We recently connected with Keith Slatoff and have shared our conversation below.

Keith, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What was the most important lesson/experience you had in a job that has helped you as a business owner?

I have been in the food and retail industry for over 35 years. I was fortunate to have worked in a variety of restaurants, kitchens, and with great mentors. All that experience has given me the tools to become a private chef and cooking instructor. I have my own chef business named The Wandering Chef 702. In addition I have been in the retail grocery business since 1994. I was a team leader and eventually store manager. Those opportunities exposed me to a lot of people both customers and colleagues. The leadership, customer service, and communication skills I acquired over the years have had a tremendous impact on working with my clients and providing wonderful experiences.

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.

The Wandering Chef 702 provides private cooking experiences and cooking classes. I travel to clients homes to either prepare delicious meals for a date night, birthday parties, special events and parties. I also teach classes to those who want to learn a specific cuisine. I work with my clients to create the menu and provide everything from the food to the equipment I need for the event. Because of my vast experience in different cuisines clients have a wide range of experiences to choose from.

My culinary background includes Cajun, Mediterranean, Classically trained sushi chef, Asian Fusion, and many others. My business is unique in that I travel with all my own cooking equipment, purchase all the food, prepare in your home and clean everything after the event. If we are doing a class experience I bring everything students will need for that particular class. It’s a really nice experience for clients to not have to do anything except watch me prepare a wonderful meal or learn how to make the meals themselves with their own private chef.

Any advice for managing a team?

I like to use the word leader instead of manager. As a leader you clearly define your expectations, job description and give them the tools to be successful. Recognizing a job well done in front of other team members helps build morale and helps them feel a sense of accomplishment and pride in their work. If there are areas of opportunity then that is done in private. The team leader should have a clear plan to help that particular team member be successful and not repeat the mistake in the future. The goal is to provide a safe and fun work environment. We all have a job to do so it’s important that we stay professional and focused on the task at hand.

Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?

It’s important to have a clear idea of what your business is going to be. There are templates online to work with so your business plan is precise and how to succeed is clearly defined. I found an investor for my business which was part of the template work and presented the plan to my investor. If this is your first business use a professional template so you can put your best foot forward with your potential investor, venture capitalist, or partner.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: thewanderingchef702
• Yelp: thewanderingchef702