We were lucky to catch up with Mona Milani recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Mona thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard.
I find that what sets me apart as a Private Chef in San Antonio has a lot to do with how I approach menu planning. Whether I’m planning a weekly menu or private event, I offer a bespoke experience. It’s like the difference between buying a suit or having one custom made. This allows me to serve a niche clientele. The guest is confident that I can make their particular vision come to life and often results in a level of trust that allows me to be personally creative and pour my heart into my cooking. Although arranging such a customized experience can come with its challenges, the mutual experience is highly rewarding.
Mona, 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?
My professional cooking journey started about 10 years ago. After college I went to culinary school in California’s Napa Valley. I then worked in San Francisco in various kitchens and restaurants, but after a while I decided that I had enough experience to try something of my own. Truthfully, I was burnt out and not feeling much passion in what I was doing. I needed a change, so I moved to San Antonio, started a business as Chef Mona Cooks, and have been operating as a private chef ever since. Now, a few years into my craft I can say that I’ve found my stride and have been able to hone in on my personal style as a chef and serve my community more purposefully. Working as a freelance chef allows me the freedom to make a living on my own terms without the overhead of a brick and mortar. I enjoy cooking all types of food, but I would describe my specialty as Latin Fusion. Here in San Antonio, Tex-Mex is very popular and I have my own appreciation for Mexican cuisine. I draw inspiration from Caribbean flavors, as well as Cuban and Peruvian cuisine. Some may refer to it as comida criolla. When I look back on these past few years, I am really proud of how far I’ve come. I’ve moved around all my life, so the decision to start over wasn’t particularly new for me, but taking the leap into entrepreneurship was so scary and so uncertain. I had no idea how to start but I made the decision to follow through and taking that leap of faith has allowed me to develop a faith in myself. And I suppose a hunger for more. No pun intended!
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Starting out in the culinary industry, I remember feeling very intimidated from day one. In Culinary school, I was overwhelmed by the massive kitchen set up; all the aspiring chefs in their coats, neckties and tall toques. We would all line up and do timed knife drills and I remember feeling like everyone had more experience than I did. They were more skilled, quicker and calmer than I was, but I was surrounded by like-minded individuals and ultimately felt their support. It felt like a community. When I left culinary school to begin working in restaurants everything changed. As a line cook, I didn’t have much trouble working and learning collaboratively. So long as I could stomach the occasional inappropriate remarks that came with being a woman in the kitchen. I had a strong work ethic and a desire to progress quickly, and I did. When I landed my first sous chef position, I remember feeling underqualified but I was excited to step into my new role. Now I was responsible for managing a team of cooks who were predominately male, twice my age with much more kitchen experience under their belt. This proved to be a lot more challenging, but I thought to myself, lead by example and that will earn me the respect of my co-workers. All the work I had done to gain the respect of my counterparts seemed to diminish overnight. The same co-workers that once took me under their wing, were now passively conspiring to prove how unqualified I was in my position. Eventually, I would be offered an executive chef position. That was a highly rewarding experience, but it took a toll and eventually led to my departure. By then I had developed a hardened and defensive attitude toward my peers. I felt somehow slighted, like a victim. I became hyper focused on my own progression and learned to hoard my knowledge. My motivation became to prove my worthiness and seek validation. This mentality has never aligned with who I am as a person and forced me to reevaluate my priorities. I subsequently left the restaurant industry to pursue my own dreams. It was only then I was able to unlearn some of those subconscious thought patterns. When I began working as a freelance chef, I learned so much about who I am and what kind of leader I wanted to be. I’ve since had the opportunity to mentor young chefs and create collaborative experiences with peers in my industry and I’ve never been happier. In other words, the lesson here is that success and fulfillment is abundant and infinite. Let go of comparisons and have faith in yourself. There’s this quote that I love, and I’m paraphrasing, if you think that there isn’t room for your idea or success, take a look at the bread aisle of the grocery store.
Any fun sales or marketing stories?
About two years ago I was approached to cater a series of dinners over the course of a few weeks. It was something like 20-30 guests a night for six events. Being that I am only one person, the most I’ve ever accommodated on my own was 10-15 people and even that is no easy task. So, when this job opportunity came up, I didn’t know if I would actually be able to pull this off but I understood that in terms of marketing myself, this would be an invaluable opportunity. I am a San Antonio transplant so I didn’t even know anyone in the industry that could help me put something like this together. They didn’t just want a plated 4-course meal, but a grazing happy hour as well as table settings and centerpieces. I went ahead and accepted the offer and decided I would just figure it out along the way. A method that has worked out for me in the past. Anyway, long story short, my mother flew down from Alaska for a month to help me cater this event. We organized all the dinnerware, flowers, and food, and together, we hosted 6 very successful dinners. I was in the kitchen cooking and plating while my mother was on the floor tending to the guests and bussing tables. It was the most exhaustive experience of our lives but we did it. Just the two of us. It took weeks of preparing, loading and unloading tons of heavy equipment, and so many hours on our feet. If I were to cook for an event of that size now, I would hire at least 3-4 people, but at that time, that just wasn’t an option. The success of those events brought me more business than all of marketing efforts combined. Providing quality service is the best way to promote yourself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.chefmonacooks.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chefmonacooks/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thechefmonacooks/
- Other: google listing: https://www.google.com/search?q=chef+mona+cooks&source=hp&ei=0DpcY4zTJ4uYptQPxNqt6Ag&iflsig=AJiK0e8AAAAAY1xI4CD9TFtFYUcnyZ4c-dJMzbXarxkb&ved=0ahUKEwiM-8iD4YP7AhULjIkEHURtC40Q4dUDCAo&uact=5&oq=chef+mona+cooks&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAMyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCGAzIFCAAQhgMyBQgAEIYDMgUIABCGAzoICAAQgAQQsQM6EQguEIAEELEDEIMBEMcBENEDOgUILhCABDoOCC4QgAQQsQMQxwEQ0QM6CAguELEDEIMBOgsIABCABBCxAxCDAToRCC4QgAQQsQMQxwEQ0QMQ1AI6DgguEIAEELEDEIMBENQCOgsILhCABBCxAxDUAjoOCC4QgAQQxwEQrwEQ1AI6CAgAELEDEIMBOg4ILhCxAxCDARDHARDRAzoICC4QgAQQsQM6CAguEIAEENQCOg4ILhCABBCxAxDHARCvAToLCC4QgAQQxwEQrwE6BggAEBYQHjoICAAQFhAeEA9QAFiWC2CEDGgAcAB4AIABzgGIAcgPkgEGMC4xMy4xmAEAoAEB&sclient=gws-wiz#lrd=0x865c4343a33021b1:0xf79dd35fe2f9f345,1,,,