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

Alright, Carlitta thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Before we talk about all of your success, let’s start with a story of failure. Can you open up about a time when you’ve failed?

I think every chef’s dream is eventually to have their own brick and mortar. Something there signifies you made it. In the the midst of chaos I was presented with an opportunity to have my own, and knew it was my opportunity to finally “make it”. I was skeptical about the timing, because life was lifing, but, I figured either way a lesson could be learned. I was way in over my head, but I did my best. The cost to be boss can be hefty, and something that I was completely unprepared for. Ultimately I got out of the deal before it drowned me and realized I needed time to figure what was next for me in my culinary pursuit, because there are multiple successful ways to be a chef.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Carlitta, known amongst my friends, community and industry as Peaches. I have been in the culinary industry for the past 8 years as a caterer, line-cook, kitchen manager, sous and executive chef. The passion for cooking and the fellowship it provides is something I grew up with. As most notable moments in life were always surrounded by great food and memorable experiences.
I did not go to college for this and the thought of pursuing the culinary industry as a career didn’t come until later in my twenties, but I have been on a roll (in my opinion) since.
Through years of working in restaurants, food trucks, bars, etc I gained valuable knowledge, and am looking to expand
my footprint in the industry and pivot beyond the kitchen.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Word of mouth and consistency have been the best sources for me to garner new clients. Maintaining relationships with those in the culinary community from vendors to customers has allowed many profitable opportunities.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Creative pursuits often require not only the faith of a mustard seed, but also commitment and discipline. A lot of times these goals are not tangible, but are made up of mini-goals to achieve an over all purpose. I think whether a creative or not, trying to achieve a dream requires the same fundamental steps.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Peachplates