Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Christopher Forbes. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Christopher, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Alright, so we’d love to hear about how you got your first client or customer. What’s the story?
My first client was Regal Barbershop in Salt Lake City, UT in March of 2020. I had been having food plate sales for the previous 3 months trying to get my name out there. The plates sales grew from 50 orders first day to around an average of 100plus plates per sale by March. Word started to get around. My Cinematographer by the name of Jerome Barbour suggested that I branch out more and explore catering businesses. We decided to do sample drop offs as a way to meet and greet businesses and store owners. That lead us to Albert Archuleta at Regal Barbershop. He allowed me to come drop off pans of food for him and his team to try out along with business cards. It was a blessing. That opportunity lead to Albert being my first paying catering client. He allowed me to feed his Superbowl party and actually paid more than he was quoted. I will forever be grateful for him and the opportunity he gave me. That started the success of Miami Bites Catering which lead to opportunities to cook for Celebs, Athletes and Companies like Pepsi, Verizon, USC Women’s Basketball, etc. Traveling to different states and cities from California to Houston. All started with a sample order for Regal Barbershop.
Christopher, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’m Christopher Forbes. Private Chef from Miami, FL. Graduate from Utah State University/Salt Lake Art Institute. Bahamian background and son of a Chef and Baker. I got into the industry in 2019 right before the pandemic. Prior to that I’ve gained a rep from peers cooking at bbqs and dinner parties. My close friends gave me the great idea to start taking taking cooking serious. We developed a business plan and began marketing. What set me apart from my competition was the relationships I built with clients before and after crating the business. My team around me consisted of Jerome Barbour who took care of photos/videos and marketing. Tabari Hamilton took care of commercial kitchen placement and photos/networking. Albert Forbes who took care of Logos/Merchandise. Building a team of the people closest to me made everything a smooth process.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Starting a business right before COVID was not what I invisioned.losijg clientele due to health and safety protocols, lack of supplies and food, and government shut downs really hendered my growth as a business. I use to tell myself that if I can get through this then I can get through anything. Me and my team would brainstorm ways to work around the COVID protocol struggles. Once the world began getting use to a global pandemic things started to work for the better. Restaurants began to close or were heavily restricted. Orders began to pick up. People wanted home cooked meals delivered to them without worrying about restrictions and availability.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
What helped build my reputation within the market was the feedback and reviews that I received from my clients. The repost on social media, the stories and reels of clients reactions after tasting my food. Videos and posts on IG, Twitter and Facebook platforms help spread the word about my cooking.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Miamibites_chefforbes
- Facebook: Mia Bites
- Youtube: Miami Bites
Image Credits
Photos by: Jerome Barbour and Tabarri Hamilton Jeromethedp – IG Tabarrihamilton_photography – IG