We recently connected with Chef Tillie Kerna and have shared our conversation below.

Chef Tillie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

I have a sincere passion and insatiable appetite for bringing people together around the table with plated masterpieces, freshness and sustainability of ingredients with unbridled creativity that excites the senses and leaves a lasting impression on the palate.

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest definitely had its perks. It was instilled in me at a very early age to value fresh, local, seasonal ingredients; to this day, I implement this principle into my culinary business. I grew up gardening, cooking, and baking with my mother as well as hunting and fishing with my father and brothers. We foraged for mushrooms and picked wild berries while hiking and camping. I experienced the farm to table lifestyle before it was ever a trend. This strongly established the notion of working for your food and appreciating its roots–it became part of my genetic makeup!

Now that I have the amazing opportunities to travel for my clients all over the United States and abroad, I look for local, fresh ingredients to use for their dinner parties, meal prep, and events. It’s a true adventure and it motivates me to be creative every single day.

I was trained in French techniques and fundamentals; today I have implemented the values I grew up with and my classic French training into my personal chef business–always learning, researching, and growing! I believe in truly loving what you do and doing what you love. I have owned a personal chef business for almost 17 years specializing in 5-20 course dinner parties, gorgeous boutique events, and cooking classes for all ages, I have had the opportunity to cook for celebrities and travel extensively for my clients. I diligently work at bridging a unique culinary experience while collaborating with local artisans and farms implementing the region’s influence in my menus.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

As a small child I always had a love the culinary arts and fine art. I was obsessed with chefs like Julia Child, Graham Kerr, Jaques Pepin, and the beautiful way food would be presented in magazines and cookbooks. When I was a little girl I would climb up on the counter and organize my mom’s spice cabinet thinking “how can I use these in a recipe” then I would go research how to do so. And, by the way, my love for organization has always been a strength as a chef (after all, mis en place!) Generations of women in my family were phenomenal cooks and this established a foundation for my passion of food, but I always had this desire in me to take it to another level. At 9 years old I made my first quiche from scratch and that sparked a burning desire to dive deep into French cuisine. Today I am able to bridge my love of art and food into the menus and recipes I bring to life on my plated canvas.

When I had the opportunity to undergo culinary training I jumped at it. I didn’t realize how grueling and male dominated it would be until I was in the thick of it, but I kept going. I had to overcome the toxic masculine environment that usually (not always) is attached to my industry, and growing up with boys definitely helped me navigate through it.

I specialize in boutique catering, destination events, vacation chef experience, 5-20 course dinner parties, and cooking classes with attention to detail in the most creative ways. My boutique catering experience is for smaller, intimate groups where I can control the quality of food and service in a very unique and creative way—from brunches to birthdays, I have the honor of creating curated memories for my clients. I have the rare opportunity to travel all over the United States and abroad to create culinary delights and palate-pleasing bites for clients in a unique dining adventure infusing travel and discovery into regionally inspired cuisine. With my multi-course dinner parties, my clients become guests in their own homes while hosting an experience that ignites all the senses. I create custom menus that are seasonal, unique, and sometimes cultural, depending on the client’s desires. My hands-on and virtual cooking classes are useful for both the seasoned home cook as well as children just learning basic techniques.

I love being able to give my clients an intimate experience on some of the most memorable days of their lives. My clients trust me to dig deep into their cultural roots to create menus for their dinner parties and events. It’s a never-ending process of learning new cuisines and techniques that excites me and triggers my creative process! Creating menus and testing recipes might be my favorite part of the process as the menus are like an orchestra and the plates are an expression of my art where one ingredient plays off the other to create an experience like no other.

I am in the process of launching a nonprofit that will focus on not just teaching kids how to cook with techniques and skills but different types of cuisines, diving deep into different cultures and the origin of food. It has always been a passion of mine since my own kids were young. I was a Food Revolution Ambassador for Jamie Oliver for the state of SC until the program ended in 2018. I have continued the food fight and am so proud to be creating something that will help children for generations to come!

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

Reputation is everything. That’s a lesson I learned from my dad; no one can destroy your reputation except yourself. No matter what it takes I go above and beyond to make my clients over the moon ecstatic with my service, after all, I am selling an experience. I do not waiver on my values–integrity, . On occasion something may not go as planned (insert covid here), and I will always make it right even if it means losing money. In the end, I can walk away knowing the client is happy and my reputation in intact. How you react to a difficult situation or client shows who you really are professionally and just as a person in general.

Cultivating the relationship. I have the rare opportunity to get to know my clients in their personal environment and even while they let their hair down on vacation. I set solid boundaries in my contracts and in turn that absolutely creates a healthy professional relationship. The extra care I put into my client relationships is essential. For example, when a client is sick I show up with my magical chicken soup or when there is a memorable occasion I send a note/gift to show I care. Building a solid foundation of trust is vital and creates mutual respect. When working with high profile clients, they appreciate my discretion and I respect their privacy.

Staying humble. No one likes someone who has to brag about everything and it does reflect a lack of self-esteem in my humble opinion. When serving others there is no room for ego. I am there for my clients and it’s their moment. There is nothing wrong with celebrating milestones and important moments for my business, but when it is a constant barrage of “look at me” that tends to be a turn-off for potential clients. Be humble and hungry.

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

At the beginning of my journey as a business owner, I had a very hard time delegating to others and saying no. I quickly learned to never compromise my values. Saying no became easier as I realized my worth and my time was valuable. When you truly realize your the value of your service product, it is a revelation.

I chose to “trade” with a couple of individuals when I first began my personal chef business. The mistake I made was thinking these people had the same values as myself but instead they had ulterior motives. It caused trust issues that I had to really work through because you definitely need others to succeed in any business. The experience taught me to always implement a solid contract in every transaction to avoid any misunderstandings. I no longer “trade’ with others and have surrounded myself with like-minded business owners all carefully curated so we can work together in a way that not only gives back to the community but build each other up. The vetting process may be tedious, but it is essential and collaboration is vital to growth.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cheftillie.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cheftillie/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChefTillie/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cheftillieevents
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/cheftilliek
• Other: https://g.page/ChefTillie

Image Credits
headshot: Lucy Parker with Smitten & Hooked Photography