Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Khaya Mathis . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Khaya , appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
Before starting my business, I regularly posted food videos & recipes on all of my social media accounts. I usually posted what I would pack my man for his lunch & what I would cook for Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner. I received great feedback from my social media followers and I also had so many people throughout my community ask me to sell my food. This had helped me boost my confidence to start selling soul food. And so, I prayed & communicated with God to help me start the foundation. What also made me have such strong faith with my business plan was that, my food was different, made with love & delicious. I believe I stand out because of my uniqueness & my confidence. I’ve always been a strong soldier at battles and so I knew I could roll with the “business punches” and continue to strive while also staying patient & determined to one day having a successful soul food business.
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.
My name is Khaya Alizeé Mathis. Age 26. Born in Portland, OR & raised in Woodburn, OR. I grew up in a small community that did lack in black owned businesses. But the community itself was still very diverse with Latino owned businesses that continue to inspire me everyday with their hard work & hustle grind. They are what make Woodburn Proud. I always thought it was dope having a food business & I always had a passion for cooking in the kitchen. My passion started when I was a child. My mom abandoned our family and so I felt like I stepped up to be that nurturing momma in the kitchen. I loved it & I love being that roll for my family. Feeding my family was one of my greatest strengths I had growing up. Seeing them content while eating gave me a certain happiness. In my community, the food that I ate & cooked was totally different. Soul food was not popular in Woodburn. And so, fast forward to 2021, I finally started my soul food business. I didn’t want to just own a business, I also wanted to serve my community & share my life testimony. I want others to see how God has changed my life for the better so that others can be inspired to create a relationship with our father in Heaven. I am very proud of my business and what I’ve accomplished so far in the last three years. Especially moving to Salt Lake City, UT and having my business also strive here. Yes that was a huge shock! Moving out of state. But out here in Salt Lake City, I still strive to represent my hometown Woodburn, OR all day, everyday.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Moving to Salt Lake City, UT was definitely something I never planned or expected for me & my business. But life happens & God has even bigger plans for you that you just have to trust. I realized I had to start from scratch with finding new customers and creating a bond with the SLC community. And so, I reached out to homeless shelters & churches to see if I could do anything to help with the community. And best believe, I got responses. It was definitely a great sign that I’m on the right track when, I had worked with the governor of Utah and his lovely wife while serving 1,000 plus hot plates of food (my first community service day) to those in need. Just that day by itself, I had gained so much more confidence, new customers and relations in the SLC community. Now I’m being interviewed for my second magazine in less than 1 year here! How amazing is that! Plus I’ve been striving here in Salt Lake City quicker than I thought.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
My resilience is inspirational. What gives me that strength is God. One hundred percent. With all of the adversity in my life, God has always been there for me and has given me strength to overcome trials. I’ve been through so much pain and so much trauma and to be where I am today, is a huge blessing. if you’re inspired, please know that this is all God. His grace & his love is what keeps me striving to be the greatest vessel I can be for my community and others. Overcoming all of my trials, is definitely what helped me provide the tools that I need to continue having such an amazing resilience. I am very grateful for my sufferings because I wouldn’t be the resilient woman I am today with a growing business & a strong armor.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://khayaala21.wixsite.com/khayaschickennwaffle
- Instagram: @missdrizzyk
- Facebook: Khaya Alizée
