We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kisha Washington a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kisha, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

I have to say, being a business owner is not for the faint of heart. Its hard work. Its takes up all your time, and you constantly have to be engaged in all aspects of the business. I started my personal chef business in 2014. I had a full time job as well. It was a lot keeping up with both. It wasn’t until 2019 I became a full-time entrepreneur, working my business. But of course covid came and put a pause on everything. I open the non-profit through covid, April 2020, and decided to go back to work part-time since things were shut down due to covid.

Now in 2026, I run both businesses still and wouldn’t have it any other way. I love being a business owner, but have to be realistic about running it. Its hard work. Nothing is handed to you. I have had to learn things on my own, fund things, and keep pushing forward. Its truly something I can call mine.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I got into cooking long ago. Changed careers and went to culinary school. Decided pretty quickly I didn’t want to work in a restaurant, so I opened my own personal chef business called TheKeyIngredient LLC. I do upscale private dining experiences. Everything from multi-courses to wine pairings to lavish desserts and consulting.

Im also a competition chef, where I get to travel to compete in large cooking competitions. I have won numerous awards and accolades for dishes and concepts. Im an alumni of James Beard Foundation Legacy Network Program 2023-2024 as an Advisor. Im also a member of the Washington DC chapter with Les Dames d’Escoffier.

I am also the Founder of an organization called Cookzcreed Foundation where we help chefs and hospitality individuals get mental health, substance abuse, and well-being resources. I self published a book in 2024 called Cultivating Healthy Minds Im also a Les Dames Legacy Journalism Award winner.

I also judge with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation for scholarships and with Prostart. I have done a lot of things to be proud of. All are things I take seriously and to heart.

How did you build your audience on social media?

My audiences on my social media was actually built by word of mouth, people I know, people that I have done work for, and by posting. I always say word of mouth is by far the strongest way to connect. We people trust you and your craft and are willing to tell others about what you do, its nothing like it.

I also post what I do. Short clips, video, or pictures of my work, creative process, or just an awesome pic helps build my audience as well. Some advice I would give in building the social media presence would be stay consistent. Post when you can. Keep the quality of what you post high. Show different aspects of what you do. This keeps those folks interested, and wondering what you will post next.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Management can be hard at times with different personalities, backgrounds, talent, etc. In my personal chef business, most times it only myself. But I do have other chefs and people I work with for dinners. The great thing is they know how I work. They know the expectations I set. So one thing I would say is, set your expectations with your team. Let them know what you need, and how you want it.

With the non-profit, I manage a board. One thing I do is check in with them every month. Just to make sure we all are on the same page. I ask for their input. This is important. Know what they are expecting as well. Be open to feedback, but know you are the decision maker at the end of the day.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.thekeyingredientllc.com, Www.cookzcreedfoundation.org
• Instagram: @chefkish_dyan @cookzcreedfoundation
• Other: Substack: notesfromthepass.substack

  Tiktok: @dyanmaine