Meet Tj Price | Chef

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tj Price and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tj, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
The business kinda started by accident lol a few thanksgivings back I decided to make a lobster pasta for my family and with everyone’s rave reviews I just started catering here and there and before you knew it people began requesting dishes and I kinda got obligated to meet everyone’s request. Shortly after I began to really take it serious and my client lust began to grow from friends and family to reality tv stars such as Hazel E to NFL stars such as Eric Ebron of the Steelers and last years Super Bowl champ Gregory “Buddy” Howell of the Los Angeles Rams. It started out as a hobby and now it’s a full blown career.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’d like to say what sets me apart from others is my creativity im always thinking of innovative dishes or concepts to push the envelope I never wanna be the same or do the same as others, when I first got on instagram I blocked all local chefs in my area not out of spite but more so to not be influenced by what they had going on such as menu items or things they were doing I only wanted to focus on me so I removed any distractions or references to what anyone else in my field was doing plus I didn’t want them to follow my moves I just wanted a blank slate just me and my customers no outside influences. I can say I’m very proud of all my accomplishments but my most recent accomplishment was developing an app for my business to help with booking as well as client engagement you know everyone has a smart phone so anyone anywhere can download our app and see what’s going on with us in real time from pop-ups to menu changes everything is interactive now so that’s been a great help I may not be available at all times but my app is it’s been a major game changer not too many people I know have their own app. Getting to where I am now was far from easy I almost gave up when Covid started and everything shut down I think we were all trying to figure out what was next for the entire world we were trying to navigate life through lockdown so the first week or two I shut down to gather what was gonna happen but with stores and restaurants closed down being a chef/caterer became a gold mine abd my business began to grow more than ever throughout the pandemic I recorded my highest sale’s averages that extra traffic and income is what got us to where we are today as well as some of my most affluent clients I met during Covid so it was rough but turned to be a blessing. I’ve learned alit a long the way and I’ll say the most important lesson that I learned is to stay consistent never give up never limit yourself things might get bad but you gotta just keep going, keep a warriors spirit and just keep fighting for what you want and love you never know where something can take you this just started out as me cooking for family I never thought it would gross six figures but it has and I’d never know if I gave up.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Favorite spots in the city? I don’t know if it’s Covid or what but after the pandemic I’ve really been a home body I go out for the occasional friend’s birthday but for the most part I’m working or at home with my daughters showing them how to cook and playing video games and of course me being a chef everyone wants me to cook so I host a few friends and family sometimes and we do hibachi night or seafood boils but for the most part I’m home bound but if I do go out I’m not too fancy lol I hit chili’s bar right by my house for a few drinks, Dave and busters for pool, I might need to get out more lol

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I wanna dedicate my shout out to my mother she’s really the leading factor that got me where I’m at, most people think that my mom taught my how to cook but in fact it’s the opposite my mom taught me how to grind and work hard for what I want. I am the only child from my mother but she raised me and my 3 cousins on her own due to her sisters drug addiction so she worked two jobs to support us all she would get us ready in the morning and right after she’d go to work get off at 5 and go straight to her next job just to keep the bills paid and us clothed/fed. So it’s within those times I had to learn to cook or eat hamburger helper or cereal every night lol but it was her with ethic and strength that has motivated me the most to keep pushing and pursue success in my own field.

Website: https://thefoodplughtx-1befc.web.app/

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