Today we’d like to introduce you to Jamel George.
Hi Jamel, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
How I started the company was in the midst of COVID-19. I was a finance business manager at a major used car dealership. I thought ok I’m at the top of the executive chain in this company let me maximize this opportunity and keep rising. Until the day my mentor and predecessor says “ I’m sorry we have to let you go due to budgets and COVID”. I was crushed on the inside but I kind of heard it coming but did not pay attention to the rumors. So now I’m at home for at least 2 months brainstorming what the hell am I gonna do. I never in 100 years thought cooking would be it. Brainstorming led to the top question, which is, what can I do to never have that feeling again of someone controlling my destiny? So obviously I thought self employment the. I’m like ok what about food. Not a stand alone restaurant but a mobile restaurant were I can cater to the masses. Then it hit me food truck is it. I always cooked for my family but I always said never for no one else. Also our get togethers I would do majority of the cooking anyway and I have already been doing this for years. It was normal to me. So now I’m like we need marketing. We need a catchy name. So Smellee Mellees was born due to my first name Jamel and Smellee comes from a nickname I gave my son ( because he’s a teenager and he use to have bad gas problems (lolz). So the. It just stuck with me . Smellee Mellees was born. My signature burger is called a Smellee Mellee and that was created again from my son who used to eat Doritos with everything. So we added the Doritos to the burger and it was history after that. I am a man of many talents and was blessed with a lot of opportunities in my life. One opportunity that drives me is my music background. I grew up in an era where music was iconic on life decisions. It was iconic to me because I worked with names people will say yeah right( but I have proof everything is documented) I worked for Island Def Jam Records. I had the pleasure of working with endless A List celebrities such as Jay-z, Damon Dash, Ja Rule Ashanti, Kanye West, Cam’ron, Mariah Carey just to name a few….. So I was infected with watching these people move through the ranks. So I took my marketing skills and used them for myself.
Since opening Smellee Mellees I have gained recognition and notarity from Hip Hop Legend Master P. I have a signature drink called the ”Lip Licka” it’s a family recipe I learned from my grandmother Dolly god rest her soul. So I took recipe and bottled it. Boom instant success. I have sold over a thousand cases since the launch with no real big push behind it at all.
How I got to this point in my journey of one and a half years is if I don’t work I don’t eat. If I don’t stay healthy or at least try to stay physically fit I won’t make money. So my drive is relentless because I’m aware of the process. Everything you do in life has to have a process. My ode to my Smellee customers is always to provide fresh food , freshly made so they can experience fresh savory food all the time. My menu stems from the foods I grew up eating that I absolutely loved. I grew up a street rat kind of in comparison to Aladdin’s story. So being on the streets all the time all I would do is eat street food. So I’m giving it back to my customers with my touch. I feel like a flavor master. I just like to combo the right foods for a supreme taste experience. Hers a few items I serve starting with the Smellee Mellee signature burger, tacos, fried chicken wings, grilled hot dogs, nachos, steak n cheese sandwiches, Italian sausage etc…. I even serve Italian ices and my Lip Licka beverage. I’m very grateful for the trail I have paved in such a short time. Thanks to god, my wife(partner), my children and anyone who has had an impact in molding me to be who I am today. Smellee Mellees has a lot more in store to come. Stay tuned…….
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The road is never smooth. It’s a learning experience. I have a mobile restaurant (FoodTruck) and just the daily maintenance alone is a task. Every obstacle is a learning lesson. I think of it like this. Any obstacles you face are just walls you have to climb or breakthrough to get to that shining light. Some people have more walls and doors than others. Embrace each opportunity as if it were your last. You will understand soon just keep pushing. Process is key stay focused.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
What I do on a daily basis is find ways to improve to be better than I was yesterday. I think what can I do to impact the audiences I have the opportunity to serve my food, customer service and sales skills. On top of that with an amazing personality and smile every time. Smellee Mellees is known for the signature burger the “Smellee Mellee” I’m proud of my growth as an individual and I’m especially proud to stay consistent and not letting up on outstanding customer service and food. This stems from me going out with my family to do anything whether it’s clothes shopping, eating fast food or either eating a a fine dining situation I will not compromise for bad service. This is demanded. Food is a emotion people eat with there eyes most of the time. People buy off of excellent marketin. I have purchased many things based off the picture of how it looks whatever it is. I have been disappointed plenty of times that’s why consistency is key. I provide a gourmet food tasting experience with exceptional customer service. It’s the perfect match.
What matters most to you?
Customer feedback is big for me. The people will tell you. I always ask how was it? Would you change anything? What would you like to see? Is there anything we could do better? The people are the voice.
Contact Info:
- Email: SmelleeMelleesFood@gmail.com
- Instagram: SmelleeMellees
- Facebook: SmelleeMellees
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/il_yXqhJJus
