He created the Creole King Food food truck thanks to a local employment mission, Aides et Réseaux
For a while a saxophone musician, then a governess, Josué Lanoix dabbled in a little of everything after quitting his studies in his senior year. “However, my love of music would not allow me to make a living from it, so I entered the medical field, with an idea back to school to become a nurse. I really liked the job, but in the end it turned out differently, ”he says.
When his father fell ill, Josué Lanoix decided to drop everything to help him continue his business catering . “I’ve always seen him work in this area. Kitchen, I bathed in it as a child. But then I got revelation “, he confessed.
Supported by Mission locale des Bords de Marne
In January 2016, Josué Lanoix opened his food truck King Creole’s Food in Champigny-sur-Marne, the city where he grew up. For seven years, he has offered the whole selection of dishes with Caribbean colorsaccording to their origins, including the famous Guadeloupean cuisine bokit, available in a variety of recipes, and the famous accras.
Today, his business is doing well, although it has slumped during the Covid crisis. He occasionally hired his wife to help him out, diversified with his catering offerings and expanded his scope by setting up shop once a week in Noisy-le-Grand. Big progress: “Me too just now build my own lab to prepare my food in the best conditions”, he rejoices. Growing up, the 2022 turnover could reach 80,000 euros. Enough pushing him to recruit additional people and, why not, in some time, open his own restaurant in the Paris region.
But before getting there, Josué Lanoix had to fight. “When I left school, it was complicated. I have to choose the path or legality. We had to fight, he remembers. Luckily, I ran into Stéphane, from Marne Bank Local Mission. Their goal: to encourage young people to continue their studies to obtain baccalaureate equivalency and proceed to higher education.
Apprentice in Canada, scout in New York
Interested in entrepreneurship and supported by a local mission, Josué Lanoix chose to pursue a university degree in business creation (Duca). “For me, who has no knowledge of the business world, it is very useful to be able to work on my projects while working. accompanied “, he assured.
Over the course of a year, he learned the basics of creating a business, crafting a business plan for his restoration project, and even earned a internship scholarship month at a restaurant in Montreal. “There, I was able to learn on the ground everything that was needed to open my own structure,” he says.
But that’s not enough. Josué Lanoix pushed his thinking further by leveraging his presence across the Atlantic to study the New York food truck market. “It’s working very well there, whereas in France it hasn’t progressed too much,” he continued. I want to do it my own market research to perfect my idea. »
Accompanied through ups and downs
Since opening the King Creole’s Food food truck, Josué Lanoix has always been supported by the Groupement de Créateurs du Val-de-Marne and the Mission locale des Bords de Marne. “They are always ready to help us find the right contacts, to support us in legal, administrative, or accounting matters. They provide welcome advice to secure funding. And then, their moral support comes in handy. They are always there, through thick and thin, ”the entrepreneur assures.
Their support has been invaluable during the Covid crisis. Forced to stop dying his activities, Josué Lanoix found himself powerless. But he quickly bounced back by turning to take-out sales, at the suggestion of the group. “I didn’t think about it at the time, but I kept my head above water,” she explains. So, I contacted various delivery platforms like Uber Eats and Deliveroo, and I turned my activity into a sort of dark kitchen. »
In turn, Josué Lanoix regularly share their experiences with young people from local missions. He looks back on his journey and explains how he got there. “Several years ago, I was still in their shoes. So I told them it was possible. »
