Rhonda Coleman Wandel Podcast
Rhonda Coleman Wandel Podcast
Chef Tiffany Williams: Serving Up Success and Changing the Game in Celebrity Catering
Today’s episode is sizzling with inspiration! We’re thrilled to have Chef Tiffany Williams (Chef Mama), whose journey from teenage motherhood to becoming a powerhouse chef and entrepreneur is as remarkable as her guest list. Tiffany has catered for some of the biggest names out there—Beyoncé, Justin Bieber, and even President Barack Obama! She shares the ups and downs of her path, from breaking into the culinary industry as a woman of color to her backstage catering at high-profile events. Plus, she’s making waves beyond the kitchen, advocating for fair pay, representation, and uplifting Black and brown chefs through her nonprofit and her business, Exquisite Catering. Get ready for a conversation that’s as bold as the flavors Tiffany brings to the table!
Hi Tiffany, welcome to the podcast.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (00:54.412)
Hi Rhonda, thank you for having me.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (00:56.955)
Yes, thank you so much for being on today. I'm so excited to talk to you. I very excited when I met you. I met you at a World Business Chicago event. And one of the persons who was leading the event told me, you need to meet Chef Tiffany Williams. And I was like, OK. And I was over looking at some brownies, and you.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (01:08.62)
Yes.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (01:22.858)
We're staying there. I didn't know who you were, but I loved your energy and you were sweet and I enjoy talking to you. And I think I might've said, I was told that I needed to meet Chef Tiffany Williams. And you're like, that's me. I was like, perfect. And your brand names were amazing. anyway, so I'm excited to kind of get into your journey, your career trajectory. You are an amazing chef, entrepreneur,
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (01:24.952)
You
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (01:36.227)
Hahaha
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (01:50.909)
trailblazer in your industry for people of color, for women of color. We're to get into all of that. But first, tell me where you grew up, where you're from.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (02:03.404)
Yes, so I am from the South side of Chicago, born and raised in Woodlawn. I still have my business office in Woodlawn, so I've never left Woodlawn, but currently live in South Shore. So still on the South side of Chicago.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (02:18.655)
Okay, right up the street from me, because I live in Brownsville. Okay, cool. So I know, obviously we've spoken before, because I like to have a meaningful conversation with my guests. You had your first baby at 17. And tell me what that experience was like.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (02:20.374)
Yes.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (02:38.135)
Yes.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (02:42.008)
Yeah, so having a kid at 17 is not fun. While I was always a mother-like figure to my youngest siblings and often loved being around kids, being a mom at 17 was not ideal.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (02:54.066)
Okay.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (03:05.341)
Yes, I feel like it would be kind of scary, overwhelming, but you had a supportive family who helped you through that. tell me about that, because I know that your mom had you when she was a teenager, your grandma had your mom when she was a teenager, because you mentioned to me there's a pattern there. So tell me about that.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (03:12.62)
Yes.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (03:31.35)
Yeah, so I definitely felt a part of that cycle that it was just a generational thing in my family.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (03:41.482)
I'm just grateful for them because they were super supportive at the time for me. My mother was pregnant with my youngest brother. And I think that's the only thing that kind of saved her from killing me at that time. But we shared a lot of moments together, going through motherhood and pregnancy together, which helped me at a young age, you know, kind of understand my body, what's going on.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (03:54.623)
Yes.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (04:10.632)
stepping into motherhood. So I think my mother being pregnant at the same time to me is the only thing that kind of saved me through that.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (04:19.283)
Yes, I know you compared it to that movie with Steve Martin, apparently.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (04:23.708)
yes, Parenthood. It played so much that year. We watched it every time.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (04:31.335)
Yes, and your dad was super supportive. Your stepfather was very supportive of both of you at the time. So a lot of love in that situation, which I love that. I love that. You know, was something that was could can be very overwhelming and difficult for anyone being a first time mom, certainly for a teenager who didn't anticipate that having that experience that soon. But your
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (04:34.326)
He was, yes.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (04:59.465)
family rallied around and supported you and you got support at school too, which was, and you talked about that. So can you tell me about that program at school?
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (05:04.056)
Yes.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (05:07.67)
Yeah, so our high school, I went to Lindblom and we at the time had a cradled in classroom and it was to support teen mothers. That was just an anchor, a support that I wouldn't have never imagined that was available. I saw the class a lot. I didn't understand what was going on. I knew there were young teenagers that were pregnant going in there, but
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (05:36.777)
Mm-hmm.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (05:37.452)
the encouragement to keep going, the encouragement to not stop, the support with understanding how to raise a child, like I said, transitioning your body, you know? All of those things, they offer support for everything.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (05:50.515)
Right. Yeah.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (05:54.973)
Yes, yes. No, I think that's wonderful. So fast forward 20 years old, you got married. You and your child's father got married. So you're like, OK, I love this baby. I want a good future for it. I want a family. Let's make this happen. Let's do it. So can you tell me about that experience in general?
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (06:05.218)
Yes.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (06:20.428)
Yeah. So I was actually on, kid number two, me. So I was actually on kit number two, where, my ex-husband now, he said, you know, he wants to get married. we were really under a lot of pressure to get married as well. with our church, with our family, friends, you know, they just said it's the right thing to do. And so.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (06:48.071)
Yeah, I can relate to that. definitely want to get into that, like being under pressure to get married, like from the culture. So I'm from the South and from Memphis and I was dating my husband, started dating my last year of high school, not high school, but senior year of college. And I was pretty worldly, pretty progressive. So I'm like, well, we can just live together. no.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (07:14.808)
What's that?
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (07:16.351)
So we got an apartment together. My mom and daddy came over there. They're like, no, we're not doing this. You know, if you're all going to be shacking up as they call it, you need to be. Yeah, you've got to be married. And so that definitely put pressure on us to get married when we should not have. Yeah.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (07:26.712)
We cannot move in together.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (07:38.07)
Right, Likewise, we loved each other. We had been high school sweethearts. We talked about life together, but yeah, at the moment we just weren't ready.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (07:51.335)
Exactly, Yes, but you did it anyway. Came out on the other side of it with three beautiful children, some life lessons and experience to move you into the next phase of life. So the lesson in that is that we can, you you get married early and maybe it wasn't the best thing to do, but it's okay. It's okay. can remember and life is not.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (07:55.968)
Yes, we did.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (08:02.146)
Yes.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (08:18.23)
Yes, I agree.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (08:21.234)
over you move into something new.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (08:21.644)
You can definitely start over and life can be fine. Life can be better and you can find love again.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (08:26.045)
Exactly. Yes, yep, because I know I did. My husband's great to my second husband.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (08:31.68)
Yes, we're celebrating one year next month. We were just planning our anniversary outing.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (08:36.095)
Congratulations. Congratulations. All right. So you are a chef. So we want to talk about that because you've had an amazing career. I'm very excited about it. And it started when you were 14. You didn't even know it. So.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (08:39.778)
Thank you.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (08:52.704)
Yeah, I didn't know I was planning a career at 14. Planting a career.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (08:56.479)
Yes, which is great, which is great. So at 14, you participated in the city's Gallery 37 program. So tell us about
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (09:07.724)
Yes, so Gallery 37 is an arts program, or was an arts program that specialized in teaching teenagers different arts from design, jewelry making to sculpting, dancing, singing, up to culinary. And I participated in quite a few of the programs from 14 to 18, becoming a senior apprentice artist.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (09:25.769)
Mm-hmm.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (09:33.784)
and it was an exciting place for my family as well. All of us were really excited to turn 14 and get our first jobs at Gallery 37. Having our first check, our mother still has pictures of our first checks.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (09:45.277)
my god. can totally relate to that. My daughter, so my children, all three of them participated in Gallery 37, but it's now called After School Matters. And we have a picture of the youngest one getting her first check, and she participated in the culinary classes too, because she loves to coach her friends. Look at it. And that just means so much. It's like, my first check. So you get paid to learn, which is awesome.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (09:53.463)
Yes.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (10:01.161)
that's so awesome.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (10:08.694)
You get paid to learn. That's how I always looked at it. So I never missed the opportunity to sign up for gallery. They even had it at my school. They offered it at my school. So I was able to take some classes during the fall and the spring to learn different arts, which was really cool.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (10:27.711)
So what inspired you to pursue being a chef as a profession?
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (10:34.424)
Yeah, so it goes back together at 37. I had this incredible chef, Chef Wagner, which I always publicly thank him if I mention him. I was pregnant at the time and he said, what are you doing after high school? I wanted to originally be a meteorologist and I knew that I couldn't go away to Florida for school at the time. I changed those plans all the way.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (10:57.404)
Uh-huh.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (11:00.754)
And Chef Wagner said, you should come check out culinary school. You're really good at this. I just see a lot in you in this industry. And so I did, I checked out culinary school and I didn't realize that that would be the career path for me.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (11:19.071)
So you went to Illinois Institute of Art in Chicago, and what was your experience like there, and then what was your first job after graduation?
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (11:22.636)
Yes.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (11:31.224)
Yeah, so the one is to art. I learned the basis of culinary, a lot of the foundation, you know, of what culinary arts are. I had some really amazing chef instructors with a lot of passion for the industry, a lot of work experience from various parts of the industry that gave me a good foundation for moving forward. as an, and
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (11:53.609)
Mm-hmm.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (11:57.278)
Mm-hmm.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (12:01.892)
One thing that really stuck out was a lot of people came from culinary backgrounds who were in school with me. Their parents had a restaurant. Their family had a long list of time in the industry. I had none of that. I had to learn everything from scratch. And it was often intimidating being in those rooms. One highlight was
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (12:26.397)
Yeah.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (12:32.7)
as a woman chef in those spaces, in the kitchen, in culinary school, the men often prefer to prepare the meat dish and they'll say, you could do the desserts or you could do the parmangé, you could do the salads, the coats. So I didn't get an opportunity to learn how to butcher meats in culinary school, which always put me in place of anxiety and being intimidated when asked or being around that space.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (12:38.089)
Mm-hmm.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (12:47.167)
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (12:53.587)
Yeah.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (13:00.083)
Yeah, interesting. Yes, I think that's so interesting. I mean, in all professions, like there are man's jobs and women's jobs and we put women in the supportive, you know, role. Like I'm a lawyer and, you know, I may have the same skill set as the managing director lawyer, same amount of years practicing law, but somehow they want to make me the staff lawyer.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (13:00.856)
It was a man's job.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (13:09.014)
Yes.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (13:29.951)
and have to kind of watch for that and push against that structure. Yes. So first job after graduation.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (13:34.252)
Yes.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (13:39.064)
First job after graduation, I had an internship that I said I could not take a free internship. I fought against that so hard. And I was placed at, it was called AB and Amarillo at the time. But I worked for Compass, which had a division of Europe, Everest and Flick for a bank building that served about 3,000 people a day.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (13:48.553)
Uh-huh.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (14:02.303)
Mm-hmm.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (14:08.418)
for lunch, breakfast was about 3000 day. We did breakfast, but never hit those numbers. And so I learned how to cook for mass quantities very quickly. Coming out of culinary school and cutting up cases and cases and cases of product, but a lot of fresh product, a lot from scratch. And I think that job prepared me for some of the spaces I'm in now.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (14:08.703)
That's all I need to know.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (14:21.759)
What do you do?
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (14:33.791)
How do you do that? So, I mean, I have a family when everybody's here of five. And when I invite people over and I have to multiply that like a Thanksgiving for 15 or 20, you know, I'm just kind of guessing, eyeballing it, you know. You obviously can't do that. yeah, so tell me how do you do that? How do you cook for 3,000 people a day, like every day? How do you do that?
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (14:53.59)
Now, that was a lot of math.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (15:02.484)
Yeah, my goodness. It's crazy world. It's just crazy world. Math is important. I tell all my students that I teach culinary too now. You have to quantify, have to learn how to convert. know, how are teaspoons and tablespoons turning into cups now? So you have to learn how to convert. So we do a lot of math in culinary.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (15:19.955)
Okay.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (15:25.928)
Okay.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (15:30.924)
to help us to understand how to quantify recipes. And we can do the same recipes you do at home, you know, for four and increase that up to 400.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (15:34.355)
Okay.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (15:41.887)
Okay, all right. So what are the, what does a morning look like in a kitchen when you're prepping and cooking for 3000 people that day?
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (15:42.828)
Yes.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (15:54.378)
yeah, so if you're cooking for 3000, you have teams focused on separate parts of the meal. So say you're protein, you may have two protein options that you serve in two or three. You may have one person prepping one complete protein for the entire day. And typically we would prep the day before for those type of numbers, marinating.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (16:09.139)
Mm-hmm.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (16:15.165)
Okay.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (16:21.619)
Okay.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (16:24.437)
fabricating meats, chopping vegetables, said, mise en place basically. I was just telling my children, use mise en place, you just get your shit together.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (16:31.88)
of them.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (16:35.807)
Okay, okay. my goodness. I know you said you kind of learned the foundation principles of cooking at Illinois Institute of Art. And I just think how my daughter is so good at chopping and she's very meticulous and it's clearly a style, right? Or a form to chopping vegetables. And when I chop, like she just, she looks at me like, well, what are you doing? Like, look.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (16:58.135)
Yes.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (17:05.399)
you
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (17:05.784)
I do not take a class for this. I'm just a mom cook.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (17:11.894)
You can take a dish from a at-home dinner to a five-star dinner just by cutting the vegetables differently.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (17:19.647)
See, look at that. That's incredible. Okay, so you are, how long were you at A &B Ambro in this position where you prepped for 3,000 people or serve 3,000 people a day?
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (17:30.039)
Yeah!
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (17:33.464)
Yeah. So I was definitely on the lowest end of the token pole as an intern, but I was offered a job there full time. I think I stayed there for about two years. I would say if my young mind was more mature, that I would have stayed at that place for a very long time because I had great benefits. And I just didn't understand that at the time.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (17:38.75)
Okay.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (17:58.13)
Okay.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (18:02.678)
I was more so, the dollars doesn't add up to what the work is, and I can go get a dollar more if I go to this next place. But my benefits was amazing.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (18:13.183)
Right. And you bring up a good point. Like when you're kind of evaluating your offer or your salary in a role, don't forget the benefits, like the health insurance, whatever other perks that they offer you. That's all a part of your compensation package, like vacation time, sick time. All of that goes into it. So you definitely bring up a good point.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (18:21.143)
Yes.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (18:25.036)
Yes.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (18:38.811)
Yes, when we're young, unless we have somebody telling us this, we don't know. We're just looking at our hourly wage or base salary. Yeah.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (18:43.554)
We just don't know.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (18:48.246)
Right. Yeah. And as a 20 year old, 19 to 20 year old, with some pretty good benefits and a good job offer and a space to grow. mean, it's just a huge company. I would have stayed if I understood all of that at the time.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (19:02.867)
Yep. But you move somewhere else, you got paid more and you still got a good experience. So where'd you go next? Yeah. So we make, you know, I talk to my husband about this sometimes, like when I'm kind of evaluating the choices that I've made in my career. And if I say, maybe I shouldn't have done that or shouldn't have, he goes, you made the best decision you could with the information that you had at the time. So you can't beat yourself up over that. You just keep moving forward.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (19:05.922)
Yes. I still got a great experience.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (19:26.474)
Exactly.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (19:31.02)
Yes.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (19:31.025)
So yes, so your next stop.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (19:33.856)
Next stop, I left me and Ambrose and went to work at Marshall's Fields I have to them their real name at the top.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (19:40.073)
Okay.
Moses for all people who don't know that.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (19:45.464)
that's they transitioned to Macy's while I was working there. When I was at the flagship store, State Street, I worked for a Fringo Cafe, you know, where we serve the great Fringo mints and the Fringo shakes. And then I wanted to take my work a little more seriously. I found out that my supervisor was only a year older than me. And I was doing a lot of the work. And that's it. Okay, wait a minute.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (20:01.128)
Okay.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (20:10.601)
Okay.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (20:15.544)
I didn't need a higher position in this. I could do her job. I could do this job and more. And so I reached out to some of the supervisors and managers to seek a higher position and they transferred me to the world famous Walnut Home.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (20:22.26)
Yeah.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (20:33.087)
Okay, awesome.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (20:35.48)
Yeah, so in the walnut room, I became a kitchen supervisor. Yes.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (20:40.073)
supervisor, see? Maybe you would not, that would not have happened at Ambrow, right?
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (20:46.57)
It would not. I would not have been inspired to move up as fast as I was at that time.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (20:52.349)
Yeah, yeah, which is awesome. So as a kitchen supervisor, you acquired some more skill sets, like some material skill sets in this.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (20:59.254)
Yes. Yes. inventory was part of my job. making sure schedules were together ordering, which, that gave me a great opportunity to start ordering for large purveyors, having a conversation with large purveyors, and made it comfortable for me to move, you moving forward, with other companies to understand that part of the industry. Macy's, had a great culinary council as well.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (21:19.711)
Mm-hmm.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (21:25.385)
I love it.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (21:29.706)
So I was around chefs like Rick Bayliss and Marcus Samuelson and Takashi Yagahashi and Gail Gann. We all had participation in the Macy's culinary council.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (21:46.687)
Okay, that's incredible. Yes, yes, that's incredible. I love, I love all of this. I love all of this. Like everybody, Tiffany, she's a boss in case you haven't figured that out yet. But you are building a skillset. The cooking half of it, you you've got that. Now you're getting the business side of it. Love it, love it. Just preparing for big things. What was next after the walnut room?
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (21:46.774)
So I was bleeding off of that.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (21:57.208)
Yes.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (22:09.228)
Yes.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (22:15.276)
Yeah. So I did leave Macy's after five years of working there. And, I started working for myself, a little side gig. was pregnant with my third child at that point. And, you know, I wanted to stay home with the baby. So was still married to my ex-husband. And I'd say, you know, just want to stay home with the baby and kind of work on this side business. I was making cakes for people, especially cakes for people, doing some catering on the side.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (22:20.329)
Okay.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (22:45.032)
And it just takes a year to just kind of breathe. The kitchen is always so fast-paced. It just seems like you don't get the time to breathe. And so having two young kids and now number three coming, yeah, stay home a little while. I was a stay-at-home mom for a while.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (22:45.087)
Mm-hmm.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (22:52.296)
Mm-hmm.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (23:02.685)
Okay. All right. Okay. So that's why you recognize, you know, the potential for stress and burnout, which is definitely something we want to talk about how that's come up in your career. And you stepped back, you know, to choose to stay home with your children. So you chose to be a mom. And, but let's talk about stress and burnout in your career.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (23:15.746)
Yes.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (23:32.62)
Yeah, again, this industry is so fast paced. If you paid attention during the pandemic, a lot of people left the hospitality and culinary industry because they said there has to be a better life to this and they saw it. It is a very demanding industry, of course, on your body. You're on your feet. you're on your feet.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (23:45.053)
Mm-hmm.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (23:49.779)
Bye.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (23:55.68)
Standing up.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (23:59.992)
And then in the backstage world, we're working about 16 hours a day. Average in a restaurant or in catering, we're about 10 to 12 hours a day.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (24:13.823)
That's intense.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (24:14.268)
Early? Yeah, very. Backstage being extremely.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (24:17.651)
Yes.
Yes. So let's get into that. there was, there definitely was some stress and burnout that came at a head for you, like while working in the backstage culinary space. Talk about, and we don't have to get into the stress yet, we will, but let's talk about how you got into that space. So, you know, I can hear that you're an entrepreneur, you're kind of doing some gigs on the side.
And we're probably skipping ahead. So we'll come back to how you formed your own catering business. But let's talk about your experience working in the backstage space.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (24:52.992)
Hahaha
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (25:03.968)
Yeah, so after taking that time off and working small, out-of-end jobs, I lost my passion. I was cooking every day, but I wasn't cooking at a level that I knew I could cook on. And I wasn't applying the skill set that I knew I had in my food. So I took a quick job. I took a job with Julie Vince Catering and quickly moved up in the company from
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (25:17.727)
Mm-hmm.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (25:33.462)
was my position at the time, maybe a prep cook. Yes. Prep cook, line cook, moved up to a supervisor, then a chef manager at one of the offsite accounts and a general manager at another offsite account. So I was managing a $1.3 million account. At that time, I wanted to go back to school for MBA.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (25:37.502)
Okay.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (25:52.873)
and
Mm-hmm.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (26:00.682)
And I decided to take job to learn everything I need to learn there. And it really worked.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (26:01.215)
with this.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (26:05.861)
Okay. That's nice to get paid to learn versus having to go with the world. Yes.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (26:09.784)
yeah, it was the main thing. I learned a lot of my front of the house and general management skills at Jewel events, catering. We worked for some of the largest events in Chicago, any presidential events that came through. We were catering for that. I never forget seeing Barack Obama's fundraiser on the computer and saying, Ooh, can I work it? Like, and I'm not supposed to ask, can I specifically work? And they were like, yeah, yeah, we want you to work.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (26:35.526)
Yeah.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (26:39.484)
Yes, love it. Love it. And totally, it's food is really good. It's amazing. Yes, I really enjoyed it. And that brownie was everything. I didn't want wine because I counting carbs. And that was going to just throw me all the way over the building. But it was good. I ate it.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (26:40.106)
So very cool.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (26:47.032)
Thank you.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (26:54.424)
Thank you. I know when you didn't want one, so here we go.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (27:07.435)
Yeah, so being in that network, again, and learning to cook for larger quantities in my early career, I was cooking for larger quantities at this location. We did things like the NATO conference where I was one of the head chefs in the background for that. So I had some really cool events that I did with Julie Vince catering. And it put me in this comfortability of being around, I guess, celebrities and
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (27:32.115)
Uh-huh.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (27:33.398)
You know, larger scale events. Yeah. Yeah. The eight plus eight plus celebrities, the presidents. yeah. So, leaving Julie Events, I was still in a network with quite a few people. one gentleman kept calling me and say, Hey, what you're doing? What are you doing? What are you doing?
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (27:37.033)
Tiffany the celebrity chef. Exactly. Good gracious.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (27:56.664)
I got this job and he kept calling me and I kept turning it down saying I didn't want to work for anyone at the time I had started my catering business. I was going full force in it. And he said, well, we have the NFL draft. Would you like to work it? And I said, well, okay, that was sounds fun. I'll do it. So it felt good to be selective at that time too.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (28:13.779)
Mm-hmm. It was. We have all the two. I love that.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (28:19.308)
Yes, so I worked in a failed draft for Goddess Rocks catering, which is a backstage catering here in Chicago, but they travel across the world. Never Sharp approached me during that and said, hey, do you have three more people that work like you? I said, yeah, actually do. And brought three more people in. It was really good pay. So of course they were down for it. And
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (28:37.161)
Thank
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (28:45.04)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (28:47.488)
Next day she said, we're going to do Beyonce in two weeks. Would you like to go? I'm just like, in my head, I'm like, what? But I, you know, so I tell her immediately like, well, I don't have anything on my schedule. Nothing at all. I think I can do it. Then cleared a schedule.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (28:55.444)
Mm-hmm.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (28:59.824)
Yes, I know, I know.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (29:09.693)
yes.
Exactly.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (29:14.434)
So my first backstage catering experience was catering local for Beyonce in Minnesota. And then two shows here in Chicago. And wow, we were cooking for about 450 people. I'm a big lover of dance and some of the dancers who were on So You Can Think You Can Dance, it was a show I used to watch.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (29:22.451)
Okay.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (29:26.472)
Okay, awesome.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (29:35.967)
Thank
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (29:40.652)
were on the show, so I got to interact with them. That was pretty cool. That was like a perk. You know, the seniors, everybody involved, everybody was just so kind.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (29:45.705)
Very cool, very cool.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (29:52.775)
Yes, no, I love that. I love the story that you told me about having to make like so many different types of cuisines, gluten-free, vegan, like how that was a challenge. Can you tell us about that and how you overcame it? Yeah, that's a good question. Yes.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (30:03.117)
Yes.
Yeah. Yeah. So, we definitely take in all dietary needs, any allergens. we definitely incorporate everything into our menus. and it's something I do in my cater company as well. so we always have to have friendly food for everybody. We want everybody to come into this space and find something that they can eat and not be discouraged. They're working long days just like us. So the,
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (30:34.461)
Right.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (30:35.594)
Often when they come to catering, and I've heard this just from being in backstage catering for longest, that that's the best place to be. They look forward to that space. I mean, we have everything from using machines to candy, to snacks, the fresh breads and all the foods you can eat, desserts. I mean, they hate that they haven't lived in time with us.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (30:43.251)
Mm-hmm.
Yes.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (30:59.672)
Yes, yes. Okay. And so I remember you said that you were making everything from scratch, like all the desserts. It was a lot to keep up with. And you were like, here's you a tip. What was that tip?
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (31:07.542)
Yes.
Yes, yes.
Yeah, so this would have been now my second time with Beyonce and this was actually on tour. I got invited to be in a network to go on tour for a few weeks to fill in for the pastry chef. And, you know, I'm like, yeah, I'll do pastries. I can do it. By day two, I wanted to quit. I mean, I'm used to cooking everything from scratch anyway, but cooking desserts.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (31:31.123)
Mm-hmm.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (31:35.795)
Mm-hmm.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (31:43.736)
baking. I'm not a pastry chef by trade. So it did become a challenge, you know, especially cooking with the gluten free items. I mean, there's a lot more nowadays, and it's a lot easier to cook with. But these were just like, it was just starting to come out with alternatives to baking. So if your recipe didn't come out right, and baking, you start all the way over. You can't just make it into something else. You can't just add more and fix it.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (31:48.031)
huh.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (32:02.643)
Mm-hmm.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (32:09.277)
Yeah. Yeah.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (32:12.342)
You start over and I only ask my mom is like, you know, where things just didn't work out. But one of the chefs, I let him know how I felt about it and how discouraged I was by it. And said, you know what? You need to stay because you're baking everything from scratch. Whereas the other page was ordering cakes and decorating them. So please.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (32:38.953)
Mm-hmm.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (32:41.496)
You're putting in a lot more effort. And it just drove me. I'm like, wait, we could order, order cakes. So when I learned the tricks of the curate, which they had not told me, I said, we can do this.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (32:43.475)
Yeah.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (32:48.457)
Exactly, exactly. So you learn something new.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (32:54.067)
Uh-huh.
Yes, definitely. That's great. Outsourcing.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (33:00.918)
And I ended up staying with that company as a pastry chef for so many more tours. And they realized, I know how to cook. When I started to cook the hot food, they took me immediately off of baking. said, no, you're here now.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (33:10.495)
Uh-huh. Uh-huh.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (33:18.495)
So what were some of the, so before I ask this question, I know this is a question everybody wants to know. Did you meet Beyonce and did you cook for her? And then what was that like?
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (33:24.695)
Yes.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (33:28.696)
I have not met Beyonce three tours later. I have met Jay-Z. I have met Miss Tina. I have met the kids. I've always have a mindset of, will meet you when she wants to meet you.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (33:34.911)
Okay.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (33:41.317)
Awesome.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (33:46.821)
Yeah, yeah, well, no, but that's so cool. were...
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (33:49.9)
Well, I'm just never in proximity. I've seen her in the hallways, but not face to So just not in proximity. We're in a whole different world than she is in the kitchen.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (33:53.535)
Yes.
you
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (34:01.363)
Yeah, that's just, that's still super cool. Super cool. Okay.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (34:04.14)
Yes. I went to every show though. I met Beyonce on the stage.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (34:10.424)
What? I went to one of the shows in Chicago and it was phenomenal. I loved it.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (34:16.256)
yeah. Chicago was the best. at the touring around the world with them, Chicago's energy was just like none other. And I got to, you know, I got to go with my sisters. So I got to dress up. I had my Renaissance outfit. I was there. My tour mates are like, wait, who are you? You're not working? I said, no, no, no, this is my city. We're here to party.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (34:23.07)
Mm-hmm.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (34:27.785)
Okay.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (34:32.354)
yeah. Yes.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (34:40.591)
That was fun.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (34:45.496)
you
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (34:47.423)
So now I want to get into what are some of the issues that you discovered or encountered in this backstage space from the contracting protections or lack thereof to not getting paid on time to overworking. know, there are a lot of wonderful things that you got out of the experience, but there was some challenges that.
needed to be addressed, which is what you addressed.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (35:16.397)
Yeah.
Yes. wow. I didn't even know if I was going to go on the Renaissance World Tour. I received the offer. I, my pay rate, I negotiate every time with this company for every tour, every event I go out of town for, we negotiate the pay rate every single time. So the rate that he offered.
was lower than my previous rate. And we just didn't have an agreement.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (35:52.883)
Okay.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (36:00.908)
He basically said, well, I can replace you. can just take you off this tour. So even before going on a tour, I remember I got sick for an entire week because I didn't know if I was going, I had already planned to shut my business down. I had already made arrangements with my family and my kids. This would have been my second full tour meeting. I'm gone for six months at a time. So there's a lot of arrangements that have to happen for the owner to say.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (36:05.44)
huh.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (36:25.887)
I'm here.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (36:28.64)
I don't know if I'm going to take you now because we couldn't come to an agreement with the pay rate. And that was after I had agreed to his lower rate. So I didn't know if I was going. We don't have contracts, which is the hardest thing.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (36:38.655)
I'm sorry.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (36:50.228)
So I had nothing to stick to other than our emails. You know, I get everything in writing.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (36:54.799)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (36:59.158)
Yeah, that was complicated. The tour, however, because I was already listed, I went ahead and sent me my fly information and all my booking information. And the unprofessional side of this from the contract, the catering company, Facebooks me and says, I guess we'll see you there.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (37:01.075)
Okay.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (37:19.229)
Mm-hmm.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (37:20.834)
It's just unbelievable.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (37:24.039)
Yep. So I'm going to pause for a second so I can explain the structure of this backstage industry to everybody and you can help me please. So because we're talking about no contracts. So basically there are a handful of huge companies who dominate this space and they will contract directly with a Renaissance tour or, you know, Justin Bieber or NFL. And then they go out and get
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (37:32.439)
Yes.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (37:41.528)
Yes.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (37:53.439)
Tiffany's to come and do the work. And you would think that Tiffany would have a contract that protected her and laid out her salary and, you know, working hours and, you know, all of these things, an employment agreement of some kind or contracting agreement that she could fall back on. But that does not exist. It's more just like, hey, you want the job? now you can explain Tiffany the rest of.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (38:12.362)
Right, yes.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (38:22.378)
Yeah. And it's off of the notoriety of the job. Most people who work in this backstage catering as the chefs, they're not fans of the groups. They make really good money, good enough money where they can work eight months and take the rest of the four months off. But they've operated without contracting in this space.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (38:22.847)
How?
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (38:45.638)
huh.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (38:49.912)
As a business professional, was something I just couldn't fathom. I even offered to create contracts for it and send contracts over for myself. And the company just not set up like that. So I did get on the plane after much prayer and deliberation and talking with my husband. I went on the tour, not knowing how much I was getting paid.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (38:58.985)
You're welcome.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (39:13.855)
Mmm.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (39:14.838)
Yeah, totally crazy.
got over there, everything's all set up. We're very professional. Again, this is not a reflection of Beyonce and her company or even the companies that work to contract us, just a direct company that I work for when I go on tours. a couple of weeks into the tour, the owner finally comes along and I corner him right away like, so we haven't solidified this pay.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (39:35.123)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (39:50.152)
Mm-hmm.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (39:50.392)
you know, and he tried to use the pandemic as an excuse. the pandemic was really hard and, know, we're still struck such suffering. I'm like, bro, you got me on site for this on story. I don't think you're suffering from anything. Like, like, this is not the one you want to tell that. It's just not, I can't. So at that time we agreed on the pay rate.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (39:57.619)
Mm-hmm.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (40:06.257)
Exactly.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (40:10.943)
Exactly.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (40:16.616)
Yes.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (40:19.94)
it was still a little more than what I normally make with this company. I mean, not, even a little lower, it's hundreds of dollars lower than I normally make on this company. But I changed my mindset of why I was on this tour at this point. I said, it's to give them this network, to stand this network, to show who I am in this industry. and to bring this back and build my company into doing this backstage cantering as well. Because if you guys.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (40:29.769)
Mmm.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (40:41.087)
I don't know.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (40:47.512)
operate at this professional level on this level? Could you imagine what a professional company could operate?
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (40:51.475)
Yes.
Exactly. Exactly.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (41:00.376)
Sorry, I always got emotional there, but four weeks in, I hadn't received my first check. We were supposed to get paid every two weeks. So three weeks, I was ready to go. I was ready to leave. I was ready to leave the Renaissance World Tour because my company had paid me. Other people on my team had gotten paid at that time.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (41:20.851)
Yes.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (41:28.696)
Not only did we not get paid, but our numbers increased from the 250 we told we were cooking for to 600. Yet the chefs did increase. So we are.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (41:41.021)
Mmm. Being worked in the ground.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (41:45.086)
Yes, every day, every day. And we didn't take any days off doing rehearsals. We had one day off the rehearsal. That was almost a month.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (41:47.615)
You.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (41:55.768)
So it was, it was more than a lot. Every day. Only thing that kept me was prayer. mean, prayer, reading my word every morning, just staying grounded in my, in my faith. That kept me every day. I knew that my mission was bigger. So I was just grounded in faith. I really was. But I never heard my mom get on a plane and come home so hard.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (41:59.391)
You're welcome.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (42:08.361)
Thank
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (42:24.53)
I'm painful.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (42:25.45)
over it. She's over it for me. My husband was over it me. They were like, no, it's coming off. So I got the chef in charge and Albie stayed in my hotel tomorrow. Plus they paid me. I'm done to work. The next payroll is coming up in a few days and I expect that to be on time as well.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (42:38.687)
Mm-hmm.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (42:47.529)
Mm-hmm.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (42:48.92)
I prayed on it. called my lawyers. I'm like, this is why I gave him my options. And, after praying, I received that you should go into work. And I was like, okay, I was there. We went going to work. And I did go into work and walked in to managers from other contracts from other, parts of the tour.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (42:52.447)
Okay.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (42:56.831)
Mm-hmm.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (43:08.584)
Okay.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (43:17.976)
approaching me because the word had got around through the employees that I protested. I was staying in my hotel. I wasn't coming to work. And so other contract managers were approaching me and saying, I can't believe you haven't gotten paid. This is bullshit and we're to do something about it. So not only did it get there, but it got up to the upper management, to the accounting.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (43:18.121)
Mm-hmm.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (43:23.561)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (43:39.017)
Exactly.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (43:46.633)
to the lead of the tour who called all of us together said who all didn't get paid? And at that time we were receiving payments and time making out.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (43:49.108)
Mm-hmm.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (43:53.139)
Mm-hmm.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (44:00.918)
But it was just an unbelievable moment. Some people didn't want to admit they didn't get paid. You know, just that fear of, I'm going lose my job. And I'm like, no, no, you did the work. You're doing the work. You're securing these gigs. We secure those gigs for that company. We secure, not saying I'm doing Justin Bieber. Our work is not questionable. We're the talent. We're doing the work. We should get paid and get paid on time and get paid fairly.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (44:13.223)
Exactly.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (44:17.971)
Yeah.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (44:29.361)
Exactly, exactly. And you stood up for that. You stood up for... Yes, I love it. You stood up for what was right and made change happen for yourself and people who didn't have a voice or were afraid to use their voices.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (44:31.37)
So definitely felt like a revolutionary.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (44:48.62)
Yes. And then we're put on notice from the upper management. Hey, this is not the type of tour we're doing. This is not who we are. If you have any more issues with your manager, let us know.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (44:58.207)
Goodbye.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (45:02.911)
That's awesome.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (45:03.202)
But there was definitely a moment that stood out with one of the European guys. And he was like, well, I got paid. And I'm like, so you're going to sit here and tell this black woman from America that you got paid. And I didn't. I said, I think you making this into a huge story that doesn't need to go public.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (45:13.833)
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (45:21.288)
Perfect.
Exactly. Tell us how.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (45:28.52)
That would be news right there, sir. I was like, but I don't want Beyonce to take the negative on that because it has nothing to with her.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (45:34.653)
Right, right. So when you walk into these spaces, you're the one and only a lot of times or like, so tell us about that, the lack of representation in the space and then the impact you being in the space has for people, women.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (45:42.988)
Yes.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (45:53.536)
Yeah. So it took, I've been in backstage gator for about eight years now. It took five years for me to see another black individual on a level of an exec chef in the kitchen. Five years. Everyone else has been like prepped, assistance. And so, definitely as far as again, women in the kitchen.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (46:15.412)
Mm-hmm.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (46:23.23)
a lot of the women are baking. They're not doing any of the proteins or in the highline or in the mains, as we would call it, in backstage catering. So I was definitely the only woman in that space throughout the company that I was looking at. The other woman were in front of the house. It always made it a bit of a challenge, but I always demanded my space. always commanded my space, I would say.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (46:25.929)
Mm-hmm.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (46:51.512)
They understood that I'm here, I'm hired to do the same job you were. I can do the job. Let's not question anything. Let's not question any reason why I'm here. And so I definitely commanded my space and had respect for my fellow employees, my fellow chefs. But just even on the Renaissance World Tour, I'm the only...
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (46:58.047)
Mm-hmm.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (47:20.874)
woman in the kitchen. were two Americans and again I'm the only black woman.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (47:26.783)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (47:29.878)
Yeah. So that space has to change. And again, that was that mindset of going on the tour and getting connected in these spaces and saying, why aren't there more black companies doing this? Why is this such a gatekeeping space? How can I get into this? So I've been building up my company to get into backstage catering and we've done some events. Actually, my first contract was BFB. I run a size world tour.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (47:33.343)
Okay.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (47:42.239)
Mm-hmm.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (47:58.784)
Very exciting that when I came to Chicago, we were able to cater for them with my company.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (47:58.804)
No?
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (48:03.739)
Exciting. Congratulations. I don't think I knew that.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (48:05.592)
Thank you. Yeah, but I look to keep going in that space. That's really where I want our company to go into. And to get out of the way it's run, mean, 16 and 18 hour days, just didn't be anymore. Just offer people shifts. Just offer them good pay. They think it would give you the same, if not a better product.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (48:09.832)
I love that.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (48:32.792)
It can be treated fairly, can have contracts, and it can be done a lot more efficient than it's done right now. I think it's just so old school the way it's run. It's like the old European chef method still in backstage catering. It's weird.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (48:33.31)
in the group.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (48:48.29)
So what's the name of your company, your catering company?
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (48:51.606)
Yeah, so my company is exquisite catering and events. We just rebranded to exquisite catering co. So we're launching that new brand. really exciting.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (48:55.441)
Okay.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (48:58.961)
Okay.
Okay. And you've got a nonprofit organization too, right? What is that? Okay.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (49:06.06)
Yes, yes. Exquisite Engage. We focus on one, elevating Black women chefs in the industry through collaboration, which is really exciting because we make sure to include people in spaces that I've been to. And then we also, sorry, my cat's on the table. like, what are you doing?
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (49:15.411)
Mm-hmm.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (49:29.269)
That's okay.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (49:35.0)
We also work and have a workforce development program in partnership with the organization out of England called the Crusher Club, where we teach them hospitality, where we teach them culinary skills, where we have cooking classes with them, but they're also able to partner with us in catering. So we work with young men, teenage boys between the age of 14 to 18.
So maybe up to 20, we had some 20 year olds work with us and we offer them employment and catering and expanding that with our partner program to train them to work in different restaurants with different caterers, focusing on small businesses. The great part of the program is the organization pays the labor, so those small businesses get that extra labor for free.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (50:01.417)
Mm-hmm.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (50:20.031)
Okay.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (50:28.544)
And what we do is give them the foundation and their certificates so they understand how to work in this industry. It's very exciting.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (50:35.199)
I love it. Pipeline, creating a pipeline of workers for the space. My last podcast guest, Mary Cheney, completely different industry, minorities in cybersecurity, but she's doing the same thing, training up black talent and creating a pipeline into the cybersecurity industry. I love it.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (50:38.774)
Yes. Yes.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (50:51.65)
Yes. That's awesome. Yeah. With the hopes of getting them in the backstage catering, honestly, I would love to see some of these kids travel and be able to access these spaces. Like I think that would be just a dream. And, and I told them, they don't have to want to stay in this industry. They don't have to want to be a chef, but they're gaining a skill set that they can use all over the world. They'll never be without a job if they need one.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (51:03.231)
Yeah.
access.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (51:15.43)
Awesome.
Right, love that. This has been an amazing conversation and we are at time. There's so much more that we could talk about. I ask every guest to leave a piece of advice or pivot pearl of wisdom to the audience. What would yours be today?
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (51:26.452)
Okay. Yes.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (51:42.166)
Yeah, think that, so what I'm getting is don't be afraid to speak up for yourself.
They're just spaces that will tell you no. They've historically said no and without reason. So don't be afraid to speak up yourself, understand your legal rights and stay firm in them.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (51:54.953)
Mm-hmm.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (51:59.763)
Mm-hmm.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (52:06.792)
Mm-hmm.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (52:11.217)
Awesome, awesome. Well, it's one more thing. I know that you gave your pivot pearl wisdom, but I do want to kind of highlight some of the resources that you've used as an entrepreneur to build your business. Can you walk us through a few of those really fast? know the Loyola Law Business Clinic or Business Law Clinic is one of them. Can tell us how they helped you and others?
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (52:17.24)
you
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (52:22.701)
Yes.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (52:26.956)
Yeah, sure.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (52:34.902)
Yeah, Loyola Business Law Clinic was a great resource for my business. I always tell people to look for free legal advice for the business. There's so many organizations, IJ Clinic, that have lawyers or legal assistants in training to help you with your business. Sunshine Enterprises, who I took my first small business entrepreneur class with.
really, really grounded me and made me see that I had a viable business. So much so that I have recommended everybody go through their program. Whether you're in business or starting a business, I have an idea. And now I teach from them because I believe in the program so much. I'm currently teaching a food cohort. So focusing on food businesses and startup and scaling is really exciting.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (53:08.233)
Mm-hmm.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (53:15.593)
Mm-hmm.
Good? Awesome.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (53:29.728)
And then last, Hands on Twin City was a true asset to my business. They partner with Target. Yes, Tarjay. Yes, Tarjay. They were Tarjay for this one, for sure. To offer services to help you with paying points in your business. So I was able to be a part of two of their different cohorts and my new branding for School of Catering Co.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (53:29.885)
Awesome.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (53:40.915)
Mm-hmm
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (53:59.7)
separating my companies to highlight all the services we offer with the nonprofit, with the Backstage Catering, which is just squidget. I'm sorry. Excuse me. Backstage Catering, is exquisite encore. And then exquisite, yes, I love it too. They gave me great marketing and branding advice and brand boards.
Good stuff. Mom, if you can get a hands on Twin City, it is so worth the time. Yeah.
Rhonda Coleman Wandel (54:35.079)
Awesome, Alison. Thank you for sharing those resources. I think that's so helpful. I've never heard of Twin Cities before, learning about it from you. Well, thank you again, Tiffany. I really loved talking to you today, and I can't wait to connect again. Yeah. Bye.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (54:38.604)
Yes.
Tiffany "Chefmama" Williams (54:51.842)
Yes, thank you. Thanks for having me. Bye.