We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Khadean Jackson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Khadean, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
Hi, thank you for having me. I had a career I wasn’t passionate about. In my career I was able to make over 6 figures yearly but that didn’t matter. I remember at the start of my career I told one of my co worker “I’m only working here for maybe 10 years” sure enough in 2017 I sustained a injury on the job, one year later due to the injuries I sustained I was medically terminated. There were preventive measures that could’ve stop that from happening but it seems like it was that time. I later relocated to the state of Georgia I began seeking employment got some pretty good offers but the excitement and drive wasn’t there. That’s when I began to dive into my purpose and look to do something I really enjoy doing. Because I began cooking at an early age I developed that passion for food and cooking. I was often encouraged to make my passion in a business endeavor so I used that to be my ammunition I stepped out in faith and allowed God to lead the way. Now I am doing what I love and enjoy doing. Getting my customers feedbacks always melt my heart and I can truly say, this is it, this is what I really want to do.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am Chef KD a private chef and caterer specializing in Jamaican food located in Atlanta GA. I was born on the island of Jamaica and migrated to the US at an early age. A sense of independence was instilled in me by my mother who allowed me to become comfortable in the kitchen and around the stove, through supervision. This sense of independence empowered me and I began cooking small meals, without much supervision, at the age of nine. Learning to cook at such young age, allowed me to develop a passion for food and an affinity to share what I cook with others. While cooking for family functions and invited guest, I was often encouraged to make my passion into a business endeavor.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The area that was most impactful for me is seeing others enjoying what I cook. My greatest pleasure is to see clean plates and the satiated look on people’s face once they have eaten my cooking. I enjoy what I do and customer satisfaction is paramount to me. Every meal is made with love and each recipe is unique. My ultimate goal is to have patrons coming back for more.
The advice I have for folks who are early in their journey is to not give up on your dreams, Work on perfecting your craft daily. Some days you may be up and some days you may be down, let the good out weigh the bad and continue to persevere.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
My parents are great supporters. After Covid 19 my parents relocated to Georgia so now I have my mom to help me with preparation and my dad to help with my deliveries. The most impactful thing my parents did for me is migrating to the United States from the island of Jamaica so that they can provide for me a better life with the opportunities that were available. I must tell you back then I was much younger so I didn’t adapt to the change well, I was home sick I cared nothing about leaving my country lol but as for today I am appreciative of the decision they made.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @chef_kd
- Facebook: chefkd19
