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

Reyaña , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Quality control is a challenge almost every entrepreneur has had to focus on when growing – any advice, stories or insight around how to best ensure quality is maintained as your business scales?

I have always loved using fresh ingredients over anything. There are times when an easy alternative route is warranted, but for the most part, especially while doing meal prep items, I provide clients with the healthiest, freshest option available. If its not in season, it doesn’t go on a plate. As my business expands into wider audiences, I take local farmers with me. I go to the farmers markets and intentionally use their agriculture for larger events. This means not only can I expand the community’s interest in what they too can find in the neighborhood, but I also bring money back into the community. This relationship helps me keep the quality everyone deserves while eating, even on a budget, and keeps my cost down because of an understanding between me and the vendor that I will keep buying from them, and they will get an income from me and the people I introduce to them. With rising prices everywhere, especially in food, it’s important for me as a chef of large events and small caterings to give the best quality food available, without hurting anyone ´ s wallet. Sometimes reviewing planned menus and readjusting can help that. For example, I am very upfront with my meal prep clients. If I can ´ t find an item while shopping, I contact them immediately with a solution closest to what they were expecting. That builds trust and understanding. We are all in the same mindset of shipping, inflation, etc, so luckily, it isn’t something that I have had a problem with thus far.

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.

Chef Reyaña Radcliff grew up in New Orleans where famously unique cuisine was everywhere. Her Dad and Grandmother both taught her traditional
Creole & Cajun dishes, as well as basic cooking methods at an early age. Her
Mom opened her eyes to the wonders of well-made everyday comfort foods.
By the age of fifteen, Reyaña went to her high school counselor and
proclaimed that she wanted to be a chef! Realizing that if she wanted to be the
best, she would have to have the best training, education, and experience. So,
she decided to attend the best university – Johnson and Wales University, also
known as the Harvard of Culinary Arts. After earning an Associate Degree in
Culinary Arts, Reyaña went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Food
Service Management. During her time in school, she worked at several
prominent resorts, and spent a semester catering at the U.S. House of
Representatives in Washington, D.C. Once done with school, she stayed in
Charlotte, North Carolina working in country clubs at every station, eventually
becoming a Hotel Sous Chef, prior to ultimately earning the prestigious title of
Executive Chef.
When everything about everyday life on the planet changed in 2020, Reyaña
used her fine dining experiences to start her own catering company, Your
Braisen Chef, LLC. Like so many others, she made the best of a difficult
situation and gained freedom in being able to create her own epicurean
triumphs, all while including her daughter Tiarra and teaching her how to
become a businesswoman. Today, Chef Reyaña enjoys catering for special
occasions, doing culinary demonstrations at industry events, and teaching
cooking classes in person and virtually through social media. She has been
featured on the podcasts Patchwork (Episode 17), Baddies with Business
(Episode 88) a guest chef at The BayHaven Food & Wine Festival for 2 years
running, Crave Charlotte Food & Wine Festival the last 2 years, Summer of Chow Chow Food
Festival, a featured Chef at Sliced Cooking Competition as well as the NCRLA
2022 Chef Showdown, and at various teaching arenas. Reyaña proudly
educates the community on healthy cooking. By utilizing local produce at
various farmer ́ s markets in and around Charlotte, she hosts cooking demos
at the markets and showcases local vendors in the process. She also acts as
a consultant for up-and-coming restaurant groups and manufacturers, and
avidly donates food to local charities.
You can follow Chef Reyaña on Instagram (@your_braisen_chef

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Being a business owner in the culinary world leaves me with the capability of being as creative as I want. Culinary Arts is just that, and a plate is our canvas. Word of mouth has gotten around about me because not only am I a culinary chameleon, but I put in the work. There is so much more than cooking that helps you survive in this business. Building relationships with vendors within the industry is very important. Say you lease a restaurant space. You might need to have a plumber in your back pocket. When they come, offer water. Treat them with kindness. If you find a mushroom grower, make sure you spread the word about their business to others that can benefit. When shopping in the grocery store, make small talk with the person putting your order together. All these things are beneficial two-fold. They feel respected and you get the customer service that you can depend on. Another way I stand out is helping others. If other chefs are brave enough to ask questions, then help them. You never know what it takes to just ask, so watch their shoulders drop once you help them out. There are so many mouths to feed. Not everyone ´ s cooking style is the same. All this is to say that it shouldn’t have to be a one for all mentality, rather there are enough people out here for all of us to win. Not burning bridges in such a small community is key.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

Social Media! We all use it, but are you using it to your full advantage? I have learned that if I am repeatedly posting about events, if I show behind the scenes of me cooking, people feel connected with me and trusting that I am in a commercial kitchen, have a high grade with the health department, that I am in the field so to speak. Clients keep up with me on social media also as a reminder about weekly meal prep. When I post my menu, its like a mental reminder to order. Commenting on each other ´ s posts also keeps me in the forefront to remember me when they host an event or the recommend me.

Consistency is key! My business cards may change with new info I need to update, but the look stays the same. When people see my logo, when they see the pink gloves I wear at events, they relate it all to Your Braisen Chef, and it helps with identifying me within a crowd of other chefs. Same goes with food. If someone has my food at one event, and orders food for a private event, they know they will be getting the same quality, which helps me keep repeat customers.     

Contact Info:

• Website: https://your-braisen-chef-llc.square.site/
• Instagram: @your_braisen_chef, @chef_reyana_taught_me
• Facebook: @your_braisen_chef
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/chef-reyana-radcliff