Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to DeRay Darthard. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi DeRay, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

The biggest risk I’ve taken is easily turning to social media to share content of what I love to do, in hopes that I’ll be successful one day. I am a relatively recent college graduate, like many other student had a job lined up and was truly excited to enter the workforce. I was entering the field I always wanted to work, the company is great, has a all the perk, so I was really proud of myself. A couple of months into the job, I just felt empty… like I could be doing more, but I just didn’t know what that was, so I took some time to figure that out. When I’m bored or just need a break I found myself in the kitchen cooking and baking. It’s something I’ve always loved to do since a little kid. Plus I saw so many creators on social media putting out there work and I thought I had a unique way I could put content so I jumped into the social media/influencer game. Growing up I’ve always had these grand dreams and desires and wasn’t sure how I could make it happen. I told myself you get one life, so I got to make the most of it and I know social media has the potential to make it happen. That’s when I seriously committed to growing a platform.

One of the cons of being a food content creator is you have to spend money upfront from buying groceries so I already started off in the negative. On top of that, many of the times when I first started off I would burn the food because It was hard for me to record and film at the same time, when that happened it would set me back even more. I kept trying and learning and over many weeks and nights I got better at my craft. It’s tough because on social media it feels like everybody is posting content and your competing with so many different audiences and their attention. I had to find a way to stand out and have my own touch to my content. It took forever but I finally figured it out.

8 months later, I grew my instagram from 0 followers all the way to 77 thousands followers, having multiple videos over 1 million views. I get the wonderful opportunity to work with brands I love and make money from it at the end of the day. I still have a long ways to go but just glad I took that risk because it has changed my life so much for the better!

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

I am a 23 year young man, that has recently graduating college and work full time in Corporate America. Growing up, I’ve always loved food. Savory or sweet, you name it I love it! As a kid my favorite channel was The Food Network and I watched it as much as a kid. My Dad was the main cook in my family growing, from our weekly meals to our marvelous Sunday dinners. So when the time came and I thought I was mature enough to step in the kitchen I begged him and one day he finally let me into the kitchen and I never stepped out.
I want to help people realize how great “from scratch foods and desserts” can be! I think that’s what sets me apart is my love for elevating every part of the dish and entirely cooking from scratch. If I need to make my own bread, I can do that, jar stuff… what’s that? I want everybody to know that everything taste better from scratch. I am most proud of my ability to quickly pick up on techniques and understanding the basics. I want my followers, supports, clients to know that DeRay Darthard makes everything from scratch and WILL spend the extra time to make it a special experience for you.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

When I embarked on this journey I have the goal to make make a great living from sharing recipes with the world. Food makes me so happy, it’s only therapy for me. Being able to make living from this would open so many doors for myself but also I would get the opportunity to bless others.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding thing for me as a cook is the instant feedback. Almost immediately I know if it was a success or not. As a cook I want to learn and grow. Hearing the feedback is so rewarding because it helps curate dishes and my palate to things I maybe didn’t think of or for most of the time that I figured out a great dish for all. Also another rewarding thing is learning a new technique or recipe testing! During this phase not only do get to test your skills, but add to your arsenal and build confidence.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: deraythecook
• Youtube: deray.the.cook
• Other: TikTok:deraythecook