Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Scottie Johnson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Scottie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Folks often look at a successful business and imagine it was an overnight success, but from what we’ve seen this is often far from the truth. We’d love to hear your scaling up story – walk us through how you grew over time – what were some of the big things you had to do to grow and what was that scaling up journey like?

Since starting my business in 2016 I have seen a tremendous growth in clientele and production. With the recent pandemic of covid-19 my business shut down for a few months but then turned for the best. As clients not wanting to go out, they brought me into their homes to prepare awesome dinners. I took advantage of the situation and focused on how I could make my services bigger and better once the pandemic calmed down. I reached out to several resources that helped keep the business going. I also wrote a couple of books “See Your Route and Run It” and “Devotions of a Chef” during this time which created a platform for people to learn who Chef Scottie is? It built intimacy with my clients for those elegant private dinners. My wife and I want to always be genuine, fun, communicative, and bring elegance to the table. Staying true to my craft of cooking has brought me celebrity clients, doctors, attorneys, dentists, home builders, and most importantly great relationships. I give all the Glory to God!!!

Scottie, 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’m a retired First Sergeant. I served 27 years in the US. Army (Field Artillery). After retiring I used my Post 911 GI Bill and enrolled myself in Culinary School at Helms College, Mason GA. I wanted to do something different and was always curious about cooking, but never cooked in the military. Once I graduated from Culinary School, my wife Lowanda and I launched our Private Chef business “Blessed and Highly Flavored Cuisine, LLC.” We wanted to provide people with elegant private dinner services. With the discipline of my military service and Culinary, I was able to solve and problem or situation that arose. I was able to communicate and understand my clients. All of this made each event special and intimate. What I am most proud of is being awarded the winner of the 2019 Georgia Seafood Competition! I strive for perfection not only with the taste of my food and its presentation but also with building memories with each individual client I service. You see our Passion is in our Presentation and our Presentation is in our Passion!

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

Providing great services, being personable, and staying true to who I am is what I think built my reputation in this food market. The word of mouth from others speaks volumes when you’re dedicated in doing what you love. Our gifts are what we’re giving from God at birth, but our passion is what we do with it!

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Partnership with other businesses and foundations has been the most effective strategy for growing my clientele. Getting to learn the market and what people want is the key.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sjcuisine.com
• Instagram: chefscottiej
• Facebook: Blessed and Highly Flavored Cuisine, LLC – Private Chef Services
• Linkedin: Scottie Johnson
• Youtube: Scottie A. Johnson