Meet the dream team

Being self employed can be incredibly isolating. Doing work that lights me up is super fulfilling, but after working in the restaurant industry for ages, it was a major shift switching to working alone, or with a super small team. As we’ve taken on more clients, and are getting ready to move into a bigger space, one of the main highlights is getting to grow our team, and our time together. 

And holy smokes, is this team the dream team. Let me take a moment to tell you all about them:

Ang (she’d introduce herself to you as Angie, I’d say Angela, and we all call her Ang)

T (full name Tierra, but I don’t know that I’ve ever heard anyone call her that out loud)

Ash (you can likely guess this one- full name is Ashely, new to Chicago from North Carolina)

Ang is my sister, and was my first Chicago hire! She was nervous about working together, because we honestly didn’t know each other all that well, and she didn’t know how to cook. I told her it’s a learned skill, and if I can learn to do it, anyone can. This chick is the mom of two of the coolest littles on the planet, and one of my many siblings. In fact, I often describe her as ‘the nicest of the nine.’ (Yes, as in a blended family with NINE siblings.)

As we grew and needed another set of hands in the kitchen, I asked Ang if she knew anyone, and she without hesitation suggested someone she worked with years back at Tap House, and hadn’t talked to in maybe 5 years. After sliding into her DM’s, T came in for an ‘interview’… a term I use very loosely, because my hiring style up until then was just people I loved- a best friend, a former head chef and wonderful friend from a previous restaurant job, and a sister. 

T was nervous about my being too straight edge as a nutritionist, and thought she couldn’t come into work hungover, or that I’d follow a super strict diet. And incase you haven’t picked up on this yet, that so isn’t me. I’m fairly indulgent, and do always have food on hand that you’d find at a middle school sleepover. Plus my pantry is stocked with plenty of booze, and my freezer always has a few edibles tucked away, curtesy of T herself :) T’s also available as a private chef to hire for a dinner party, in home chef events, catering, and anything else you can think of if you’re looking to hire a chef for a day.

Soon enough, we were needing to add a 4th to our team, and this time around, having a legit formally trained chef (T), the next hire was up to her. And she had someone in mind from her previous job, who sure enough, is another great fit. Ash is the nicest of the 4, and the least picky of all of us too. We’re struggling to find things to give her grief for because she is that good, but are hopeful that the longer she’s with us, the more shit we can give her. 

As you can see, by the sweet pic above, we love each other, and I feel so lucky to work with each of these rad ladies.