Today we’d like to introduce you to Debronya Hodges.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started cooking at a young age, I would always be watching my moms and grandmother throw down in the kitchen, food brought the family together. As I got older, I became more interested in learning how they made things taste so good. When I was old enough, moms started to let me get the kitchen independent more off. Fast forwarded to high school/college, I started cooking for my friends more often, using their pallets to experiment. Watching my friends and family enjoy my food was more of a confirmation that I wanted to cook/bake and be a chef.
After high school, I started my culinary joinery at the art institute of Ft. Lauderdale and later furthered my education by attending Johnson & Wales University, where I earned my bachelor’s in restaurant food & beverage. After college, I started my own catering company, Empty plates Catering LLC (2012). I later started cooking for my first celebrity client Dj Khaled (2014-2017). After starting with the Khaled family, I began to cook for other artists and celebrities. I opened my 1st restaurant 2018 “The Empty Plates Restaurant” and currently operating as a full-service catering a private chef company. I got where I am today by being consistent with my work, promotion myself (before anyone else started to,) and trusting God with the vision.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Being a business owner will never be a “smooth road” taking that leap of faith doesn’t isn’t as easy as it looks. I’ve done a lot of free events. I’ve been told I wasn’t established enough. But my food has always said otherwise.
We’ve been impressed with Empty Plates Catering, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Empty Plates was started 2012, right after I graduated from college. I remember applying for my business name in my chefs’ office at the country club. We specialize in EVERYthing FOOD!!! We are most known for our signature bbq sauce that we currently sell in stores. Our most popular location for the sauce is Joes Supermarket and, of course online sales. To learn more about the sauce and our company, I encourage everyone to visit our website www.chefdee305.com
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
My favorite childhood memory is watching my grandmother make desserts from scratch. She made the best homemade key lime pie.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.chefdee305.com
- Instagram: @chefdee305
