We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Latrisha Taylor a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Latrisha, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
My work ethic comes from the examples I’ve seen from my grandmother Sylvia and my parents. They have always been the example of putting pride in anything that you do.
When it relates to cooking, I’ve spent years watching my mother and grandmother spend countless hours preparing amazing food for many holidays/special occasions. No matter if they were cooking for 2 people or 80 they always did so with love and pride. They put great emphasis on the details and the quality of the dishes they created.
Their golden rule was always “If you wouldn’t eat it yourself, don’t serve it to others.” This is a rule I live by until this day and it is how I run my business.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a mother of 3 and the proud owner of Turn’d Up Cuisine LLC where we create long-lasting memories by curated elevated comfort food. I am the Marketing Coordinator, the Planner, the Office Manager, the Creative Director, and most importantly the Chef- currently I am a one woman show!
I was born and raised in Far Rockaway, New York. As a child, I always had a love for entertaining and cooking. My love for the world of food grew when I attended Hunters Lane High School in Nashville, TN and enrolled in the Culinary Arts program for my freshman and sophomore year.
In 2017, I went through a divorce and decided that I needed a side hustle to provide for myself and my children. The Star Events Catering Company was born and I started catering small social events.
As the business went through it’s changes and growing pains the name no longer reflected the vision that I had so in 2024, I rebranded and The Star Events Catering Company became Turn’d Up Cuisine.
I am so excited about this new chapter because along with catering social events such as birthday parties, and bridal/baby showers, we are now offering private dining options where we can come on location and prepare meals in the comfort of our clients home. This will allow us to provide a more intimate atmosphere and truly allow our clients to create those long lasting memories over amazing food.
My prayer is to secure an event space as well a food truck so that I can be mobile and do events on a larger scale.
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?
Work Ethic, Customer Service/Hospitality and Integrity are three skills that are most impactful in my journey.
My advice for anyone trying develop or work on these skills would be to pray, be patient, be honest , be kind and always have a plan.
When it comes to work ethic, there is a saying that goes “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” and that is very true. Always have a schedule of what is happening and when so that you don’t get overwhelmed. Be sure to show up as your authentic self and remember that YOU are your brand.
Customer Service & Hospitality go hand in hand. Treat people the way you would like to be treated but also remember that there is a balance between making things right and being taken advantage of. Use discernment at those times to make sure that you are making the best decision for you and your business- all money isn’t good money.
Integrity- This is where being honest and transparent come into play. You will be respected more for being honest than to over promise and under deliver, it could potentially be the downfall of your business so be mindful and use wisdom. The lifetime value of a client is more than just their dollar, but the dollars spent by the people they tell about your business. You are the deciding factor in what they say about you.
How would you describe your ideal client?
My ideal client is someone who has great energy and loves to bring people together with amazing food. They are willing to work with me to help them create a memorable time. They will also understand that catering services is a luxury and they are willing to trust me/pay for my expertise and skill.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/TurndUpCuisine
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/turndupcuisine/
- Facebook: Turn’d Up Cuisine
- Other: Follow us on Tik Tok: @turndupcuisine
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
