We recently connected with DeAndre Beasley and have shared our conversation below.

DeAndre , appreciate you joining us today. Crazy stuff happening is almost as certain as death and taxes – it’s technically “unexpected” but something unexpected happening is to be expected and so can you share a crazy story with our readers

Story Time: So I Started my business in 2020 due to being laid off because of Covid-19 but everything so shut down so I found myself working 12 hr shifts at an Amazon Warehouse working on the forklift. I noticed every time we go on break it wasn’t any food places available in the area so I started selling meal prep in the break room. I only had 1 customers unfortunately people weren’t to trustworthy when covid happened. Broke and absolutely hated the warehouse I went out to Office Depot and got 30 flyers printed. I picked my best food pictures and used the professional pictures from the job that just laid me off and created a flyer. Got in my car, went to this beautiful neighborhood with huge mansions, and passed out 29 flyers. So when I was leaving the subdivision I saw this beautiful white glass house and I was so intimidated to even put a flyer in there mailbox so I drove off. 3 weeks go by and NO ONE CALLS. I even drove pass the glass house a few times with that 1 flyer still in the car just scared to do it. 4 days later I finally get the courage to put the flyer in the mailbox. So I drove pass the house to see if anyone was home and then I turn around, stop the car in the street in front of someone else driveway, ran across the street to the mailbox, then when I get to the mailbox its a FANCY MAILBOX with 3 doors!!!!!!!!. I didn’t know which door to put the flyer in, I’m super nervous because I look back and see the person coming outside who driveway my car was in front of. I had to think quick because I didn’t want to go back to the car with that flyer, so what I did was let half of the flyer stick out the mailbox from the top door and then I ran back to my car and drove off.

So 3 days later I get a call and it’s a guy on the phone and he says he got my flyer out of his mailbox. He says his name is Jeremy Anderson and he’d like to order some food. Now at this time I didn’t know who Jeremy Anderson was I just happy to be selling my food because I really hated the warehouse and missed cooking and plus everything was so crazy in 2020 with covid. On this particular weekend I was selling brunch plates to my friends and IG followers. Jeremy ordered some food and I also delivered all my food as well. So I’m out delivering the food to people who ordered and Jeremy’s order was next to be delivered. I drive to the area where I first delivered the flyers and my GPS says you’ve arrived and I look to the side and I pull up to THE GLASS HOUSE. Completely shocked and nervous I couldn’t believe that out of 30 flyers the glass house would be the only one to call. I was so scared and intimidated by this house but I let go of fear and my reward was getting the Client that I thought I didn’t deserve. Everybody else house was easy but I stepped out on faith.

Jeremy’s family absolutely loved the food and every weekend would order brunch and even order meal prep. which led to me building a meal prep cliental that I still have to this day. Jeremy is known to the world as a top Motivational Speaker, he asked me to cater a private luncheon with some of his entrepreneurial friends so I did. I had idea his friends were Wall Street Trapper, David Shands, the Owners of Support Black Colleges, Donni wiggins, Willie Moore jr. Once again Im completely shock and blown away. After that day I decided to work on my business as a private chef and Jeremy even promoted me on his platform so a lot of the people in his circle started hiring me for Private events, meal preps, and even traveling. I met a lot of people and got on the radar in the city of Atlanta as a Dope Chef. I even made my first 6 figures in a year. I became a mentor to some new chef and also got some mentoring from some great chefs in Atlanta. I recently catered an event for the Black Panther Premiere in LA. Sometimes I wonder what would’ve happened if I had never had the courage to take that last flyer and step out on faith, Im so glad I did

DeAndre , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Like a lot of chefs in the world we all have different stories on how we started and who we are. My story starts at the age of 15 and getting my first job as a Dishwasher at the holiday Inn select by Atlanta’s airport. Not sure what I wanted but I knew I had a job, I got out of school early and I like girls. During the slow days I would ask the chefs to show me the basic and how to cook certain dishes. I stayed at the hotel until I graduated high school and before I left for college I had been promoted to line cook. I couldn’t afford college so I got back into the kitchen and working in different restaurants since I couldn’t go to culinary school. I continued to work my way up the culinary ladder, working for different companies in the airport, universities, corporate buildings, government. As I continue to build myself as a chef and create business I have built relationships with great chefs and entrepreneurs who are helping me grow.

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

Referrals from my other clients is what help me gain a lot of new clients. I would post my food on Social media but it was the actual clients that would refer me to other people who liked the type of catering I was providing.

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

I had to unlearn being so nice and trustworthy to people in business. I’ve had people steal money from me, lie about experience when I hired them. I should’ve had people sign NDA. I did an event and I had to hire a chef. Well I didn’t vet her like I should’ve and she ended up bashing me to my Client and saying how her food would’ve been better and she was taking pictures with my Client high end friends. thank god I had a great relationship with my Client and they told me everything. Definitely I lesson learned.

Contact Info:

• Website: Beasleyfoods.com
• Instagram: @iamchefbeasley
• Facebook: DeAndre Beasley

Image Credits
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