Meet Jaylen Edwards

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jaylen Edwards a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jaylen, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?

I come from a long line of doers. People who didn’t complain but just got it done. A woman bed ridden but still preparing meals for the masses. A mother battling to protect her 4 kids amid the crack epidemic in Harlem. A single mother overcoming domestic violence and homelessness. This is 3 generations of the woman in my life. Women that showed me that hard work and perseverance can make the sharpest curves in life easy to bend.

When you grow up watching a parent struggle you can either conform to struggle or learn how to hustle. So from young I knew I wanted to help. Just wanted to see my mom smile. So my first little hustle was selling candy at school. Of course we weren’t supposed to but it showed me the value of investment. You have to be willing to put your money where your mouth is. But on the flip side you have to be comfortable losing it all at any point. Which I did a bunch of times!

Then at 14 I got my first little job. $9 an hour and I hated it but here we were. But as I bounced from jobs to job learned how to be an effective employee. Get the job done, ask the right questions, and anticipate needs. That’s how you enhance your value in the companies eyes.

Then in college I elevated to my first big entrepreneurial journey. Selling nutcrackers! At the time I was working 3 jobs. I was a Resident Assistant on campus, as well as a Best Buy and Old Navy associate. After a normal 10 hour shift at old navy ($100 after taxes) I went home and had a brief 10 minute conversation with a friend before she purchased 10 of my drinks ($100) for her party. Then the lightbulb went off. What value are you placing on the moments of your life you loan on consignment?

These experiences have taught me that work ethic is not just about grinding through tasks; it’s about resilience, adaptability, and understanding the value of every moment. Each job, each hustle, and each challenge has reinforced the belief that hard work is the foundation of success. The women in my family didn’t just endure; they thrived against the odds, and their legacy fuels my drive. I’ve learned to embrace both the victories and the losses, recognizing that each step brings me closer to my goals. Ultimately, my work ethic is a reflection of my roots—a commitment to perseverance, innovation, and the relentless pursuit of a better life, not just for myself but for those who inspire me every day.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I’m a diversity strategist for a law firm by day and a chef by night…and weekends. I am the founder of “Quality Eats Catering”, for meals that can’t be beat, call Quality Eats! Inspired by my Caribbean and Southern roots I crafted a culinary style that blends bold flavors and traditional techniques. With a passion for creating unique dishes that tell a story.

Understanding my love for story telling I started my events business “The Hangover Experience”. The vision is to create experiences that linger in your mind months after the event has ended. With stories and memories that’ll last a lifetime. We started in 2024 with brunches and they have been extremely successful to date. Our next brunch will be April 26th at Brown Sugar near Dyckman. In the future we’re looking to pivot into cooking classes & dinner parties to expand our audience.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

First things first you have to believe you can. And as corny as it sounds it’s true. No matter what you’re looking to accomplish you have to be your biggest fan. If no one sees your vision or cares to help you execute it, do you believe in yourself enough to keep going?

Understand the value of your time. Everyone gets 24 hours but we all value them differently. Some people just get up, go to school, and come home. Others go to school, play a sport, part of clubs, and works a job. We’ve been taught to see them as the overachiever while in hindsight they’ve just learned the value in their 24.

Learn to be the greatest thief. Not like a real thief everyone relax but a thief of knowledge, of experience, of wisdom. You are forever learning from everything and everyone around you. Humble yourself enough to receive game. Take it and utilize it to enhance your practices, your skills, and your consciousness.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

There is a host of collaborations that would amazing at this time. Through my events business “The Hangover Experience” we’re looking for venues in the NYC area that would be open to collaborating with us for a brunch/dinner party or a cooking class. We’re also looking to showcase minority owned wine/spirits at our events and would love to talk collaborations here as well. If you yourself are interested or have additional resources please reach out to [email protected] or our instagram @thehangoverexperience.

With regard to the catering business, “Quality Eats Catering”, I would just love to collaborate with other chefs across the city to learn more about the craft we all love. I’m not classically trained in any way but very much enjoy learning from other chefs and easy to teach. If you’re looking to drop some gems or inquire about our catering services please email [email protected] or my instagram @qualityeatsbyj.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qualityeatsbyj?igsh=cWdjbXhmN3lvaWZ0
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/thehangoverexperience?igsh=OWtrZjdsbGx6YzZy&utm_source=qr