time which was fast so I did it again made more. I added the cheesecake jars and the plates which triple it. I went and got my LLC for my business Nelle’s Easter treats, so I started doing balloons, experimenting different things, watching YouTube videos. People started tagging me and posting, and I started getting my friends to book me, and from there, it just kind of went up I have multiple tags on Facebook. I made a Facebook business page and I begin to get tagged inbox from a lot of people so pretty much it just started from there. I did my first pop-up shop. I did amazing did another pop-up shop. I didn’t do so well, so I got discouraged, and I stopped. Waited a while. Did another one. I did great, did another one and it just went out the roof. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not all the times there’s months cycle without orders. Sometimes there’s every week I have orders sometimes I’m double triple booked. Sometimes I can go without any orders, so it just depends. Some obstacles are some people don’t want to pay the price, but I can’t lower my work because I put my all into it, so I’ll have people try to book and then they tell me I found someone cheaper, or your prices are too high. 

We’ve been impressed with Nelle’s Eatz and Treatz, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
So pretty much the name came from me in a dream I was debating on the name, and I cannot figure out one and I was sleeping, and I woke up from a dream and I wrote it down on a piece of paper and that’s how I got my name. I pretty much specialize in different kind of treats, certain foods I do balloon arrangements, birthday parties, weddings, baby showers gender reveals different kind of occasions. Specialize in decorating treats, different kinds, cheesecakes, treats, rice, crispy treats, pretzels, cooking different types of foods. I’m known for my lemon drop cake my Kool-Aid pickles and the banana pudding people go crazy over the crunch I make apart from others. I take last-minute orders a lot, so I’m always willing to help and have that open door because circumstances happen things happen you know and I like to try to help because I know how hard it is when you have something planned, and it doesn’t go right, or this person cancels on you, or just last minute things I put my signature on everything. So what I would want readers to know is that you do what you do and you love what you do when it comes to whatever, whether it’s a food order or blue order or treats. I take my time nothings ever the same, so you can give me a picture of what you want I’m gonna do that with a little twist I love when my customers just ask me to do what I wanna do because I love that because I feel like I get to put extra into it. I’m always working with budget, you know. I understand times are hard, you know, I want to help out, you know, I go over and beyond if I don’t meet your requirements I’m always wanting to fix things. I don’t mind referring someone to someone else because I feel like it’s enough money out here for everyone to make some money. So, yes, I do. Offer balloon arrangements and also again treat decoration, special treats, rice, crispy, pretzels, strawberries, Oreos shooters, banana puddings, food, and food as well. 

What would you say has been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Some lessons I’ve learned is that you have to separate Business from outside, such as family friends because most of the time I get a lot of people that’s close to me feel like they deserve discount or they want things for free, which time is money and money is time so you know people can always want handouts because at the end of the day I’m provided for two kids. I’m a single mother, so I have to have some money coming in. I don’t mind giving a discount, or I offer discounts to people, or you know I have some regulars that always order from me, so I’m learning to separate those two because people think that because your friends are family that you deserve free things or you don’t have to pay nothing in life is free I’ve learned lesson with collaboration. Sometimes it’s not the best thing; sometimes a person can use you to get more money or use your business to make their business look good, so I learned that as well, not everyone is for you, sometimes against you. 

Contact Info:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nelles.eatzandtreatz?mibextid=LQQJ4d