We recently connected with Jessica Tiffany Luevano and have shared our conversation below.

Jessica Tiffany, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today The first dollar you earn in a new endeavor is always special. We’d love to hear about how you got your first client that wasn’t a friend or family.

Well, first I’d like to say that without my family or friends I would not have been able to do all this. Thanks Fam! So, my first client was a friend who asked me to create a meal program for him based on Whole 30. I had to put my education in nutrition and culinary together to give him an excellent meal plan that followed his guidelines and his tasted great. That then led me to Dustin Enriquez who is a really dope boxing trainer and wellness mentor. Literally midsession he asked if I would meal prep for him and my lack of confidence kicked in and I was hesitant but then he asked, “why are you scared?” and that just shook me in a good way because truly I had no need to be scared. So, I said OKAY lets do it! That client turned friend introduced me to several other clients who trusted his referral of me such as Bre Tiesi, H.I.H Abimbola Fernandez and more. This led to my micro wellness catering that I continued with at the Ncredible Gym on Mt. Yamashiro and privately in LA and Hollywood. The best part is that each client taught me something new about the business, about people, about how to be better for each person I cooked for. They all helped me grow and continue to this day referring me and reaching out to me for opportunities. Hustle sees Hustle and I appreciate and respect the heck out of each and every one of them.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’d have to say I fell into this industry. I was going to junior college pursuing science but with no clear direction as to what I ultimately wanted to do. I knew I enjoyed learning about the body, but I also enjoyed making people happy baking for family members and also making money. I finally decided on culinary school for myself despite my parents’ desires for me to finish college. I had to follow my gut and take a risk on myself. That same gut feeling has led me to where I am today. From opening my own small private dinning space, to catering up and down the coast I have come to see how far ambition can take me and how much growing with friends can take me further. I have a lot of heart. It pours out into any task or job I take on. I’d say my unwavering knowledge of self-worth and respect and care for others has become by calling card. My clients know that I’ll get the job done by any means necessary. With that being said I have taken on many roles. I’ve catered privately in clients’ homes either by myself or with a small team. I’ve meal prepped, created healthy snacks and drinks for events, cooked for charities and catered alongside fellow Chef friends offering a helping hand. Now I am quite proud to say my efforts and creativity are all being housed at The Bourbon Room Hollywood as their Chef de Cuisine. Here we have been developing a catering program that caught the attention of the 50 years of Hip Hop Grammy House as well as Netflix. With new projects on the horizon, I am certain there will be more hats for me to wear.

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

I feel that for a while will be the answer to most questions like this. But, as much damage as the pandemic did it also brought about a new kind of resilience from me. So, I was at Club 33 finally in my dream position of Demi Chef. I had busted my a*s to get that spot. Talk about really giving it your all and then some. At this peak in my career the rug was pulled from under me. From all of us around the world. Furlough, EDD it didn’t matter. I felt helpless and without purpose. I had enough. I was tired of being stagnant. So I got to baking. Then I got to cooking. Then I got to opening my own LLC leading me to open my own store front and catering service. I was growing again in a new way. Making mistakes, having small and big wins and through it all I was gaining new knowledge and confidence in myself. New friendships were made, old ones faded and my vision for what I wanted became clearer in both my personal and professional life. Troubled times came for my small business and I was burning a candle at two ends. Sometimes knowing when to stop the bleeding is the smartest move you can make. So I did. It’s not failure if you exhaust all efforts to find solutions. I’m not a quitter and I don’t like to leave a job unfinished. This was a moment I said it’s okay to walk away to fight another day. I was called back to Disney but by this time I had outgrown my position I had left and taken a CDC role in Hollywood. We parted ways and to this day I remain close with my Chefs from Club. No matter what is thrown my way I somehow manage to find a way through the storm.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Hmm…I’d say my goal and mission are in tandem. My goal is to own a small 40 seater either in Manhattan Beach or Malibu where I can curate private menus and focus on sustainability and highlighting locally grown produce. My mission is to be the best and most authentic version of myself. In doing so I hope that I can inspire other women in the hospitality industry or that aspire to be in the industry to do the same. It’s not about what a show or blog says you have to be to be happy in your career, its about what YOU want and your journey getting there. Ultimately it’s showing my younger sister that she can be all she desires to be with hard work, kindness, grace and a solid group of friends. Love ya Kiddo!

Contact Info:

• Website: linktree/itsjessicatiffany
• Instagram: @chefjessicatiffany
• Twitter: @jesikkatiffany
• Other: tiktok @itsjessicatiffany