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

Shareka, appreciate you joining us 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 the legacy I leave behind is filled with love. It’s so easy to lose yourself in this race called life but once you take a step back and realize you can do all things possible and that you are limitless. I have grounded myself on being a better person and learning all that I can to better elevate myself.

Shareka, 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?

Hey everyone, hope all is well! My name is Shareka Wyatt, and I am a 25-year-old self taught chef from Atlanta, Georgia. I got my inspiration from my Great- Grandma Mozell Dubose, who was an amazing cook and just something about her would always bring the whole family together. Those were the days everyone would go to church early in the morning and afterwards we would all have one destination on our mind, only because we knew grandma would have some soul food hot and ready for us. I started in the food industry at Wendy’s fast food restaurant. I worked in this industry for about 3 years, and it was not something I could see myself doing for the rest of my life. I was working hard long hours only to make the minimum on a paycheck. At one point I found myself working 3 jobs at once because I had to support myself and take care of a car note, phone bill, and senior dues. It was a trip and I wanted to exit as quickly as possible. One day I started posting all of the food pics and videos to Instagram because my phone was overfilled and had no space. I started receiving tons of compliments, and even people wanting to start purchasing items from me. I sat back and thought about how I could make this a reality, and I truly wanted people to taste my food because it brings me so much joy seeing them react. After selling plates for a year, I was in this horrible accident that totaled my car, sending me back to work to start my savings all over again for a new car. This was a very challenging time for me because I had to put my business on the back burner and work for someone else’s hope and dreams. Not a bad thing to do if you’re in a squeeze but I didn’t want to work for anyone else but myself. I felt like all the time I was spending away from my business was making me lose my inspiration and focus on why I even started it in the beginning. Then I saw an ad on a Pretti Plates Instagram page about working and cooking for production, and history was made. I love what I do, and I do it with ease.
The type of products and services that I offer comes in two packages which are Standard or Premium Dining Experiences. The Standard Package is basically food items, wire stands, and/or a chef. This experience is for the clients who would just prefer the food to be prepared, dropped off and set up. The Premium Package is when the clients want to go the whole 10 yards including decoration, table set up, real chafer dishes, flowers and just about everything you can think of. With the services that we offer we are choosing to do all of the leg work for you. All we want you to do is show up, enjoy the party, and enjoy some amazing food. If booked, the problem that we would solve is making sure the food is in order, making sure we have enough plates, silverware, fresh fruit, and beverages, and whatever else the client may ask for.
My proudest moment of my business is the endurance that we have to make sure we make it on top. Time and time again I have been met with something that always tries to take us down. To cope and move on we’re always staying on our toes and creating new things. When I first created my business in 2016, I did not expect to have many clients and grow at the rate that I am today. I am beyond very thankful and blessed to be in this position. For my potential clients one thing I would like you to take away is Love is a real and active ingredient. Cooking with love helps nourish the soul, and you will surely feel it once you try my food.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

When I first started Reaka’s Catering Instagram it was only started so that I could make some space on my phone. Over a certain period of time, I’ve noticed that I would get a lot of random likes from people I barely knew. I started posting one day and never stopped, then I started doing lunch deals and small plates. People are always hungry so why not create my own delivering services so that they could have some food? Once I gained my audience trust, age group, and price range I was ready to make some moves. My advice for someone just getting their feet wet is to create your own wave, if it’s already one thousand people doing it then be the one thousand and one person and make it spectacular.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

The best source for new clients is word of mouth. If someone was there to experience it for themselves then they can give you a firsthand review, rather than someone who overheard it or simply did the research. You can pass out flyers, create ads, and even give a discount but being the life of the party and being a memorable person is what’s going to give you your new clients because they not only want to experience the food, but they will also want to experience your personality.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reakascateringinc/