We were lucky to catch up with Caylon Allen recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Caylon thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One deeply underappreciated facet of entrepreneurship is the kind of crazy stuff we have to deal with as business owners. Sometimes it’s crazy positive sometimes it’s crazy negative, but crazy experiences unite entrepreneurs regardless of industry. Can you share a crazy story with our readers?

So to date, I would have to say the craziest most challenging encounter I have experienced business wise, had to be the time we cooked for high profile corporate Christmas Party were the guest list included 1,300 guest that me and my team had to fully accommodate for . The entire package included full on gourmet buffet, table set up , decor , drink service , ice buckets the whole shebang , that we were all responsible for . So preparation had to be very meticulous and timely . With that being said we executed prep very well and showed up 30 min prior to set up time , so we were ecstatic and pumped to be ahead of schedule due to the magnitude of the event ! So as usual I contact the appointed coordinator upon arrival and inform them we have arrived , they enlighten us they would be arriving in 15 min hang tight. Timely 13-15 min the showed up and allowed access to the assumed conference room where we were doing the full on event. Me and my team carefully and strategically carted everything in and got right to work assembling and decorating the entire room to make the ambiance very elegant and tip top to wow the awaited VIP guest in attendance. 1 hour later , we are fully set up food hot and ready, presentation immaculate, and everything has come together so nicely and executed exactly how I visualize it , and not to mention 45 min before start time . So the team is huddled up for final game plan for when the event starts, 20 min have passed and the biggest wrench gets thrown in the program when the head administrator comes in and informs the coordinator she had us set up in the wrong room !!!! On top of that the room that we were supposed to be in and can accommodate all guest, doesn’t have road access to it. Wow we are all astonished and they are super apologetic but in the back of my head I’m like that doesn’t soften the blow we have a miracle to pull off immediately! So me and my team have to get all food , drinks , chaffers , decor etc all up and transport it 400 feet by cart and foot with 20 min to start time . Immediately our team sprung into action and moved as fast as possible to get everything to the room set up and perfectly arranged as before ! I advised The coordinator to do an impromptu cocktail hour to buy us some time she obliged and needless to say 45 minute later we miraculously pulled it off, had the whole setup in place, food, decor , and all , with a few minor last minute adjustments.

With all that thrown at us I embraced it and tried to show great leadership and not crack under pressure so my team wouldn’t follow suit . When it was all said and done they loved everything! And I was overly joyed and thankful for the overall experience to see what me and my team were truly capable of under those circumstances and we truly prevailed and it was an unforgettable experience and I’m grateful for that day, mostly because it grew my team closer, gave each one us more confidence as a whole and truly took my business and mindset to another level .

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I’m Caylon Allen , 33 years of age ! Father of 2 beautiful daughters who keep me grounded. Lover of all forms of art , including Food , Fashion , Fitness , Music etc

Also the proud owner of Fusion Food and Fitness,

A rare brand that brings a wide variety of global cuisines with a robust of fusion flavor. .
Also bringing an overall Health & Wellness aspect into play challenging the human anatomy with precise training styles to truly get your health , nutrition , and body functionality at extremely beneficial levels to anti age and feeling your best and whatever age group and bring essential health goals to the forefront

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I think my overall journey and path of life is the epitome of resilience in itself !

I faced many uphill battles throughout my life , troubled lost teen, no outlets , no face of voice of reason . Tough upbringing but no innovative installments to set me up for a promising future ! So with that being said I ran into a lot upsets , encountered many hiccups that had me questioning myself as a whole ! I had so much god giving unmatched potential but had no idea how to tap into it and also questioned why God choice me to be this born leader .

Years down the road I truly started embracing my calling, shielded and perceived through each and everything thrown at me, through failed business plans , stolen restaurant equipment, revamping my whole team at the pinnacle of my career , injuries , fickled business partners, bad investments , exonerated life savings for a business deal that lead me to dealings with a crooked partner, running off stealing all finances with no ROI . You name it , it was enough trials and tribulations to tear down the most strongest human being ! All in all I never threw in the towel and I kept pushing forward and having faith that no matter what was thrown at me and what turmoil I experienced, God still had my back and was sculpting/blueprinting a bigger plan larger than I could ever imagine .

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I feel I definitely had to unlearn the internal meaning of competition, and compartmentalize competing with others and competing with my own insecurities .

And I started understanding that I didn’t look at others as “competition” more as “inspiration” and I only competed with my unachieved desires of “yesterday”

Contact Info:

• Website: fusionfoodandfitness.com
• Instagram: @chefallen
• Facebook: Caylon Allen
• Youtube: Chef Allen