We recently connected with Richard Hammons and have shared our conversation below.

Richard, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?

I created my company to be able to cook for the love again after getting burned out in the industry. I wanted a way to be able to cook food on my own terms and found it through throwing private events. One thing I learned while working under Daniel Asher at Linger years ago, was that people can taste your love or dissatisfaction through food, so it is important to put care and a positive attitude into everything you do. This outlook of positivity and care for the industry led me to using my chef skills to volunteer. I feel it is our duty to not only use our skills to make money, but also to give back. About two weeks into the initial Covid shutdown, I was brought in to help with a project feeding people in need. The days were long and the work was tough but I helped to feed over 175000 people in about 3.5 months. Before that project, I would spend time with the Volunteers of America helping to feed people in the Meals on Wheels program which I had a major passion for. I come from a fairly middle class family and my grandmother used this program for many years before her passing to supplement her daily nutrition. In addition to these things, I help with “Madsgiving” every year with chef Tajahi Cooke to put out thousands of meals for people in need. I feel like being a chef is a passion and a privilege that we must not take for granted. We should use our skills to feed and nourish people whether you are being paid for it, or helping the community. I hope to be remembered as someone who put passion and love into what I did. I hope people understand that you can come from a tough upbringing and work hard to achieve a fulfilling life through hard work and dedication to make something of yourself while doing your best to spread positivity.

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

I started in restaurants at the age of 14 to be able to afford some of the things I wanted that my parents could not provide. After working through the front of the house and running coffee shops, I started meeting cooks and chefs in the back of the house and wanted to join the pirate ship. So I went to culinary school in the early 2000’s and started working at The Four Seasons Hotel in Scottsdale, then off to Jackson Hole for a few years and Denver for a year. After leaving the hotel world, I worked my way up through high end sushi bars, restaurants, catering companies and took a bunch of random kitchen jobs to learn as much as possible until I hit the level of executive chef. Unfortunately this path burned me out, so I took some time away from the industry and opened my company in 2017 to cook for the love again. My company Five Star To You specializes in high end dining experiences. From multiple course dinners to weddings to fancy appetizer events, bachelor/ette parties, corporate events, and all of the fun stuff. We have put on 1000’s of events and always get rave reviews. I have a full time chef partner and an amazing staff of chefs, bartenders, and servers who help our events to be seamless. Our services are not for everyone because we deliver quality over quantity. I am proud that we have built a business that caters to small to medium sized events with care and execution paramount. We pride ourselves in the fact that we do not put out events for 100’s of people for a low rate with food kept lukewarm in hot boxes like many large scale catering companies.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I am so proud for what I was able to accomplish through covid. From being apart of a project feeding the needy, to helping my buddy Jesus Silva with construction and cooking to reorganize the Broadway Market for grab and go. Doing some consulting and small events within the realm of the law at various times of the pandemic. I stayed scrappy and kept the business going. I was able to bring in just about the same amount of money as we did the year before. Due to this resilience and hard work, we came out of the pandemic and about doubled our revenue. This was one of the hardest times I’ve had with my business and I am incredibly grateful to still be growing and pursuing my dream of being a chef.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

We have a strong policy of cooking with love and giving our best at all times. Sometimes when we are prepping and are feeling a little down or are dealing with some difficulty in lives, we will step back to take a break and talk through what is going on. Sometimes that means leaving early for a day of prep if it is possible and coming back super early the next day with a better frame of mind to get things sorted with care. Our business can be very tough because of the seasonal nature of the industry. Sometimes work and life balance can get a bit out of whack when we are putting on 5 or more events in a week. So we try to exercise when we can, spend as much time with family and friends, and keep up on hobbies when time allows. The main thing we keep in mind during these periods of being a bit overworked, is that we will have a bit of a slow season around the corner. So we need to do everything we can to crush while we are in the heat of a season and take as much time as possible to relax and reset when things slow down. Eating is our business but it is also paramount to us to get through the day. I always make sure to bring in breakfast or lunch, sometimes both, to make sure we stay fueled and our mental health is in tact. We also make sure to bring a little extra to events so we can try the food and ensure we have a snack. We love to laugh and joke throughout the day, blast fun music to keep the vibe high, and most of all… remember we are in the business of throwing parties which is super rewarding!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.fivestartoyou.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fivestartoyou/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fivestartoyou
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/five-star-to-you-denver-2