We were lucky to catch up with Sakeenah Allen recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Sakeenah, thanks for joining us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

To be successful, we have to overcome obstacles with resilience. We must realize that our journey in life will not always be easy, and we must keep pushing. True success is making a plan, praying on it, and working towards it relentlessly.

Sakeenah, 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 name is Sakeenah Allen and I specialize in date night dinner setups and creating specialty cheesecakes.

The date night dinner idea came from celebrating my first year of marriage.
I gifted my husband with a romantic spread on our dining room table with candles, flower petals, and a menu usually served at the most expensive restaurants: lamb chops, lobster tails, and delectable sides. My Facebook inbox went bonkers with inquiries and that’s how the Date Night Dinner Services was created!

The cheesecakes started as a pregnancy craving. One day, I wanted cheesecake and I also wanted peach cobbler- but I wanted them together! After searching all over Youtube and not finding exactly what I was looking for, I started playing around with whatever my foodie heart came up with. After conquering the cheesecake of my dreams (and not on the first try!), there was no stopping the ideas! The rest is history and we now have “Straight Up Cheesecakes.”

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Being creative, being persistent and being receptive. People love seeing new things, they love seeing it often and they love open communication whether it be positive or constructive. I take pride in doing my best to provide all of these building blocks.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I have dabbled in quite a few areas in the catering business before completely deciding to concentrate on date night dinner setups and specialty cheesecakes. I tried selling dinners from home on a weekly basis. That was a lot! Especially with a new baby. I offered meal prep services. That was also way too much for me! Finding my niche has allowed me to take great pleasure in doing what I do.
I DO still cater bigger gigs when I can, it’s just not something I advertise on a regular.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @SakeenahsMEals
• Facebook: Sakeenah’s Meals