We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Israel England a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Israel with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
Growing up in a single parent household in Deep South, my mother quite often had to rely on my Grandmother for help. This quality time that I was able to spend with my elder taught me the importance of a good work ethic. My Grandmother was born in 1930 (end of Great Depression), so things were quite bleak for them growing up. Education was not always a option for them, so hard work ethic became key to being successful. I saw my grandmother work several jobs to provide income, as well as other key aspects of life such as gardening to provide sustainable food and nourishment as well as exercise. Today my Grandmother is 93 and is as active as ever. I have Lear’s so much from her and others from this generation that I am prod to say this has given me the work ethic that I have today.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
My name is Israel “Esra” England and I am one of the co-owners of KC Cajun restaurant and food truck. We launched back in 2017 and have expanded our operations to include food service operations (restaurant, catering) seasoning and hot sauce wholesale distribution, and consulting services.
We offer “Authentic Louisiana Bayou Food” here in the Heartland of America. Our food pairs with the long tradition and history of many leaving the South for better opportunities. Many Jazz legends in the 40s migrated form the Deep South to Kansas City thriving Jazz scene (18th and Vine) and Negro Leagues museum. We pride ourselves on offering a little piece of the French Quarters right here in Kansas City!!
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?
I would have to say you mush be proficient in management or people skills to keep your crew happy and eager. You mush have good time management in order to remain highly efficient and ahead of the competition. Lastly you must be resilient as you have to be able to handle many different items and you absolutely cannot let one single item stop the operation, you’re constantly having to overcome obstacles.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
Think and Grow Rich is one book that completely changed my life. The overall lesson that I took for this book is you have to believe in yourself before anyone else will. If you don’t believe you can accomplish something, it will be hard or impossible to convince someone else. A thought is the beginning or the process, it is up to you to develop the thought into a strategy that will reap you rewards and happiness. Freedom to make the decisions in your life that you want is the true happiness for who truly understand happiness?
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kansascitycajun.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kansascitycajun
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KCCajun/events
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/israel-england-272884aa
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/kansascitycajun
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLjqul0eZhXCViOxYXUOSMA
Image Credits
Haze Media Group https://www.google.com/search?q=haze+media+group&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS1048US1049&oq=haze+media&aqs=chrome.0.0i512j69i65j69i57j46i175i199i512j0i512j0i22i30l4j0i390i650.2887j0j7&hl=en-US&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8&dlnr=1&sei=Cz_zZNCSJKGQ0PEP4-OdWA
