Today we’d like to introduce you to Evelyn Williams.
Evelyn, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My first memory of cooking was when I was six years old. I remember sneaking into the kitchen while my father was asleep and attempting to make fried pickles. I had never seen fried pickles before, but for whatever reason, I thought it was a good idea. I had only ever seen my mother fry chicken and so I decided to fry pickles the same way. I remember my mother coming home and wondering what had happened. All I really remember is that my punishment for using the stove when I wasn’t supposed to, was that I had to EAT the fried pickles. So I did. And they were TERRIBLE lol, so salty.
I did my first Thanksgiving dinner for my family at age 12 and by 15, I had my first food business. Ironically, I never considered being a chef as a career. So I went off to college and majored in Chemical and Environmental Engineering. I HATED IT! But everyone had always told me that I should be an engineer since I was great at math and science. (It didn’t hurt that both of my parents were engineers, but they didn’t want me to be an engineer).
Fast forward and I’m working in Corporate America and I just know it’s not the place for me. So I decided to enroll in culinary school full time while working a full-time job with travel. Crazy is an understatement. Halfway through my program, I quit my career incorporate. I knew that I didn’t want to work in a restaurant or hotel, so I set my sights on being an entrepreneur. I started freelancing, catering and doing some personal chef work. I eventually got into cooking classes and spent the next ten years teaching online classes, in-person classes and working for some higher-end culinary companies.
I soon realized that my love for food and my love for entrepreneurship were equal. I started having chefs (aspiring chefs and non-chefs) reach out to me for business advice. Things like “how to get clients,” “how much to charge for their products and services,” “how to make money online as a chef,” “how to create multiple streams of income,” and “how to earn income outside of the traditional kitchen.”
I had learned so much from my own career and lots of trail and error, that I decided to start consulting. And that is what I mainly do now. I work with career changers who want to build a culinary brand that isn’t your traditional catering company or restaurant. I also am a keynote speaker and do private (virtual at the moment) cooking classes and cooking demonstrations for large companies and organizations.
Has it been a smooth road?
It most certainly HAS NOT been a smooth road. One of the biggest struggles along the way was not knowing what I didn’t know. I knew that I made great food, I knew that I was a fantastic culinary instructor, but I didn’t know how to turn that into business initially. I also knew that I wanted to be a chef that worked from home. And there was no example of that. So the struggle that I had was trying to pave a new way of living and working in an industry that is traditionally known for long hours and low pay. I didn’t want any part of either one of those.
Now when you hear online cooking classes, it seems normal. But in 2010, when I did my first online class, it wasn’t that way. I spent a lot of my energy explaining that I wasn’t a food blogger and I wasn’t a caterer. Also, one of the biggest struggles was attempting to do it alone, with a coach or a mentor. In the beginning, I was just guessing and just trying things. I would have saved myself a lot of time, money and tears, had I just paid to work with someone. There is this false belief that if you are good at your job (skill), that you will automatically be successful in business. And that’s not true. Yes, you need to be technically good in your craft, but more importantly, you have to be great at the art of business. I knew food. I didn’t know the business back then.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
What I currently do now, is the bulk of my time is spent consulting with current and aspiring culinary business owners who are either looking to get started or have started their business and they are looking to grow. They may be at maximum capacity with their client load and the desire to increase their income but creating additional revenue streams. Occasionally I work with a handful of clients each year who are not in the culinary world.
I also specialize in cooking classes/demonstrations for companies and organizations. Cooking classes (both online and in-person) was my first love in this industry and what I became known for. So whether they are looking for something innovative for their health and wellness program, or looking for a unique experience to create connection, this is one of my favorite things to do.
What sets me apart is that there are a lot of “business coaches” out there. And in the food industry, there are plenty of restaurant consultants. But I specialize in working with women who love food but want to do business in a different way. And I also help them make that transition from a corporate employee to a culinary entrepreneur. The things that I am most proud of as a company is the success of my clients. Yes, they increase their income, yes, they get more time to spend on the things they really care about. But when my clients tell me that they have “Gotten their life back,” that’s when I know that we have created something special together.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Dallas is thriving! My business is mostly online but was started here. If someone was starting out, they could definitely do so in Dallas. I think the one thing our city can do to improve is to create a culture of connection throughout the metroplex. There are pockets of entrepreneurs all over the city, but we aren’t really connected beyond our part of town.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ChefEvelyn.com
- Email: info@ChefEvelyn.com
- Instagram: www.Instagram.com/ChefEvelyn
- Facebook: www.Facebook.com/ChefEvelyn
- Other: www.YouTube.com/ChefEvelyn
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