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

Hi Trey , thanks for joining us today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

I am very happy as a business owner. I no longer think about what it would be like to have a regular job at all. From having my first job a teenager, to going to the Airforce right out of high school, I knew that having a regular job wasn’t for me. I always felt that I had more to offer than I was allowed to do, and I always did more than I got credit for. I felt much more valuable, than I would be recognized for. I always loved working with food and in the kitchen, but I didn’t exactly love cooking someone else’s recipes. When customers would complement me on how good the food was, I couldn’t really accept it, because I felt that it wasn’t me. I was just following directions, and the person that deserved the credit was the chef who was responsible for the recipes of the food that I was serving. I wanted to be able to really get the credit and have the pride in accepting the complements. So, I took a risk, and started a personal chef business. I quickly realized that it was more difficult than having a job, and every single responsibility lied solely on me. It was hard at first, I didn’t know what I was doing as far as business, but I knew how to serve people and make good food. I went back to school for business and entrepreneurship, where I learned how to run my business better. Eventually I started to get clients and maintain them. I gained more confidence, and was able to accept the complements, and really feel like I was getting what I deserved. From then on I knew I could never hold another “regular” job.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I’m a private/personal chef. I specialize in classic French technique. What that means is that I cook food from all over the world, but it’s prepared using classical French techniques. Everything made from scratch. The closest you’ll get to food prepared by me, is by taking a trip to Europe and eating there! I was trained a Le Cordon Bleau college of culinary arts, in Las Vegas Nevada. As much as I hated school growing up, and all of the college classes I had taken, I loved every single day of attending this school. I knew I would be a chef and wanted to be nothing other than from the first few weeks of starting my classes here. I looked up to and respected all of my instructors and I gave the best effort that I had ever given in anything. I really loved what I was learning, and I did my best to show off what I was learning every chance that I got. The thing that sets me apart from other private chefs, is that I don’t cut corners. I love every piece of the process and it shows on the plate, as well as on the taste buds. My service is professional, and my presentation is delightful.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

My most effective strategy for growing clientele is immaculate service. I gain 90% of my clients by word of mouth and repeat customers. I’m not very active on my social media, but my client post me, and I get inboxes from the people they know, asking about my service.

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

I believe that my personality, professionalism, and mastery of my craft is what helped build my reputation. When I speak to a new lead/potential client. They already have so many nice things to say that they have heard about me! When they already believe that I’m the best before they even meet me, makes it a lot easier to be impressive!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: chef_trey_beau