Today we’d like to introduce you to Kayla Cherry.
Kayla, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
From being born in the Bronx to graduating college in Dallas and finally settling in Raleigh. I feel like I am still just getting started. I like to say that I have been cooking ever since I could reach the stove. I always remember helping my mom make breakfast, dinner, and holiday meals for our family. Ever since then I have been in charge of making dinner every night.
When I was in 11th and 12th grade, I joined a program called Orange-Ulster BOCES. It was a program where students in Orange and Ulster County in New York could go either in the morning or afternoon. They could learn different trades. Such as physical therapy, automotive, cosmetology, and many more. I chose culinary arts. One day, we had a project where we had to create our own businesses. I remember most people chose to have a restaurant. I had the idea of having a catering company. I chose catering because I love making large quantities of food. Growing up, my house was always the party house. Almost every holiday, my family would come over and my mom and I would be in the kitchen making a ton of food.
After high school, I moved to Dallas, TX and I attended El Centro Community College. I took a catering class as an elective and I really enjoyed it! I learned the proper way to set up a buffet and a lot of teamworking skills. Also, the fashion department had a fashion show and my class catered that. We had to create the menu, split up into groups and each group was in charge of one element of the meal.
In 2019, I worked for a catering company in Dallas. I was a prep cook for a month and after that, a saucier. After the pandemic, everyone got laid off. I started researching how to become a caterer. One day, while I was on YouTube, I looked up “Life of a caterer”. I came across a video from Gabrielle Mcbay. She is a private chef and caterer from Texas. I also found another chef named Ayo Cherry (no relation to me). She does private dining and meal prep as well. These are two chefs that I look up to. They both have a passion for cooking and created their own successful business. Eventually, I decided to do catering, private dining, and meal prepping.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
So far, one of my biggest challenges has been figuring out how much to charge for private dining and catering. I didn’t want to overcharge and not be able to get clients or under charge and not make any money. I just wasn’t sure where to start. I had looked at articles, watched YouTube videos, and listened to podcasts. I also contacted some private chefs on Instagram to ask them for advice. It really helped.
Another challenge has been getting clients. I have promoted my business on social media, and I have given my business cards out to many people but I haven’t had much luck with gaining clients. When I do get more clients, I will be ready.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My business is called “Kayla’s Comfort Catering LLC”. I specialize in American comfort foods. Foods such as steak, chicken, pasta, and more. Comfort foods are what I like to eat so that’s why I chose to name my business after it. I provide private dining, catering, and meal prep services. Another thing is that I love coming up with new recipes. Sometimes I will look at an ingredient and build a meal around it.
I love my job because I get to help make someone’s special day even more special. I do like private dining the most because it is more intimate. There are times where I would be cooking in the kitchen and a client will be talking to me asking questions about my job and I would ask questions about them too. Sometimes they would film and post me on their social media.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
From Covid-19, I learned that not everything is going to go your way. You can have a plan, and something could happen, and you have to change course. Before the pandemic, I had plans to open a doughnut shop called “Delightful Doughnuts”. It was going to be a food truck. Once the pandemic happened, everyone at my catering job got laid off and I had set aside the idea of the doughnut shop. I was lucky because the only money I had spent was getting my LLC. There were probably a lot of people that weren’t so lucky and lost a lot of money.
I’m glad the doughnut shop didn’t work out because I wouldn’t have thought to start Kayla’s Comfort Catering or to start my hot sauce company called Cherrys Products.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaylascomfortcatering/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kaylascomfortcatering
- Other: https://www.cherrysproducts.com/
