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

Jaquil, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

I was sitting at home one day and my friend told me I need to chase my dreams and turn my passion for cooking into a business. But I knew I wouldn’t be able to grow my business in Jersey (where I’m from), and I had always wanted to go to LA, even though I had ever been before. So I took a leap of faith and decided to make the move. I got married to my now ex wife and she got me a job at a local bar/restaurant. I quit that job to go full time with my own business and brand and decided to put my head down and focus. I got my first celebrity client two months later, that changed the entire trajectory of my business and it was up from there.

Jaquil, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’ve always loved to cook but moving to LA is what pushed me to take my craft seriously. I’m extremely discipline in perfecting my craft, studying other chefs, playing with new recipes and intentionally getting feedback, etc.
For my clients, whether it’s an event or special occasion, etc. my clients know that the food will be taken care of. On time, quality and delicious. That knowing brings them peace of mind.

As a chef I take pride in cooking with love. As efficient as I am and as fast as I work, the food is always made with love and of the very best quality.

I can pretty much make anything. My specialty is speed, efficient and quality.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Taking every opportunity as it comes and networking. Being a good person a having integrity within every relationship I build. And of course striving to satisfy very customer, never half-assing and always giving clients a great experience.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

COVID was one of the main reasons I quit my job. At first I thought it’d be hard to grow my business with everything shut down but people still desired to celebrate life (birthdays, baby showers, weddings, etc) and because of that, I stayed booked.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Chefjockk

Image Credits

Karissa Thompson (coach kay)
Chef p Thompson (chef Paul)