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

Vernessa, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you take vacations? How do you keep things going – any advice for entrepreneurs who feel like they can’t step away from their business for a short vacation?

Yes, I do. I feel like it is important to reset and relax. Being an entrepreneur is draining at times. To be the best version of yourself for your customers breaks and vacations are vital to being successful.

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

Hello! I am Chef Vernessa. I am a Chef and Baker. I was born in Buffalo, New York. My passion for cooking began at the age of 10. I was always in the kitchen with my Elders trying to do something. I am the mother of two girls (Virginia and Gabriella) and two boys (Jayden and Christian) and the wife to Chris.

I initially never wanted to be a Chef. I originally went to school for Medical Billing and Coding. I in fact, have my degree in that first. It wasn’t until I went for my bachelors that I wanted to do something else. So I decided to attend Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in Dallas, TX and graduated with my degree in Culinary Arts in May 2017. In 2019, I relocated to the Atlanta Georgia area. Business here has been great thus far. I have done a lot of private dinners, meal planning, caterings, and more recently I have done a ton of sweets orders.

I actually got into the baking part of the culinary world when the Pandemic struck. I wanted to go back to school for it but the world was quickly shutting down and I needed to learn some things. My specialty is in cheesecakes, cookies and cupcakes. She also does Vegan and Keto treats as well. My goal is to create comfort food and desserts that are sure to remind you of home.

The main thing I want my clients to know about me is that I take my brand very seriously. I don’t engage in things because I feel like it can ruin or damaged me. Especially in this day and age that everyone is quick to pick up a phone and record you.

What sets me apart from others is that I am a double hitter. I can bake and cook so there is no need to go elsewhere. I can do it all.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

A story from my journey that illustrates my resilience would have to be from 2016 when I was in Culinary school. I arrived to class on June 10, 2016 at my normal time which was 545am. Class started at 6am. I was about 7 1/2 months pregnant at the time. I woke that morning feeling a little off but didn’t think anything of it. Ten minutes before class, my water broke.

I knew I couldn’t just leave right then because I had my baking and pastry final that morning. My instructor had already made special arrangements for me to sit in the class to learn the final then I was going to practice it and then do my final all in the same day. I had to finish! There was no day to make it up. The school was closing and I was determined to get my degree. So, I stayed at school. I was able to watch my instructor demo the final and I practiced it. Then I reset my station to do my final. Meanwhile, I am still having contractions. I finished my final at about 1030am. I plated it up and took it up for my grade. I got a 145/150 on it.

I then told my instructor that I was in labor and that it had started hours ago. She screamed at me and told me to leave. I gathered my stuff and then left to the hospital. I delivered my son that night.

Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?

One of my favorite marketing or sales stories is when I cooked for Pastor Jamal Bryant. He was on Instagram live one afternoon and he was promoting entrepreneurs. He had you request to go on live with him and you had to sell your business. I was nervous as ever but I got on and did it! That conversation gained me clientele and so many followers. He asked me in front of 1000’s of people to cook for him and he was going to do a live review. he asked how confident I was and I told him I was VERY confident that he’d love my food.

Then next day I prepared his food and it was picked up. Once he received his food he got on live and tasted it. He LOVED it!

This was a risk because he was giving my review in real time. No sugarcoating or anything. My nerves were shot! I had no idea if he was going to like it, hate it or anything! This review could make or break my Culinary Career. I was blessed that he gave me such a glowing review and it has given me a lot of other clients and opportunities.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ChefVernessa.com
• Instagram: www.Instagram.com/iamchefvernessa
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vernessa-spratley-7a424696/