Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jonathan Helmy. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jonathan, appreciate you joining us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

The long drive to success is exactly that, long! Much like an endless road-trip this journey will have many bumps, turns, breakdowns, maintenance required, and in the end the only person who can continue the journey is you. Success will not come overnight or to those who aren’t willing to make the journey. Being a self employed business owner I’ve learned over the years that if I want to be a success I have to open my heart and mind always, and trust me the food industry has taught me much patience. At the end of the day hard work and the ability to consistently push yourself harder and further everyday is what it will take to reach heights you thought you’d never achieve in business. Nothing easily obtained in life is worth having, the things in life that scare you the most are usually what will give you the best reward just don’t be to scared to never go after your dreams.

Jonathan, 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 learned how to cook out of necessity. Having immigrant parents who were going after the American dream meant many days of long nights at work, and above all the sacrifice of time. As a young child I asked my mother to teach me how to cook eggs so that I could make a snack after school, and from there a spark was lit that helped ignite my passion into the culinary world. I started my catering company Honest Abe Foods and Braised Gods (food truck) about four or five months before covid hit and from the start it has been a non stop rollercoaster. Unable to admit defeat I had to take a step back and reevaluate my business. I was unable to run the food truck due to all the closures happening at the time mixed with not having enough capital as well. I went full into the catering game and was able to book small parties and events, I also developed a line of seasonings and kettle style chips to help supplement my income. As the city opened up so did Braised Gods my food truck. This meant a lot to me for so many reasons because Braised Gods was a way for me to connect my city’s culture with my heritage and the state that raised me. I am a very proud Texan who loves the fact that my city has Latin roots and a rich history based in it. Being a product of an Egyptian father and a Syrian mother, I already have a very proud and rich heritage myself. But combine all that together and you get a fusion of food and flavors that stimulates the body and mind. My cuisine at Braised Gods is a mix between Latin and middle eastern flavors with a Texas bbq twist. I use a broad variety of techniques and ingredients that makes my cuisine stand out from others. In this new post covid world you have to stand out any way you can, so I decided to do me but in the best way possible. I tell people all the time that being a private chef or doing catering usually means doing what the client wants, but when you book Braised Gods we get to do what we want and show off our edible art the way we want to! I think my proudest moment as a Chef/Owner is being able to look back at all I’ve done and having the ability to say that I not only survived a pandemic, but people genuinely love what I do for them and give me repeat business. To be hired once is a blessing, but getting hired consistently because of your food, flavors and professionalism is what really makes me happy to do what I do. Think of Honest Abe Foods & Braised Gods as problem solvers for the culinary world, and we’re here to add flavor wherever and whenever we can!

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Outstanding service and wow factor are the best ways for me to ensure repeat business. If I don’t blow people away the first time they usually aren’t jumping the gun to hire me again. Let’s face hard facts too, generally the majority of people will judge a meal that’s been prepared for them by a small business and if it fails their standards they will never eat with you again, but McDonald’s messes up your order a thousand times and you still go back to get another. The key is being prepared and always having a game plan, of course you can’t make sure everything goes right but at least control the chaos as best you can.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

During the first year of covid my business was on the verge of being shutdown, unable to book large parties and not having enough capital to run the food truck almost broke me. Many people that had believed in me in the beginning were starting to tell me that maybe quitting should be an option to consider. That hurt me to think that all I had given up to start my business was about to be lost, and the worst part was it wasn’t even something I could control. To give up on this after trying so hard was just something I could not remedy, so I promised myself that when the account ran dry and I was out of money that I would shutdown for good. I am so thankful that I never reached that point because hard work does pay off, it just takes a little while sometimes.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Braisedgods_satx
• Facebook: Honest Abe Foods