The entrepreneurial journey consists of real-world lessons in the field and classroom learning. Your professional development should never stop.

Almost 20 years ago, I started on this "Entrepreneurial Journey." I worked a full-time job and sold food on my days off. People loved to order my cookies! It started with the cookies and then stewed conch, Johnny Cake (the Bahamian version), and mango tart. Oh, this is not the mango tart that you might think about. I learned how to make this one from Epicurious magazine. Here’s the recipe https://www.epicurious.com/.../mango-tart-with-coconut... and it’s the ONLY recipe that I ever prepared from a magazine also. I have cookbooks and magazines to look at for inspiration only. I started baking the cookies for a friend and then his friends and customers would pay me to bake and cook for them. I've even baked for a celebrity before. My food would be amazing some days and on others, it was a hit or miss. The reason was that I did not have a standardized recipe, process, or procedures.

I called myself a caterer and didn't even know what equipment I should've purchased or the suggested serving size per person for various types of food and service styles. The internet was not in full swing then like it is now, so I couldn't easily access this information online, and neither did I know anyone in the food industry that could serve as a resource to me.

I was not punctual in making my deliveries because I was not organized in the kitchen. I had no professional training but I was a very good cook. I had been cooking from the age of 4 because my mother transferred her passion to me through early cooking lessons. She was not afraid to let her young climb the counter to get salt or go to the stove to make tea. (Side note: Children are great students so start teaching them as much as possible as early as possible. I never got hurt either.) I prepared my first 3-course meal at the age of 9 after she gave birth to my first brother. I am the oldest of her 5 children.

Fast-forward, I went to culinary school and graduated with honors but I still had no idea about what was needed to own and operate a business outside of understanding how to cook and plate beautiful dishes. By the way, I suck at food styling and photography. Culinary school prepared me to be an employee, not a business owner.

Life took an unexpected turn and I became a professor at a renowned culinary college. I fell in love with something that I never had an interest in which is teaching. I am now a certified international instructor in professional certification courses recognized in the foodservice industry. In this capacity of serving, I continue to learn as an instructor from my students. The stories that they share are eye-opening and insightful. I learn from their real-world experiences.

After this interesting career choice, I worked for the largest food distribution company in the world as a Sales/Marketing Associate, and from this moment forward is where the real change took place for me. Firstly, their training program was noteworthy, well-thought-out, and something that other training programs should be modeled after. I walked in through many backdoors of restaurants, hotels, country clubs, catering facilities, adult clubs, etc. for work. I learned from people that were in the field longer than I was alive. I observed. I served. I received consistent and continual training on all areas of the food industry including those that had nothing to do with food. I worked with service providers to our industry that are essential and that contribute to the success of the business as a whole. I learned more during this time than I ever did in school or any other previous time in my life.

As a result, predictable patterns would emerge between those that were successful and those that were not. I had conversations with customers. I learned as much about them as they desired to share. I believe that as long as you are in business, you never know everything there is to learn if you have a mindset that is set on growth. Success means different things to different people but one thing that I have learned is that you don’t have to cut off or sacrifice that which is most important to you to thrive. Our industry has trained us to believe that you should expect not to be with your family and loved ones during important times in our lives but to be more committed to the business. I have a client that owns her own medical practice and recently opened a restaurant but still attends her children’s school functions. I have another client that owns ten (10) restaurants which includes a five-star restaurant, a waterfront property, another in a world-renowned resort, and the others are a grab-and-go type of operation which includes an international location. She takes time for herself where she flies to her private beachfront home and disconnects from everyone and everything, as necessary. She turns her phone off and does not check emails. She understands that in order to be successful you can’t be in your business all of the time. Both of these clients travel and enjoy their lives. A good balance of work and play.

Today I wanted to share a small glimpse into my professional life. Over time I will share more about my growth and journey with you. Learning is not confined to a classroom. Learning is a way of life, for me. I hope to learn from you also. Please share stories about your professional growth and journey with me.