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

Chef, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today The first dollar your business earns is always special and we’d love to hear how your brand made its first dollar of revenue.

Your first dollar is always your most important dollar! “Why is that, Chef?”, you might ask, simple, because that now means you have a business. You took the first step needed to accomplish a goal, a dream, and what you aspired to do! For me it all started with my love and passion for football. Most people don’t know but I used to be ‘like that’ on the field before I stopped growing and realize it was time to retire from the game before the game retired me. Thats when I started working on my baking skills, I would take my desserts to football practice, church, and school for people to try. One year while playing for Deion “PrimeTime” Sanders youth football team “TRUTH”, we hosted an event called “The Taste of TRUTH”, and I just had to be apart of it. While all the kids were running around, I was laying out my well plotted spread of coach Deions favorite desserts in hopes of him loving at least one of them and he ended up loving all of them. From that day on Coach would hire me to do desserts at his house anytime he had an event or dinner and let the chef there train me on how to present my creations and build my confidence. That is how it all got started at the fresh age of 12.

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 am Chef Hoppie, a 24-years-old who was born and raised in the DFW area. As a child, I started baking early after getting inspiration from my mom and her famous 7-up pound cake. I put on the chef hat and got to work in an attempt to mimic her recipe, but found that I had a unique talent in the kitchen. I work in the culinary industry as a celebrity chef for athletes like Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, CeeDee Lamb, and Amari Cooper, while also cooking for other celebrities who visit Dallas. Amongst an already-busy schedule, I still have a heart for my community and frequently take time to give back.
Chef Hoppie is known as a presence within the community and I do not take that role lightly, as I continue to work with young chefs and encourages them to follow their dreams in the face of adversity. Using this platform to inspire people—both young and old—to understand and pursue their God given purpose and passions.

The thing that sets me apart from other is one, my unique style of cooking and ability to create something out of nothing, while also staying true to who I am and the goal — becoming the “PrimeTime of Culinary”.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

Myself and Dallas Cowboys’ Superstar Running Back, Ezekiel Elliott have launched a meal prep business together named “Hoppin’ Preps”.

Zeke and I met a couple of times at some of the Cowboys game but the real connection came when he needed a chef for his birthday party a few years ago, and then after that it was like a match made in heaven. Not only did we become family but it opened our eyes to realized how much our brands clashed with me becoming the man who “Feeds Zeke”.

Any advice for managing a team?

I am NOTHING without my team. The best way to “managing” your team or circle around your brand is to have fun! There are times when I’m sure they don’t like me or know I’m a bit snippy because how I like things to be done and always on go but after the hard work is done, we relax, have fun and laugh about it. Also, treat and reward your team, show your love and appreciation and not just say it.

Contact Info:

• Website: thechefhoppie.com
• Instagram: @ChefHoppie_
• Twitter: @ChefHoppie
• Youtube: Chef Hoppie TV

Image Credits
Tej Patel – @Tejxpatel Patrick Bolton – @Created.by.pat