Daily Inspiration: Meet Julia Ireland

Today we’d like to introduce you to Julia Ireland

Hi Julia, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
After a very long career in luxury real estate in Scottsdale, AZ it was time for a change. In May 2009, we purchased a food truck and set out to decide what to do with it. Having grown up in Los Angeles, food trucks were common, but not the gourmet style we see today. After weeks of considering types of cusines, we decided on creme brulee. It is an elevated dessert and not one that is easy to find unless you’re in a higher end restaurant. We thought bringing a decadent dessert to the streets in a truck would memorable for guests and hopefully cross the boundaries into a variety of events. It worked out well as we start our 16th year in business. We work everything including farmers markets, birthday parties, anniversary celebrations, weddings, staff appreciations and large corporate events. We have even provided dessert at 3 funerals over the years of some of our favorite clients. Our creme brulee is gluten free and we offer over 30 all natural flavors, many of them are seasonal selections. Guests choose their flavor and we torch it before their little eyes! It’s fun to watch and it smells amazing.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We were the first gourmet food truck to hit the streets of Phoenix/Scottsdale. We worked with the county health department to develop the rules and regulations for what grew to be a bustling business. When we moved to the Kansas City area in 2014, there were 88 gourmet food trucks in Phoenix that had began in the 6 years since we started Torched Goodness. There was certainly a huge learning curve to the business but it was pretty smooth. Our motto was “failure is not an option” so we grew with the business and were constantly striving to figure out better ways to operate.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Having come from a corporate and high pressure career, owning a dessert truck has given me the ability to simply have fun when I go to work. The business is non stop from marketing, to booking events, to baking to the fun part….torching the creme brulee in front of our guests. It’s wonderful to be a part of special memories with our clients. We do hundreds of weddings and run into people years later and they will say that they remember us from a friends wedding and still talk about the creme brulee and how fun the experience was. That always makes my day! It is delicious (of course!) but the uniqueness of it is what makes it truly memorable. We have won multiple local and national awards over the years. From #6 Best Dessert Truck in the USA to #1 Food Truck in Kansas and many others, we are proud of the quality of our product and the way we run the business. We are commited to showing up at events (not all trucks do!) and doing our part as professionals to help create a memorable experience for the guests.

How do you think about luck?
I have always considered the glass half full and I think we often create our own luck. I’m a firm believer that you get back what you give – good and bad. Put out good energy and that will come back to you. If you choose to look for the negative in work and life, things are going to be a challenge. Sure, circumstances happen beyond our control, but how you respond to that will ultimately determine the outcome. Being a positive person and a hard worker has earned me a lifetime of good luck!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.torchedgoodness.com
• Instagram: torched goodness
• Facebook: torched goodness
• LinkedIn: torched goodness