We were lucky to catch up with Dwanna Roberts recently and have shared our conversation below.
Dwanna, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I would love to feel as though I found my purpose but, honestly my purpose found me. Doing for others has always given me the feeling of fulfillment. Quickly, I learned that food brought people happiness and I wanted to be a part of that. My desire to cook came soon after, and having a loving family willing to teach me was a blessing. After much practice and becoming confident in sharing my new found love for cooking, I was ready to share it with others or so I thought. Cooking became a comfort for me. It calmed my anxiety and I developed the confidence to share it with others. Now, this was my chance to be a part of that happiness that I knew food could bring to people. I began to do just that. I challenged myself often to create new innovative ways to present food that was not only beautiful but delicious. I was enjoying the gift but the passion was fading. Sharing it with others had become overwhelming and the expectations from others was changing how joyful it made me feel. In a moment of selfishness I had forgotten why I had worked so hard to develop the skill. I had to change my mindset and understand that change came with growth and all the emotions that I was feeling was just that, growth. Doing for others took on a whole new meaning and now I had to marry the two. The gift of cooking and the passion to do for others equaled my purpose! I had never considered that my gift would feed my purpose. After years of self reflection and exploring my passion for food I learned that during the moments of sharing my gift, I was also sharing my personal journey and helping others. See, in joyful moments we are open to receiving. Conversations about life, overcoming obstacles, conquering the feeling of anxiety, learning to be confident in who you are and believing in yourself would become topics of conversation between myself and others during all encounter where food was involved. While I had struggled to share my gift of cooking and creativity with the world due to their expectations of it, these moments would resemble light bulbs coming on one by one until the room was bright. Boom! My purpose had found me. I became intentional in how provided an experience through food. I now feed not only your body, my purpose is to feed your soul with encouragement, confidence, motivation and love.
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?
My name is Dwanna Roberts a self-taught Chef, The owner of The Prep’D Chef who specializes in catering buffet style events, fruit displays, charcuterie displays, private chef services and meal prep. I have expanded meal prep services by partnering with local gyms to offer healthy meals to support anyone on there journey to a healthy lifestyle. I am venturing into teaching the art of setting up displays and I am most excited about the new traveling opportunities I am experiencing as a private chef to include a three to five course service. My new website will be launching soon!
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?
Looking back, I would have to say that the passion, commitment to quality and creativity have been the most impactful qualities in my journey to success. Once you identify the qualities that feed your drive and ambition, focus on them and don’t allow any opportunities to come along and diminish those qualities. It has taken a lot more qualities, skills and knowledge to get me to this part of my journey but as long I hold on to my standards for the experience I provide, I feel that I will continue to improve. Never be afraid to challenge yourself.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
My children have been the most helpful in helping me to to overcome challenges. I have been blessed with two children, a son named Zacheriah age 16 whom has Autism and a daughter named Samiyah age 14. They have shown me that no matter what life presents, you must push forward. My son lives in a world that expects him to function in a way that is not normal for him. He has shown me that giving up is not an option and he continues to thrive daily. My daughter supports her brother and I with encouragement and love. She has overcome anxieties and fears to become the young lady she is today. As there mother and advocate I couldn’t be more proud and at the age of 42 I am learning from there resilience and ability to see life with such positivity. Because of them when I am faced with challenges, I approach them with prayer, patience, kindness and peace.
Contact Info:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePrepDChef
- Other: Email: theprepdchef2022@gmail.com
Image Credits
Dyal Studios Dwanna Roberts
