Story & Lesson Highlights with Braylin Hardin of New Albany

Braylin Hardin shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Good morning Braylin, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned about your customers?
One of the most surprising things I’ve learned about my customers is how deeply food can connect them to memories and emotions. I’ve had people try one of my dishes — like my smoked sweet potato cheesecake — and tells me it reminded them of their grandmother’s Sunday dinners or a family trip down South. It showed me that what I’m serving isn’t just food, it’s nostalgia, it’s healing, it’s connection. That taught me to put even more heart into everything I make — because you never know what memory it might unlock.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi, I’m Braylin Hardin — the heart and hands behind FoodByChefB LLC and On The Fly travel agency, brands where soulful food meets unforgettable travel experiences.

I’m a chef and travel curator with a passion for turning flavor into memory. Whether I’m serving up smoked wings, creamy mac & cheese, or custom cheesecakes, every bite tells a story rooted in tradition, family, and culture.

What makes FoodByChefB special is the blend — it’s not just about meals, it’s about moments. I’ve fed hundreds, traveled cities, and honored the legacy of my mother and grandmother through every plate and plan.

Right now, I’m working on expanding the brand — more pop-up events, curated food journeys, and storytelling that inspires people to taste the world with soul.

Follow the journey. Come hungry.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Before God told me who I had to be, I was a curious, passionate kid in the kitchen, watching my mom and grandmother turn simple ingredients into love.

I was a dreamer yet a statistic in many eyes. For years, I was trying to find myself. Not chasing perfection, but purpose. I didn’t worry about titles or timelines. I just wanted to make people feel something — whether it was through a plate of food or a shared story. I was bold, creative, and full of heart before the world tried to box me in.

Now? I’m finding my way back to that kid — cooking with intention, traveling with meaning, and building a brand that feels like me.

When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
I stopped hiding my pain and started using it as power the moment I realized my story could help someone else heal.

For a long time, I wore a smile and kept moving — even when I was carrying grief, pressure, and the weight of trying to be everything for everyone. But it was through loss, especially the loss of my grandmother, that I found a deeper purpose.

Instead of running from the pain, I started cooking through it. Traveling through it. Building through it. FoodByChefB was born from that — turning struggle into service, turning grief into grit.

Now, every dish I serve, every experience I create, carries a piece of that power. It’s not about being perfect — it’s about being real, and letting that truth connect me to others.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Is the public version of you the real you?
The public version of me is real — but it’s just one layer of the full story.

What people see — the food, the brand, the confidence — that’s me. But there’s more behind the scenes: the long nights, the quiet prayers, the moments of doubt, and the deep love that fuels everything I do.

I’ve learned to show up as my true self more and more — because hiding behind an image doesn’t serve anybody. The realest thing I can be is honest. And if my journey, with all its ups and downs, inspires even one person to keep going, then that’s the version I’ll always share.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
When I’m gone, I want people to say that I didn’t just live — I poured.

That I showed up with everything I had, even when I had nothing left. That I turned the weight of my pain into something people could hold onto — a meal, a moment, a memory. That I didn’t wait to be perfect to be powerful.

I hope they say I was a bridge — between generations, between cultures, between struggle and strength. That through FoodByChefB, I gave people more than food; I gave them pieces of my soul, pieces of my grandmother’s wisdom, my mother’s strength, and my own healing.

I hope they remember how I made them feel — seen, full, loved. That I built something rooted in legacy, not ego. That I used my hands to cook, but my heart to lead.

And above all, I hope they say:
“He never hid. He never folded. He turned the fire into fuel — and he fed the world with it.”

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