FOCUSING ON HIS ART, HIS ORIGIN STORY

Aaron isn’t new to the entertainment industry Unlike most, his parents are actors, so he grew up in this world

However, “ t wasn’t until I was sixteen that I went all-in and focused on the arts,” said Jennings Basketball was his f rst love that he put his time and effort into whole-heartedly before transitioning nto acting For Aaron, ded cating h mself to a craft whatever that may be means giv ng it his all, no questions asked, and no holds barred

“Although had my parents as a shining example and I watched them go through their ups and downs and could somewhat mentally prepare for my own it was st ll a struggle for me”, said Jenn ngs Off first glance, while t may seem l ke children of industry, or industry-adjacent parents have it “easier”, Aaron demonstrates that it absolutely still is a challenge The ebb and flow of the industry st ll affected him, alike anyone who moves to Los Angeles hoping to make it big As Aaron shared, “ t was over those years that I developed that mental fortitude that helps me persevere in this ndustry ” Whenever someone asks him for advice, he tells them that “no one can ever be prepared for this and you just have to d ve n and go for it ”

“That’s a never-end ng experience,” said Jennings, when I asked him if he ever had moments of doubt or thoughts of calling it quits due to the nature of the industry This is someth ng he said he’s experienced at great lengths at times, but t’s h s love and passion that keeps him going Giving up s never an opt on when you know that what you’re working towards and working on s exactly what you are meant to do

Aaron loves the craft of t all, but the collaborat ve environment means the most to h m

“I love collaborating on set with everyone The entire cast, crew and creative team s top notch”, he added Be ng around other passionate people daily making and bringing something to life, is priceless

“I take so much joy in all of this, and that’s what has allowed me to persevere,” he added

“As my grandma used to say, idle time is the devil’s playground,” Jennings noted Technically, when a show s off, and an actor doesn’t have any other working projects, they are unemployed ’ During that time, many can get depressed but Aaron finds his center by keeping up with h s hobb es Though audit on ng s still the goal during those down times, Aaron works to keep himself engaged in other activities such as wr ting and exploring other creat ve sides of himself It’s about staying ‘stimulated, he said

Whether he s work ng on a booked role or experienc ng down time, the focal point of his life s family and friends “They keep me grounded,” said Jennings These are the people who know h m best and keep h m constantly uplifted

Before ending our conversation, I asked Aaron how I could describe him as an actor to others Aaron replied, “Honest and vulnerable - well, that’s at least what I str ve for ” I was intr gued why that was his answer As Aaron then explained, he has to be honest and vulnerable in his actual l fe so it organ cally translates into an audit on or on-camera scene w th a character he’s playing For him, the goal of act ng and executing the craft is to show humanity in its entiretythe good and the bad The only way that can be showcased is f the actor s truly in touch with themselves on the deepest level with no pretense Always at the forefront of his mind, this s what Aaron strives to emulate on every set and through every character he touches

Cox: Christan Willis you are your own l festyle brand that specializes in so many different th ngs Can you tell our readers more about who you are and what you do?

Will s: Love that and thank you so much I'm a personal chef here n Atlanta a TV personality, and a brand ambassador I work a lot with people and families You know 'm all about making th s harmon ous synergy around Food and Life

Cox: Where did this love for t all come from, I know you have this multicultural background and were exposed to it all so early

Will s: I bel eve my love for food started at an early age since the age of 15 Food has always been a constant n my life It was only amplif ed throughout my life by my love for creat ng things with my hands So I have an artsy v be when it comes to food and my business I have been painting all my life and still do But I never knew I was go ng to get into th s industry even though I always had a love for it until I got to college

Cox: Speaking of college what were your plans when you originally attended?

Will s: studied journalism at Georg a State It's crazy to th nk about t because I d d my school news from m ddle school to high school Th s is what I knew wanted to do and I had a clear path when I went to college I wanted to be a reporter, but that all changed when I started writ ng about food

Cox: After that ep phany what was next for you?

Will s: So, I had a conversat on w th my dad about everything and he sa d if I wanted to do this why not go to culinary school? I was worried about the t ming and t me investment He told me t me was going to pass anyway so why not go for t? I took his advice and literally breezed my way through culinary school and did my internship at Disney

Cox: You h t the ground running when you got back to Atlanta You worked your way up n the fine d ning and food scene want to ask you since the evolut on of social media we have tons of nd viduals calling themselves chefs Do they need to be classically tra ned to call themself that? It's always a debated conversation

Will s: You don t have to be but you need the experience in the k tchen That exper ence s so nvaluable and you know how everything works from the front and back of the house and all there is in between If you are going to call yourself a chef you need to be able to go into a kitchen and run t So, if you have that knowledge (can be self-taught), experience, and that passion go for it But f you are someone who just loves to cook and you put that behind your name t can be offens ve to others because you have people who have put in that grit and those hours that make you a chef

Cox: The food industry is tough and you have built a name for yourself How did you go about doing that?

Will s: Building my credibility in th s industry started with the basics You know be ng in the kitchens at 15 I learned a lot and observed It was this journey I took that helped me bu ld a name for myself I ve been at the bottom of the industry where I had to take orders in the kitchen, but now I'm at a place where I m in charge and I can be flex ble with how I create and present food Somet mes people have this misconception about me because of my social media presence and think don t know what I m doing But I have a huge backing from the chefs I worked under and the establishments I worked for

Cox: The food industry is still male-dominated! How has your exper ence been as a b racial woman?

W llis: I ve taken some Ls in this industry and had some humbling experiences because as you said it s maledom nated Through the adversit es I had faced at times I had to learn to stand on my own and leave jobs at times because I knew my worth As a woman of color, we mustn't just take anything Especially now we are at a point in time where t's the year of the woman We aren't being qu et anymore, we know what we want and we are going for it

Cox: What advice would you give to women who are afraid to speak up for themselves in the k tchen?

W llis: Look I had a lot of no s come my way but when the yes's came those were meant for me You w ll have to take those risks sometimes and push those boundaries You have to keep trying And remember you might look at something as a fa lure but you have to remember fa lure isn't forever

Cox: I want to get nto your normal day as a pr vate chef work ng for a cl ent Walk me through that

W llis: Well before the event my first thing with the client would have been a week or so of conversing about their needs I find out exactly what they are looking for and then I put my sp n on t I take into considerat on what type of party is this and what they are going for and my goal is to elevate it So, leading up to the event I start w th shopp ng and I try to go to as many farmers' markets as possible to get fresh and organ c produce and ingredients This is a tedious party because I'm running through multiple locations As a chef, you are at least going to four or f ve places Then it s about the prep work which can be between one or two days Things I l ke to get done are my sauces, cuts, and marinated meats

"Day of the event you have to be super laser focused I always have my prep sheet with me and check off everything know exactly where everyth ng goes and where I'm going to put them " - Willis

Cox: With all those stores runs what happens when you can't find the ngredients necessary for certain dishes?

W llis: Th s is when being flexible s very mportant to be ng a chef You have to know how to pivot and you can't get stressed It comes with the territory that stores might not have someth ng or an ingred ent m ght be seasonal Chefs have to be able to adapt and think on their feet and if you can't do both th s might be the wrong profess on for you

Cox: I love for our readers to learn from you The biggest thing a private chef does is learn how to price things

W llis: Take it from me it's trial and error There was a time I wasn t making a profit because the margins were too close to the cost of everything and the t me I had to invest in things I would say know your place n your field If you are a beginner you will have to start w th beginner pr ces and don t try to charge what you see someone else is charg ng who has put in those ten and fifteen years Some people come into it wanting to charge at the top and you don t have to do that You have to know your cl ent and demographic F gure out that niche because it's so spec fic and once you do you w ll be good

Cox: Thank you for taking me on your journey as a chef and giving me these amazing insights Before we go if someone asked me how would you describe Chef Willis, what would I say?

W llis: First you would say Dynamic There is nothing that I can't cook I'm a very dynamic chef and I'm swift in the kitchen My flavors are always go ng to be on point (smiles) And I'm super flexible, but I have to always go back to Dynamic because that's my favorite word for how I would descr be myself as a chef