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

Hi Ms. Pat, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

The mission is simple… to inspire and nurture one person, one meal and one event at a time.

Food brings people together and serves as a bridge to help them stay connected. For me, food was a resource that allowed me to learn about my family and my culture. Food served as the foundation of a celebration and in a roundabout way it provided me comfort.

As a child, I can remember my mother saying, ” people love food almost as much as they love each other” and that is where my story and the story behind my mission begins.

Many moons ago in the land of Brooklyn NY, I could remember my mother whipping up these delicious meals for me and my friends to eat. Looking back at it now, I realized how much she did with the little that she had. As we chowed down on Caribbean & Spanish cuisine, we would all wonder what made my mother come up with the dishes she made and although the kitchen table remained silent until every last plate was empty, the looks that we gave each other allowed us to know that moms meal “hit the spot”!

In 2019, I set out to feed others. I established what we do in ATL LLC in Buckhead, Atlanta. what we do in ATL is a members only, referral based, boutique, personal chef & catering company. My organization specializes in family/friends, meals/dinners and events that bring people together. It specializes in small events that create forever memories.

When I created what we do in ATL, I wanted to get that old feeling back. The feeling I had on those hot days in Brooklyn when I ate with my family & friends, the way I know my mother felt when she watched us devour the meals she prepared for us. I wanted to be like her. I wanted to be the person others would refer to as “her food is soo good! “ “ have you tried Ms. Pats fried chicken?” “OMG Ms. Pats food is delicious!”

Going into 2023, I am taking to my mission to the next level. I am building a space to bring people together outside of their homes and the traditional event space and/or restaurant setting. My new venture is the glass house ATL Corp. Established in 2020, the glass house ATL was created to bring my vision of providing my members with an ultra-modern farmhouse, tucked away in a beautiful, tree lined quiet neighborhood in Cobb County that would accommodate their foodie and entertaining needs. The glass house ATL will be a lavish bed & breakfast/brunch of sorts, unique wedding venue, modern gathering spot, a hangout for my members and their guests with all the amenities of a boutique hotel or villa of distinction. This new venture allows me to live out my dreams of sharing experiences and helping others form new memories in a space where they can come together to eat, drink, relax and celebrate because at the end of it all… that’s what life should be all about!

Ms. Pat, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I started cooking to get my mind off the passing of my mother. Cooking was my way of coping and it became my life. At the beginning, I focused on just trying to create something new at home; something that I could take pictures of and showoff to my colleagues at work. Then one day one of my co-workers said that he was tired of seeing all the pictures and if I made him some food, he would pay me for it. That colleague, Wendell R., became my first client and my biggest fan. He referred another colleague, he referred a few friends and the rest is history.

From 2019 to now, I went from 1 client to 60 families. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would be able to cook for others and make a living from it. To my “foodie family members” I am the food & kitchen lady. I am the one that gets the kids to eat their veggies. I give my clients time back so they can do the things they want to do. I shop and cook for them and even travel with them.

I serve only the best of ingredients; organic, grass fed, cage free, wild caught etc.. I ensure that my clients eat the best our local farmers markets have available. what we do in ATL was “farm to table” before it became the trend it is today.
My brand is about good food, good times and exposing my clients to a dynamic foodie culture. My clients eat what they want to eat whenever they want to eat it. I have no restrictions on cuisine types. My skills in the kitchen are vast. I have recreated meals from all around the world. From “diri ak djon djon (Haitian black mushroom rice)”, shrimp & grits (a southern classic), eggplant rollatini (from southern Italy) to lo mein (a Chinese favorite), I have cooked it all. This is what separates me from many of the personal chefs in my league.

My personal chef business, what we do in ATL, provided me with the clients and now the glass house ATL Corp. my travel and accommodations organization, is going to give those clients a new way to eat, entertain and experience my brand.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of new clients for me is my existing clients. As a referral only based business, I strongly rely on the word of mouth of my clients to share with others what I do and how I can help them. As a small business, the power of the “word of mouth” is incredible. This has allowed my organization to build itself organically and I couldn’t be happier.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

My only advice would be to show your appreciation. Let the team know how much you value them and how much of a good job they are doing.

Busy days turned into busy weeks, which turn into busy months and now years. I never forget to stop and celebrate all of our successes. Celebrating with the team after every event is important to me. Taking a moment to recognize the team members for a job well done in their day-to-day work has been the easiest, and most effective way to boost morale.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.whatwedoinatl.com
• Instagram: whatwedoinatl

Image Credits
Laverne Lee. Instagram : queenschick_718