LEGACY. LEGACY. LEGACY.

It's always been a big topic of conversation amongst my family and friends. How did you get here? Who cleared the way?

Over the last few years, I've thought about who in my family paved the way for me but most of all, who paved the way for the family and their legacy? Was it one person, or was it the collective?

As many of you know, I grew up in PA (Pennsylvania), but my mother and father's roots were originally planted in New York. My dad spent his childhood in Harlem, and my mother spent hers out on Long Island, but my family's story of LEGACY started before my folks came on the scene.

In my opinion, it was my grandfather, Bert (Poppy) Holder, that was the catalyst for my family and our LEGACY. What he achieved and how he achieved it was truly unheard of for his time.

Born in 1920, he was recruited by the Navy in World War II, and as a Black man charged with reading the captain's letters to him, he began to carve out his legacy among the military. Learning Morse Code in his Bronx high school, Poppy Bert went on to become a transcriber, where he was able to use his skills to save lives. Rising in rank due to his accomplishments in the Navy, my grandfather was lucky to be one of the 100 Black men in New York and northern New Jersey to receive a mortgage assured by the GI Bill that denied so many others. With that mortgage, my grandfather was able to purchase land on Long Island to start the next chapter in our family's story.?

Many of us talk about wealth in the Black community, and more often than not, we direct our attention to the money in the bank, but true WEALTH is so much more than that.

What do you own, how much financial and entrepreneur knowledge are you able to pass down to your relatives and how can that set your family up to go further? These are the questions that can help to understand the longevity of wealth and how it contributes to your LEGACY.

With that initial mortgage from the GI Bill, my grandfather was able to plant the seed for growth amongst our family. He took one house and turned it into an opportunity to receive a bank loan which eventually set him up to put future generations through college. Ultimately, my grandfather sold that Long Island home and moved his family out to PA, where one house became three. This was the turning point for my mother's side of the family and in turn, for me.?

Now, my father's mother, Laura Powell, was wayyyy before her time. Boarding a church bus from North Carolina at the age of 16, my grandmother set out to marry my grandfather and start her legacy in New York City. She became a business owner who cleaned the homes of some of NYC's richest families. All who were fortunate to cross her path were embraced and loved by my grandmother as if they were family. She always shared what little she had with those struggling around her. The LEGACY she left behind was that of kindness and determination, things that I strive to take with me in everything I do.?

My grandfather, William Johnson, was a Vietnam War veteran from Mississippi who made a smoked trout dip and Mississippi-style gumbo that could bring a smile to even the biggest of skeptics. He had the heart of a chef and taught me a thing or two about what goes on in the kitchen.?

Despite growing up in PA, I was fortunate enough to lay down my tracks in Harlem at a young age. I spent my early cooking days with my Aunt Jeanie and Aunt Estelle. If you know me well, you know them. You probably had a meal or even a drink with one of them during your time with me. They always made sure I was good in NYC, and most importantly, they motivated me to keep following my true passion of fueling my community and paving the way for others like me. Aunty Estelle's first words to me were, "New York City can make you or break you, so what are you going to let it do to you?"

With all that said, LEGACY is an ongoing process, and my family encouraged me to bring what I got to this outrageous city and see what it would do with me, or better yet, what I could do with it. My dad always said you can't live life with a "woulda, coulda, shoulda" approach... and maybe that's exactly the way to build a LEGACY.?

With my family at home and at FIELDTRIP, I have been thinking more and more about my LEGACY, and I want to spend the next few weeks sharing those thoughts with you. Each personal and professional step I take influences the lives of the people around me. My wife. My kids. My team. My community.?

LEGACY. LEGACY. LEGACY.?

It's the story you leave for those that come behind you. It's the impact you make that generations after you can build on. It's what I take with me with every move I make.?

You run this hard just to stay in place. Keep up the pace, baby.?Keep up the pace.