Meet Mark Phillips

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Sed ut perspiciatis unde.

We were lucky to catch up with Mark Phillips recently and have shared our conversation below.

Mark, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

In short “YES” however, being an entrepreneur or business owner definitely has its highs and lows. I do sometimes think about what it would be like to have a regular job again but the way my flexibility in my schedule is unmatched by a traditional 9-5. I say that not to knock any individual working a 9-5 but I realized that schedule did not aline with the life I am building for myself. The last time I had the thought of going back to the traditional schedule was a little bit before covid. I know now that at that time I was associating stability with a regular job but only from a financial standpoint. I realize those pockets of fear that creep up on all of us was the driving force for me to consider other alternative sources of stability. When you look at what happened with covid and everything shutting down, especially my industry (food service) that was a quick reminder that what I thought would be stable in a regular job was not true. I had to remind myself to continue to believe in myself and my dreams. Yes there will be hard days, yes I may work longer days than most, and yes money may or may not come in but what I am doing is living in my passion, So ultimately I had to “Shift My Focus” (which I had designed and put onto a shirt as a constant reminder). At that time I was living with my sister but I am determined to succeed so I saved, picked up more work, stepped out on faith (again), moved into my own place, picked up consulting contracts, revised my social media, and focused on my goals and dreams.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I got into the culinary field by going to college, graduating, and working my way up the ranks. I studied in Miami at Johnson & Wales University obtaining two degrees (Culinary Arts & Food Service Management) in a four-year period. After being laid off from my job in marketing (after graduating college) I decided once again to step out on faith and move to Atlanta, GA. From there I worked my way up in the typical restaurant chain of command; prep-cook, line cook, head chef, sous chef, and eventually executive chef. In 2012 I created my personal chef and catering business “Chef Southern Temptations”, although I was still working in the restaurant field for other owners and establishments at the time I knew that I wanted to work for myself. I had quit my job as executive chef at “Buckhead Bottle Bar” because I knew it was time for a change. Now I did not have a concrete plan but I knew I had talent, skills, and experience. I did a few catering gigs after that time but months later got the opportunity to be a personal chef for a professional baseball player. So when the opportunity came across my lap I said “yes” I packed up and moved to Los Angeles, CA two weeks later. At the time the job required I cook “gluten-free” meals based on the client’s dietary requirements. Gluten-free was not a big thing in 2013/14 and I had not done much with gluten-free but I took the career advancement anyway. I would find myself in Barnes & Nobles reading stacks of books, making notes, teaching myself, and making recipes because I was determined not to let this opportunity pass me by. I worked for that client for about 3 years and moved back to Atlanta when that ended, it was a bitter-sweet experience but I can say I learned a lot about myself and my craft; I do not regret it at all. Fast forward to today I have built some great relationships by providing great food and good customer service. I have been able to consult and help several different restaurants open up their own establishments all while continuously building my own catering clientele . My brand is “Where there is food, there is art” as I love for my food to not only taste good but look like mini works of art. I am most proud of my continued growth and as I grow I can bring other people along with me. I am passionate about the work I do and I love to share that with others. Over the years I have written down several recipes that have turned into a cookbook (At Home with Chef Mark Phillips) in the making slated for a fall 2022 release. In addition to my cookbook, I am making plans to open my own restaurant, that’s in the works so stay tuned. Until both of those come to life people/clients can still hire me for catering, personal chef dinner experiences and consulting.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

When it comes to social media I have a tug and war relationship with social media. I understand the benefits that social media offers but as a private person finding that balance of sharing you and your business has presented its challenges. What I like to share on social media is my love for food, and arts and making sure I capture the beauty in all of them. I want to bring followers into my world and also entice potential clients to hire me. From the design and layout of my website to Facebook and Instagram, all of it is like the new form of a resume. I have had more clients who said they researched my site, pages, and stories to get some insight into the services I offer and the attention to detail that I provide. I love the arts overall and photography is no exception. However, I am not a professional photographer however I do have an eye and I like to translate that into my culinary arts. I try my best to stay up on the trends in social media while learning and using more reels and hashtags in an attempt to reach other target audiences. Consistency is key however a few pops of surprises are necessary, that way people can have a better gauge of who you are and what you offer from a business standpoint. With the various forms of social media, one can follow all the trends and use every platform but do what works best for you in the direction you want, and don’t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

The biggest thing that I believe helped build my reputation is “Word of Mouth”. A lot of my clients have come from referrals. Whether it be a couple who I cooked for, a third-party event space that liked how I treated their property and made things flow with ease, to a corporation that hired me for their employee event. I pride myself on providing quality food and good service. Understanding that I can not do it all on my own I try my best to hire staff who best represents my brand and also know that the client is the most important. Of course, I use other sources of marketing but word of mouth has gotten me more clients and most importantly repeat clients. I continue to strive to do better and provide good service to increase my reputation.