Meet Chelisa “CheChe” Boyce

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Chelisa “CheChe” Boyce a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Chelisa “CheChe”, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

My resilience would have to be credited to just my overall life experiences. Thankfully I don’t wear nor allow those experiences to define me. I more so look at it as a superpower. Through fighting, battling addictions of my own, a time period of being homelessness, bi polar depressant diagnosis, the loss of close friends and a spouse. Through each experiences at various parts of my life it’s like something spoke within me telling myself fix your crown and get back up. I know that where I have been are places I’d never like to revisit so what can I do in the now to ensure my future is redirected from my past. A dream is an attainable reality and I’m after what I know is meant for me.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I currently wear 3 hats within the culinary industry. I am a Sr Executive Chef for a cruise Lines company that allows me the opportunity to travel the US waterways. Mastering regional cuisines along the way.

Outside of that I am Owner and Chef of JusChe Foods LLC. What started as a dream between two college friends at the University of Memphis 10-11’ Justin “Bigg Baby” Freeman and myself would go on to chase those dream briefly opening a Carry out location 20-21’ prior to Justin’s untimely passing. JusChe has since transitioned into Meal Prep, Cooking Lessons, Private Chef and Catering services booking currently throughout the DMV, Memphis, Atlanta, St. Louis. If you’re looking for a one of a kind JusChe Food Experience certified to take your taste buds on a culinary journey. With my experience traveling and providing services with enough lead time bookings nationwide aren’t out of the question. Food is my love language and introductory to the world.

On the horizon I have officially Founded and Incorporated a nonprofit culinary Greek Fraternity and Sorority. Myself along with 5 other amazing individuals have come together and really orchestrated something that we feel is great and needed in our world. We look to give back to our communities, assist the youth in offering another avenue to create a better tomorrow for yourself. The mission of Omicron Epsilon Phi is to provide an all inclusive professional environment for Chefs, culinarians and foodies alike to freely express creativity, personal growth and service for our communities. Our vision is to unify and support Chefs/culinarians, of all color, sexual orientation, ethnicities and backgrounds. Utilizing our love for culinary we will provide a safe haven; free to all forms of expression. We will lift each other in our times of need, service our communities and leave no one hungry.

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?

For me I would say one quality/skill set that was most impactful adaptability. No matter the circumstance, personal or work related through those times I was able to re-wire the mind so to speak and fully gain understanding and meaning to whatever is going on that is a disturbance; it is temporary and not my forever. Courage to speak up when I truly needed help, stepping out into unfamiliar territory which opened my eyes to the true me I aspired to be. Last but not least my culinary skill set. Through it all my cooking skills never failed me. One day I knew it would take me to greater places. Everyone has to eat and someone has to do the cooking so might as well be me!

Advice I would give to those who are early at is would be no one can live your life better than you and yes it’s gone be bumps along the way but as long as you fix your crown, lift your chin back up the dream is your too to make an attainable reality. When looking to improve adaptability look to see how one could make themselves an asset to the equation. Know that courage takes honesty even in the smallest of conditions. Hone your skill sets wether it’s cooking, gaming, design etc you have to start somewhere and remember once upon a time gaming was said to take you no where now young kids are making an income large enough to support households.

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?

As I venture off into my next sector of life with Omicron Epsilon Phi we are looking for fellow culinarians, foodies and alike to join our organization as we look to give back, fellowship, mentor and create another avenue for the youth aside from making it musically or play ball. There is another outlet and we found it through food. All are welcomed for further information and details feel free to email oep.chef @gmail.com

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Chelisa “CheChe” Boyce

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