We were lucky to catch up with Kenon Prevo recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kenon, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

People always ask me how did I get into cooking and things of that nature. My answer is always going to be how I’ve grown up in a family full of southern culinary artists that didn’t even know that’s what they were. My mom would always cook big family meals for everyone on Sundays, my uncle was always a great cook and grill master , then you have my aunt who was one of the best bakers in the city. So I had the chance to watch, learn, & experience the industry from all sides and perspectives. That alone inspired me to get into the kitchen as soon as I could and start experimenting with flavors, learning about the different seasonings, asking my mom why she would do what she did or what does that seasoning do? Why’d you use it? You know… just curious.

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 back background and context?

I am Kenon Prevo.. better known as Chef Prevo. From Birmingham AL and I have built my brand and name up here in my city by simply being consistent! It took some time because I needed to focus on and finish school first but as soon as that was over I was able to go all in full force and that’s exactly what I did. Haven’t looked back since.. since then, I’ve perfected my craft a little more, learned some new techniques and ways of doing things, made some mistakes and learned from those as well. The growth definitely speaks for itself. I love what I do and have an absolute passion for it which I hope shows through the work I produce to others.

Have you ever had to pivot?

As a lot of people may know from previous years, I started out this whole business journey by designing, hand making, and selling custom bow ties. That went well for me. Lots of people supported the business then but to me that just wasn’t a fast enough income nor was it really motivating me to keep going. Because honestly, nobody’s buying bow ties everyday. Mainly just for special occasions and that’s what it was for me. No consistency so I had to change my plan up. I was in school for art with plans of going to another university to peruse fashion design. Those two hour long art classes were not it. So boring , so long, so pointless .. so I then found out about the culinary program at my school through my mom who worked in financial aid. She mentioned it to me and mentioned the fact that I enjoyed cooking and I should try that out. I’m so glad I did because that then opened my eyes up to something totally brand new as far as the food industry goes. I learned more about the art, the business, the passion behind it. There’s more to it than just eating the food. People love experiences! Now that I’m on this path instead of the one before , I’m much more motivated, excited about things, and have a little more UMPH in my step when I do this. Not to say that I’ve given up on fashion because that’ll always be one of my creative outlets. But i remember being told to use your gift to fund everything else. So that’s what I plan to do. Use ALL of my talents!

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Once I really got out into the streets with what I was doing, I had a plan in my mind. I started out small by selling desserts and other pastries from home. Just to get my name out in the streets and let people know that this is what I’m doing, im serious about it, and I need you to take me seriously too! Once that was a success, we took things up a notch by creating savory meals and selling those as well! That went great! People received it very well and at this point I had officially became the chef that I wanted people to know me as. Finally, I started networking around the city and getting connected to other big names, people who knew people, people who had pull and owned other businesses of their own. With that, I was able to build some great business relationships, friendships, and other beneficial connections that I am so grateful for till this day because they really support and have supported for a long time. They believe in the dream and definitely play apart in keeping the vision going and growing.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Www.instagram.com/ChefPrevo
• Facebook: Www.Facebook.com/KenonPrevo

Image Credits
CampbellProductions DeAngelo Rose