Today we’d like to introduce you to Jalah Williams.
Hi Jalah, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
Food has always been a common denominator in my life. It’s one of those things that always makes things better, for a long time it was the glue holding my family together. I come from a pretty diverse background of cooks. My biggest aspirations came from my grandparents. On one side, my Caribbean grandpa was a chef in New York on the other I also had my Southern granny.
I was the kid attached to their grandmother’s hip, so I learned so much, so young. I started helping her cook for our fairly large family events, as early as 6. I started taking professional cooking classes around the same age & by middle school, I was cooking at home for my family, for the students at school, and running class bake sales. Shortly after my granny passed away, at 14 I was hired at my first food service job, in which I worked my way up and was able to successfully manage, train, and direct a staff by 16. I worked there and multiple other small and large food chains over the years but by 2016 at 19 I decided to bank on me.
I guess I can say cooking has always been my passion over time and as I got older it only intensified. After many attempts to try something new, I even went as far as enrolling in other majors in college. I realized that cooking was my purpose and my passion. With both time & money spent on classes, hard work, diligence, and respectable customer service, I’ve since serviced over 1,000 customers in my hometown of Milwaukee, WI, offered cooking courses, and collaborated with some of our city’s most talented private chefs & entrepreneurs.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it hasn’t always been a smooth road. The start of my business actually stemmed from me recovering from the most traumatic period of my life. I’ve been through the a lot, from depression, sexual assault, and even attempts on my life. Most people would’ve felt defeated and given up in my circumstances but by the Grace of God, I’m still here. My surroundings prepared me for the worst, so my business was the one thing I knew could use to jumpstart my happiness & make my life better. I fought hard and spent countless hours building my brand & this life because it’s my way out.
Since the start of my business, I’ve went through the typical hoops and hurdles any young business goes through. From learning how to manage customers and social media, disputes, and scams to properly executing your content and ideas. I think my biggest issue was me under compensating my work, and time. I really had to learn to work smarter not harder. As time passed, I really buckled down and found my niche and that’s when things began to run a lot smoother.
As you know, we’re big fans of Chwd. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Chwd has been up and running for seven years now, it’s solely run by myself, Jalah S Williams. I am a self-taught cook, who’s currently working on their associate’s degree in culinary arts. A year after starting my business, I took some of the first courses offered in the state of Illinois to receive your certificate in specialized culinary cannabis & edibles. Since then, I’ve become known, for my delta 8 and 9-infused desserts, meals, and other basics like oil, butter, and honey. That in combination with the quality of food & my need to go above and beyond for my customers is what sets me apart. I tell customers all the time, I never got into this for the money, it was my love for high-quality dining experiences—I’m proud to say booking me is always an experience never just-food.
With me relocating to Texas, my desires for my business are also now changing. I’m currently working on a site to ship nationally in the meantime I will continue to offer treat options that can be purchased daily via my Instagram, @choppedchewed414_. However, moving forward, I’ll only be offering small private dining experiences and meal prepping as I now take the time to learn how to farm and the ins and outs of becoming an in-home and/or traveling private chef. Hopefully one day I can work for Taylor Hearn, of the Texas Rangers, as I equally love baseball and cooking!
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I was given a gift and was blessed enough to realize my potential early on. I don’t believe in luck, because I’ve always had faith. I know what’s for me will always be for me. Good or bad, nobody or anything can change my destiny but the man above. The plans he has over my life outweigh luck EVERY TIME. After I understood that & without hard work and persistence, nothing will fall into your lap everything else fell into place!
Pricing:
- Treats (Options Vary), $10-$200
- Private Dining for 2, $350+
- Daily/Weekly Meal Preparation, starting at $125pp
- Travel Fees vary on the distance
- One-on-One Cooking/Infusion Course, $350+
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/choppedchewed414_?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/choppedchewed414/
Image Credits
Kalida W Photography
