We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Marc Anthony Bynum . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Marc Anthony below.

Alright, Marc Anthony thanks for taking the time to share your  stories and insights with us today. Being a business owner  can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most  business owners we’ve spoken to sometimes think about what it  would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have  you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us  about a time when you felt this way? 

This is the Perfect question for me in my current situation. I’ve  owned my own business for the past 18yrs, my MarcBynumConcepts by Chef Marc Bynum Specializes in  Catering, Consulting and Special Events (Festivals and Corp  Events). As a Chef/Owner , the industry as a whole is difficult.  As a small business maintaining payroll,food cost,rent while  still trying to be a part of your family can be almost impossible.  Over the past 2 years I went back and forth about leaving my  Business and going to work for a company, to revamp their  program and bring my concepts to a new market with a firm  financial backing. Something I think every Chef would want to  hear. Thanksgiving 23’ we made a plan to sell everything in  NYC and move to Bham. The thought process was to take a  step back, regroup,pay back some old debt and move forward  with this company. Six weeks into the project they pulled the  deal. I’m 1000 miles away from home and I sold all my tools  except my food truck to build something and I’m back to  setting up my own business down here in Birmingham. For  me owning is the only way. I thought about making my life a little  bit simpler for a time. I was looking to build a team and make  something great. Businesses Die for the lack of Vision, I have  my business and I’m rebuilding a team of like minded people  that want to be greater than the sum of its parts.

To get a refresh like this is great, to be able to build it better  than it was before and learn from my mistakes and in a more  fertile market. I know this was the right move and the thought  process was the right one. This move has planted me in a  better market for me and my health/family/business. 

In conclusion for me, to own is the only way, but sometimes  we just need a company to move us 1000 miles, which I would  have never been able to do myself. Lions hunt, I’m a lion so  

pls come and see us in Bham or any of our global events. Or  just invite us over for your next event anyway where in the  country. The food speaks….

Marc Anthony , 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?

For folks who may not have read about you before, can you  please tell our readers about yourself, how you got into your industry:

I was drawn to cooking by my mother, I would watch her and  help her cook dinner for the family. I’m the middle child of 5 so  there was always something to eat and cook. My mom always  cooked for church and family functions. Hospitality is so  rewarding when done right. At the age of 14 I really started to  think about my future knowing professional sports wasn’t my  ticket. I had to ponder what I could do to make a decent living ,  I knew I was sitting at a desk wasn’t it. Cooking allowed me to  translate what I was seeing in my head.  So I enrolled in the 

Boces Program at my school and starting cooking. This was  the start of my culinary journey. The Boces program was my  only form of training. My family made too much on paper to  get any money for college, so it was straight into the workforce for me. My first job through the program was a place on  the water. I was 15 years old, the fast pace, noise (music to me, dishes clanging music in the background), the woman  running around so naturally I was hooked. 

The Business of food is so fascinating to me, there  are so many layers to the business. Just like in the kitchen, layers of flavor take time and temperature to anything worth  building. I always had an entrepreneurial spirit. My 1st  business was selling candy in junior high school. This was  before Chef Bynum, but I was still cooking up a mean pork  and beans. I was playing the drums for my church on  Sundays getting paid $25wk (not bad), then I learned about  something called and advance one of the other drummers told  me about so I asked for 4 weeks upfront and I took that to the  store and bought my 1st batch retail (didn’t know about wholesale) there were 2 other competitors in the game they gave  better prices because they were getting wholesale, so I had  to take a loss, on the pricing and learn about BJ’s and Costco,  So I started to get better at it and understand supply and  demand, what the market can bare, 1st to market, building  your pipeline, how to advertise, storage and loss, Theft  everything at the age of 12 I loved it I was hooked, It’s a ballet  at times and at other times its a the running of the bulls, will  you be the MF running or standing there prepared to face the  Bull and the rest of the Stuff. In this arena I put on a show  and a Vibe that in turn gives the guest a great experience that  they enjoy and share. And it’s the same process with your 

Staff and purveyors etc. I’ve owned car detailing services, office cleaning services, promo companies all the while learning how to cook on Long Island where food wasn’t food  and to be a young black chef almost 30 years ago wasn’t the  easiest road. I knew early I had to know more and be  smarter, faster, stronger than my counterparts . I also knew I would have to own my own because no one was going to pay  me my worth unless I made it impossible to deny me and  even that would be quite impossible. So I had to understand  all about business on my own. This experience  has proven invaluable in that fact that I understand and can  comply with any budget within reason.  

Discipline for me comes not just from wanting to be  great, but the belief that failure isn’t an option. Seeing what  the lack of discipline can do. I didn’t have the privilege to be  able to go to culinary school after boces, So I was working are  Red Lobster, Perkins and Applebees, but it wasn’t until I go to  the Marriott under a real Chef (shout to Dan Doherty), that I  really started to understand more about real food and  Butchering and Sauces. So now getting the proper training on  how to run a large operation through their corporate structure.  My mom taught me how to season. Discipline was the only  way to separate myself from the others. So a laser focus to  know food was my mission. I love to study the basics of a  thing so I can then translate and recreate my own code,  knowing the science and the math of it makes all the  difference. At times I think about what life would be like if I had a mentor younger, that’s why I try to make myself available to  others even if they don’t take to it at first because I know the  reward of being disciplined and open to discipline. The root  when I see the word is disciple, one that not only can give  direction but can take it too. without it we are out of control. Trust is a discipline that should be exercised more.

The Craft of Food, I think that’s all about discipline and  wanting to do better than you did the day before. Always  looking to be better. Perfecting the craft, always in motion  (forward motion), enjoying the journey to be a better version  of myself, not just the food but ME. Crafting a better dish isn’t  just on the stove, it’s a symphony from the farm, purveyor, receiver, prep, cook, server, the dish that it’s on,  everything plays a part.. Knowing how important all these  people are to maintaining a life and a lifestyle and a business  to be proud of takes discipline, love and compassion among  other things. This craft is an obsession to put it mildly  

what type of products/services/creative works you provide

Marc Bynum Concepts is Chef Bynum’s Hub that specializes  in Catering and Global Events and he also has The Hush  Truck and Lets Get Grazy with his Wife Gina. Chef specializes  in just great food and a chill vibe. You can also catch me  doing speaking engagements from Ted Talks & Speak Events,  College Graduations and workshops at detention facilities. We  also consult on new and existing projects, from buildout to  open, working with owners and managers to meet the clients  dreams and demands, while training the staff to be more  efficient through systems and controls but more importantly a  great work culture 

what problems you solve for your clients

As the Consultant, Caterer, Speaker, I try to make sure your  event is a success. We can help you build your concept and  clientele base in an organic way that will result in sustained  growth that will allow you to eventually take a step back from  the business.   

Something that sets me apart from a lot of my counterparts is my passion for the business. Always wanting to be better for  the guest. I dine at places that I want to emulate and bring  their professionalism to every concept. I also know what it’s  like to want these things on a budget or lack of one. The cook  in me loves the set up, designing the kitchen, menus and  concepts that are fun and efficient to produce. Always looking  at the future, diversification and fluidity throughout the brand.  With 30 years of experience in this industry I find myself in  the perfect position. I started in a time before the internet so  you really had to know things and study them, and now with  AI and tech we can take food and the experience to even  greater heights, that’s amazing. 

What are you most proud of and what are the main things you  want potential clients/followers/fans to know about you/your  brand/your work/ etc. 

I have a few things I’m most proud of and they are my 3  children, Christopher (24),Isaiah (13),Isabella (6), the are the  best creations and my greatest concepts and they inspire and  change my life daily, and of course my wife Gina, and my  family mother,father,3 brothers and my sister and the network  we have amassed over the years, and I’m looking forward to  even greater in the future. 

What my clients should know about me is that there is NO I,  just We, I may be the face of the company at times but We  are a team leading things in the right direction for our clients.  No one is too big or too small and every client is a VIP client.  No matter the service catering, consulting, speaking  engagements no matter your budget when you get to the US you  get the very best of US. We provide the quality food & service  people have grown to expect from the MBC team. We try to  give the MBE (Marc Bynum Experience). Sometimes I am in  awe of what God has accomplished in us with so little. A  brand not made by just hands, “the food speaks… I just  Listen” a quintessential phrase that has been the sum of our  journey thus far. Even when they didn’t know me, the food  spoke, and I just listened.. Keep Working, it will work out.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

The story of how I was able to open up Hush, the funding  came through for me in a few ways. At the time my main source  of income was consulting, and as time went on it was harder  and harder to collect on jobs that I had already had done. I  lowered my normal rate to take jobs I normally wouldn’t  because I needed/wanted to pay for the construction of my  place. I Got a loan from one of my uncles (I still owe him 10k)  . I did a go fund me that didn’t work but allowed me to meet an  investor. It was the first time I ever had to do something like  that. It was exhilarating and debilitating at the same time.  

Have you ever had to pivot?

My Pivot came when I was about to go through my second  divorce and I knew I had to change for my life. The restaurant  industry and how it was constructed for me wasn’t what I wanted  anymore. I needed accessible for my children and it was a  perfect storm of things, all my restaurants and partnerships  were closing and covid had just started so I took to social  media and started to do more catering and tutorials on line  and working on my craft and more importantly myself, My  pivot was to be a better person so I could in turn be a better chef, father, businessman and just a better person. I started MarcBynumConcepts, through covid focusing more on  Catering & Events so I could have my freedom and travel and  have a life. It’s worked out so far. Just Thankful to God that I can still hear.  

Contact Info:

• Website: MarcBynumConcepts.com
• Instagram: ChefMarcBynum / TheHushTruck
• Facebook: Chef Marc Anthony Bynum/ The Hush Truck
• Linkedin: Chef Marc Anthony Bynum
• Twitter: ChefMarc Bynum
• Youtube: ChefMarcBynum
• Yelp: MarcBynumConcepts