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Sandy Defelice
DEEP SOUTH OIL & VINEGAR
Sandy Defelice, owner of Deep South Oil & Vinegar in Houma, has been supplying the community with 20+ extra virgin olive oils and aged balsamic vinegars to help bring delicious, local flavor into local homes for almost a decade.
After almost ten years as a medical insurance biller and coder, Sandy decided to pursue her love for cooking by purchasing Deep South Oil & Vinegar and share her passion with the community. “I am a lover of cooking and everything about it, and I had been using products from Deep South Oil & Vinegar for years at the time,” she said. “When the owner mentioned wanting to sell, I was ready for a career change from medical insurance billing and I knew I wanted to take it on. The best feeling has been seeing how the shop has grown since my husband and I bought it– it’s my baby.” Sandy told POV Magazine that despite the grueling schedule of shop owning, she truly looks forward to coming into work everyday and watching the store thrive.
She hopes that her work as a local female business owner will help inspire other community members to follow their passions as well. “When it comes to being a woman in business and influencing young women to become professionals, I always say how important it is to follow your dreams and stay determined,” said Sandy. “It can be rare to find something you love and are passionate about when you are young. I have told my own kids, even if you are not doing something you love at age 25, don’t give up on your dreams. I bought this store when I was 40– it can come later in life.”
She expressed that she is looking forward to continuing to watch Deep South Oil & Vinegar grow over the next few years, and has even begun selling her products wholesale. “We have our products all over the country– we have our products in shops in Louisiana, Indiana, California, and we hope to continue expanding,” Sandy said. “I would love to say one day that every home in Louisiana has a bottle of our oil and vinegar in it’s kitchen.”
