We recently connected with Diahann Thomas and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Diahann , thanks for joining us today. Your ability to build a team is often a key determinant of your success as a business owner and so we’d love to get a conversation going with successful entrepreneurs like yourself around what your recruiting process was like -especially early on. How did you build your team?

Initially (The Divine Chef Experience) now She’s Divine Cuisine was created as a solo entrepreneur journey. I have worked in corporate America and really had no desire to oversee or manage others. I set out to be of service to families really focusing on helping moms who were in the corporate climb have one less worry, Dinner. As the business grew and then the pandemic hit I wanted to build a team that would want to either be in a partnership with me or even take over the business eventually.

I worked with a few people over the years that I was in hopes that would work out. However what I found was that many people had their own dreams which meant if and when their ideas took off, they wouldn’t be around or they didn’t treat your business with the care that you may.

After going though a few drivers and chefs I decided to change my view on hiring, I began to hire specific personnel. Those who had a dream of their own and understood that if they needed to find their dream they would come to work. The bonus was if they had a want to be in the hospitality industry. So I looked for those who were self motivated, self starters and had a grind to them.

Gig workers fit those criteria, whenever an Instacart driver would come deliver groceries to the kitchen and did an amazing job… most times they would ask about what we did in the kitchen. That would always spark me to give them a card and tell them if they were interested I had a few openings.

This is how I found my newest associate Reggie and he has been on the team for almost a year now. Giving me the chance to step back and travel and also build the business in another state along with my younger sister Dominique. I don’t know if he wants or is in a space to take over just yet. However this has been the best hire. I think in this journey you have to be open to recreating and changing your outlook.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

Growing up my initial goal was to climb the corporate ladder and become the youngest Vice President within the company I was working for. However each hour spent climbing the ladder was one less hour spent with my husband and son. After 12 years in the corporate arena of hospitality services with titles ranging from Director of Operations at Arizona State University and University of Chicago Dining, and Dining Director at Spelman College. I spent so much time in the company and endless hours spent on the climb. I lost my job, the company was long gone, however my husband and son were still there. So many times within those 12.5 years I would say to myself. It’s ok to go home late, this will be worth the sacrifice. Those hours spent away from my family cost me valuable time I would never get back and also ended in the split of my family.

Coming to grips with a failed career, marriage and my mother having Multiple Sorosis. I quickly realized that I wanted to help families eat well and create those nostalgic memories that are tied to dinner time. I created Divine Personal Chef Svs. now known as She’s Divine Cuisine.

Diahann is now the proud owner and Executive Chef of She’s Divine Cuisine where she focuses on the family sector of being a personal chef. Providing a multitude of services from custom meal deliveries (Divine Deliveries)to intimate dinner gatherings (The Divine Chef Experience) and weddings . She is able to give families their quality time back at dinner while using her heart of servitude. Diahann believes in using her purpose to help with causes that are close to her heart, she loves working with organizations such as Love beyond walls, and Plywood People where she is able to help in the nonprofit sector. She’s Divine Cuisine is a multifaceted meal preparation company that provides restaurant quality meal service in several ways, in the privacy of your home, curating private cooking classes, Divine meal delivery and Intimate dining experiences for all your special occasions. We are the answer to providing great tasting, healthful, affordable safe meals delivered to the comfort of your home without the weekly planning, shopping or cooking.

She’s Divine Cuisine aims to create time in your life that is stress free and FULL of family memories.

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

In 2016 I had been in business for 6 months when my nephew was to graduate from high school. So I worked my week and went to celebrate his accomplishments. When I returned thinking I would jump right into work. I was surprised to realize most of my clients were going into summer vacation although that’s when many use discretionary income… they don’t need my services as much. So on the verge of eviction because I was living pay to pay. I had to come up with new services that would ensure I was never in that position again. I began to think about what other services I could provide the same clients that would assist me. I came up with doing intimate dinners, small parties for birthdays etc. this would allow my services to be used for all culinary needs for each client. Realizing I needed to use the same game plan as in corporate America.. understanding trends or how clients use their income and when the services are most essential and that was during the school year when they are juggling so much.

Have you ever had to pivot?

In 2019 as I began to expand services again, realizing that I myself could only service 12-14 clients (cooking in their homes for services) I needed to find a way to create meals in a commercial kitchen and deliver them to the clients. So Divine Deliveries was created. Utilizing the kitchen in my church.

Little did I know utilizing the church kitchen would be what catapulted me once the pandemic started. In March of 2020 I transitioned all my in-home clients I had been cooking for in their home to delivery. I kept the same concept of it being a personalized experience but now brought right to your home. In 2021 I was able to expand and go into a commercial kitchen at Prep Atl in Tucker, and now in 2022 I will be expanding into a larger space with more offerings.

God gave me a vision way before I needed to pivot. But having that discernment was key to my Pivot.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.thedivinechefexperience.net
• Instagram: Shesdivinecuisin
• Facebook: Shesdivinecuisine
• Linkedin: DiahannThomas