Jaeden

Tell us your backstory. How did you know cooking is what you desired to do? It all started when used to travel to Alabama for the summer when I was young, about 7 or 8. My mom and I visited my grandparents from time to time to see how she was doing. My Grandma can cook! There was always something good to eat. So me being curious I started to watch her cook from that point on and eventually I started to pick up on some of the things she was doing pretty easily. I start my own business Flavor’s by J.Mitch, and put my own twist on the food that I wanted to present to people to look good and taste good. Furthermore, my business keeps growing because of my mother and my stepfather whom I refer to as Mr. Dameon. They both help me run the business side of things, such as Budgeting and Marketing.

JAEDEN MITCHELL

What was the idea or inspiration that started it all? My inspiration came from my grandmother and my mom, they always and still till this day give me many cooking ideas and challenge me to do better.

How is it working as an entrepreneur? At times it can get stressful, but nothing feels better than selling a product, that you created and people actually enjoy it.

What has been your best day as a young entrepreneur? Worst day? My best day as an entrepreneur was working at the Georgia Bulldogs football practice facility. Being able to serve them and meet my favorite college football team was definitely a top moment in my cooking career. My worst day was probably when I cooked food for a family and got all their orders wrong, really good learning experience to just slow down and to not look past anything while cooking.

What advice would you give other entrepreneurs wanting a career in the culinary business? The advice I would give is to be patient. The cooking industry is no joke, so the more you try to rush things the more stressed you are and over time you may fall off. The more you grind without complaining the more success you’ll have.

What do you think it is about yourselves that helped you stay on point with your dreams of becoming a chef? Believing in myself and trusting the process. With those two words that’s all I need for motivation.

Starting out as an entrepreneur, what are some of the biggest time management challenges you faced? What were your strategies for keeping up with the work of both running and growing the business and your other obligations? With time I had to learn to always try to get ahead. Sometimes when I would prepare food I would get behind which causes you to rush and the food is not going to taste as good, compared to if you took your time and actually went through with the plan you put out. As of yet I don’t have any strategies but someone who helps keep me in line is my Mother, she always makes sure I’m on schedule and getting things done in a timely manner.

What are your expectations for the future? I expect to be more Multicultural with food and have a stronger following base than last year. Food is a big part of cultural identity, being Multicultural is important because being able to connect people and places, and culture habits through food, is an advantage in the cooking industry.