We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rochelle Wharton a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Rochelle, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

I hope to be remembered for my love for culinary arts, as well as my love for helping those in need through food.
I am so passionate about educating the masses on what needs to be eaten. Finding a way to build more community gardens in the Atlanta metropolitan area, where there are food deserts is my goal. Teaching children that they can grow food wherever they live, that you do not need to have a backyard. Teaching people that look like me and our deal dealing with what I called a generational curse of continuously eating foods that don’t supply the necessary nutrients when we have options. I would love to be remembered as that black woman who not only strive for success in the culinary field, but also strive for success in my community.

Rochelle, 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?

I am a native of Washington DC and was raised by my grandmother and my father. Once I reached the age of nine, my father dedicated the rest of his life to making sure that I was a productive citizen in this world. I didn’t realize my love for cooking until I was close to the age of 30, and then decided to attend culinary school. Prior to that I had spent many years in the veterinary field as a veterinary technician working emergency shifts, as well as with specialist. I was offered the opportunity to travel to Italy while in culinary school to study with Italian chefs and learn more about how Wine was made, how the grapes were grown, and how to pair Wine with Italian food. This was an extremely valuable experience. I spent three months in Tuscany and learned so much about food and wine. While in culinary school, I discovered how our food was being treated. I discovered how animals were being treated as they were slaughtered and not thought of as creatures with feelings. I then decided to become a pescatarian and soon after a vegetarian. After doing extensive research, I found that being a vegan would be the best choice for my lifestyle. I started to dive into how I could make vegan cuisine as close to what our meat eaters eat. My motto is anything you can do I can do vegan! I do a lot of work with those who have physical illness, whether it be heart disease, kidney failure, obesity, high, blood pressure, or any other major concerns, my mission is to transition those who have adopted eating, processed foods, refined sugars, amongst many other things that can kill you. I have the opportunity to spend seven years with a well-known catering company here in Atlanta called Chez Montier. While working alongside Chef juan Montier, I had the opportunity to be put in front of many well-known figures like Madame vice president Kamala Harris, First Lady Jill Biden, amongst many other public figures. I am so grateful and blessed that I had this opportunity to be an apprentice to such a great chef, and also to be able to learn so much more to hone in on my craft. A year ago, I left Chez Montier to build my own brand. I now do a lot of private catering for small events as well as meal prepping for personal clients on a weekly basis I have since adopted a new love and that is offering a supper club twice a month here in Atlanta. Our supper club offers a five course meal that is paired with three cocktails for a round table of entrepreneurs where they can work and utilize each other skills for what’s to come for their business. I am so excited for 2025, there are many things in the making that will be here in the United States as well as global. I cannot forget to mention that I also own a vegan skin care line called Safi Spirit. Our brand has been up and running for nine years now. We cater to those who have eczema problems, as well as dogs who need a great shampoo to keep their skin hydrated.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

All social media can be tricky. Persistence is the key. I feel that social media is the best platform for business owners who are starting with their own money like I did. There’s not a lot of room to pay for Market Social media offers this at no cost. What I found in the beginning was that I had to spend a lot of time understanding the demographics of who was on my page and what times of the day once you figure that portion out then the rest is a cakewalk. Today, I don’t have to spend as much time on social media to market my products as well as my food. I feel that people know who I am people follow what I do and that is a blessing in itself.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Would help build my reputation within my market is the presentation of my food as well as taste. I think we sometimes forget that we eat with our eyes before we put anything into our mouths. I take pride and making sure that every plate is plated with an execution of style, and boys. Wow, food is art just like a person with a paintbrush and paint, is imperative that we ask chefs to make sure that our artwork is presented correctly always.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.theveganvixin.my.canva.site
• Instagram: @theveganvixin @safispirit_llc
• Facebook: @my_culinarycanvas @safispirit
• Linkedin: @safispirit
• Twitter: @my_culinarycanvas

Image Credits

Me