We recently connected with Nicole Hicks and have shared our conversation below.

Nicole , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Has Covid resulted in any major changes to your business model?

The Pandemic hit Small businesses hard, it honestly forced me to reshape my business model. At first I was shut down just like everyone else but once I felt comfortable enough to open back up, I realized that people were much more open to private dining at home since restaurants were still touch and go. Business actually started to boom! I also become more active on social media to keep my customers engaged and grab more clientele. It also forced me to make more cooking and food related videos! In doing so, I realized that people really enjoyed learning about my recipes and techniques. A lot of my social media followers don’t live in Atlanta, so they may never book services with me, however they can also cook along with me on Instagram Live.

Nicole , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am the Chef Owner of Nikki’s Kitchen, a Private Chef & Catering Company based in Atlanta Georgia. I specialize in Soul Food and Cuisine however I cook everything! I started cooking when I was about 12 years old. I’ve always had a love for food, I was a chubby kid lol. It was my love of food that sparked my love of cooking. I used to watch Food Network all the time and write down recipes to make for my family. By the time I graduated high school, I knew I wanted to go to Culinary school but I had no clue it would lead to entrepreneurship. One thing that I’m big on is following your dreams. I knew I didn’t want to work for others forever and that’s how Nikki’s Kitchen was born. I love creating my own menus & experience for my client. It’s beautiful being able to be a part of clients major life events. From Weddings to Elopement Dinners, Baby Showers, Anniversaries, Graduation parties, I’ve catered them all! I also teach cooking classes and host group dinner parties. My proudest career moment thus far has been becoming a Food Network Chopped Champion, it was such an amazing experience. My next goal is to have my own Food Truck and expand my Dinner Club!

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

All I can say is, Thank God for Social Media. I ran my business strictly through Instagram for almost 4 years before acquiring my website. I used social media as a means for promotion and a way to network with other chefs and entrepreneurs. It’s honestly been a wonderful experience learning how to navigate this crazy social media world. I was able to organically grow my following to over 55 thousand people on one platform and gain millions of views through people who’d probably never know I existed had it not been for Instagram Reels and Videos. People eat with their eyes so I’m thankful to have been able to connect and engage with people all around the world just by posting pictures of my craft.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

There are so many things I’ve had to unlearn, especially being a young small business owner of color. I came into this career with nothing but a degree. I had no money, no commercial kitchen, no investors, no nothing, just a dream. I had to unlearn bad money management skills as I was never taught about credit or managing finances. I also had to teach myself how to be the best possible professional business owner, as Black Business are often stereotyped as being unprofessional and having bad business practices. I worked really had to break that stereotype and show people just how great supporting our businesses are.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.NikkisKitchenATL.com
• Instagram: Nikkiskitchenatl
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/NikkisKitchenATL
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=Dc2x9wCrZ2–Vgz5rTeFAg&utm_source=ishare

Image Credits
Food Network Instagram Page