Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Wilson.
Andrew, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My culinary journey started at a very young age I think I was about six or seven years old when my dad took me on my first catering job for my elementary school in Akron Alabama. At the party my dad cooked all the food I only had one job function and that was to fill up cups of ice for every guest at the party. As I got older my dad took me to Nashville, Tennessee where I spent my first summer at his restaurant where he gave me my first introduction to the restaurant business. Mind you I was still a kid but my dad taught me how to wash dishes, mop floors and clean the walls and windows. At this time in my life, my dad owned a couple of restaurants between Alabama and Tennessee he was the ultimate entrepreneur my hero he did it all.
Even though my dad spent a lot of time on the road he always made time to show me how to cook. By the time I was in the fifth grade I was already cooking items like fried wings, meatloaf, catfish and peach cobbler. As a kid there was never a dull moment I was either at the restaurant or working on the farm were I help raised 300 hundred chickens, six hogs, one cow and a couple of rabbits. Country life was tough we lived twenty-two miles from civilization with no TV or radio in the house. My dad was old school he did not allow us to have a tv in the house it was his way of keeping us shadowed from the outside world. Not having a tv really didn’t bother me that much because, I had so much to do on the farm like feeding the chickens, gathering eggs, cleaning the eggs and cooking dinner for my parents I didn’t have time to complain about it.
By this time I was in the sixth-grade life was great my dad had me working at the restaurant after school and he helps me start my first business selling fresh chicken eggs. Yes, that’s right on Fridays I would get out of school and go door to door in my community and sell eggs for a dollar a dozen. By the time I was sixteen I was bringing in about 700 hundred dollars a month in sales and you couldn’t tell me nothing. I sold eggs and worked in my dad’s restaurant until I graduated high school.
Then I decided to leave home and go to culinary school at Johnson and Wales University in North Miami Florida. It was here where I learn how to diversify my cooking portfolio and further develop my cooking skills as a chef. After graduation, I started a small catering company were I ended up doing parties for celebrities like Trick Daddy, Serena Williams, Santana Moss, and Phil Collins. I have been very fortunate over the years to take my love for food and put smiles on faces and also make a living as well.
Great, 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?
I want to lie the restaurant business is a very tough business it has not been a cakewalk for me. Over the past eight-teen years, I have opened two restaurants and they both failed it was a tough pill to swallow things got so bad that I ended up in a coma for a month. The biggest issue I always had was funding it was never enough money being made to take things to the next level. I always found myself with my head in my lap at the end of every month it was very stressful. I remember one time I had to get a job just to make sure the business could keep operating.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I am a chef slash restaurant owner I specialize in soul food and Caribbean style dishes. I am known for my sweet potato pies and my fried chicken and waffle with maple gravy. My company also does a lot of catering parties I have done work for Serena Williams, Phil Collins, Miami owns Trick Daddy and Jill Tracey just to name a few. I’m proud that my company has been able to provide good food and great service to my community. Our style of cooking sets us apart from everyone else we prepare our own seasoning we buy only the freshest products that are in season and available.
What do you love about our city and what do you dislike?
I love Miami because we get two seasons a year and that’s really hot and somewhat cold. So, even in the winter time I get to wear a jacket and shorts. I don’t like the fact there are not enough programs available to our young people to help them become an entrepreneur at a very young age.
Contact Info:
- Address: Shantel’s Jazz Cafe 5624 nw 7th ave Miami, FL 33127
- Website: www.topchefmiami.net
- Phone: 7865472133
- Email: intensecreation@hotmail.com
- Instagram: www.intstagram/topchefmiami
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/dreamteamcatering
Image Credit:
Chef Emery
Chef Andrew Wilson Sr.
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