Taste Test (A Dave East Story)

Chapter 2

Kennedy

"Okay team, listen up," I say excitedly, "We have a big week next week. We have three brunches back to back and two dinners. We're going to have to be prepared for anything. I will have small task lists for everyone."

I pass out the sheets to the 3 of them.

"What if we don't know where to find a certain item?" Stacey asks.

"Just ask me or one of the team and I'm sure that we can help," I respond.

"Girl you can never find anything. What do you need?" Tony says with a chuckle.

Everyone at the table laughs, including Stacey.

"Y'all can get off me though. At least I didn't drop a pan of lobster tails," Stacey says with a laugh.

Whew I will never forget that event. We had a private brunch for a party of 20. They chose my deep fried butter lobster tails as one of the entrées. I had just fried up the first batch and Tony knocked them off the counter. In his defense, their kitchen was very small. I was so hurt, but he was able to run to the seafood market to grab some more.

Tony laughs, "Alright I see how y'all do me."

"Moving on," I say with a laugh, "please don't forget about the private party that we are catering tonight. It's in Harlem. Please take that into consideration when factoring in traffic and timing. I expect you all in attendance, since there were no out requests given to me before hand," I announce.

"Can somebody pick me up?" Tony asks, "My car is still being worked on."

Brady, the youngest on the team, volunteers, "Yeah man. I'll come grab you. Just gotta make sure you're on time. I hear you like to be late."

I try to hold in my laugh as well as the others, but it doesn't work out.

Tony is almost always the butt of somebody's joke. He is a bigger fella, standing at about 6'2" and really stocky. For him to be so big, he is so delicate with his hands. He makes the most beautifully plated meals. He is definitely a gem and I'm so happy to have him working for me.

I finish up our meeting in about twenty minutes and then they help me pack my truck with all the plates, utensils, gloves and everything else we will need that's not food. Even though we laugh and joke around a lot, we get our job done. I love the relationship that I have with my employees. Everyone is easy to talk to and they get along so well.

I own a private catering company called "KenShaw Eats". I am also a private chef. My catering company has a staff of 15, and when I do private smaller events, I have 3 employees tag along with me. Stacey, Tony and Bradford are amazing individuals. I feel as though they are the best on my team and they have leadership qualities.

In middle school, I realized that I had a passion for cooking. My mom let me help in the kitchen all of the time when I was younger and she taught me most of my techniques. While I was in my high school years, my mother was able to help me take courses at Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts. Now look at me, about 15 years later and I have a diploma in Culinary Arts and Operation, an Associate's of Occupational Studies Degree in Hospitality & Restaurant Operations Management, diploma in plant based culinary arts, and an Associate of Occupational Studies Degree in Baking and Pastry. 4 degrees and I'm a business owner.

I also own an online clothing boutique. I love fashion so why not make money off doing what I love. It's kind of a lot, but me and my small team of 3 make it happen for KenShaw Eats, and I make it happen all by myself for Styles by Kennedy Rae.

I'm a Texas girl, born and raised. My parents did their best to raise my sister and I. We were not rich, but we weren't poor either. Even though they are now divorced, I love both of them to the ends of the earth. They separated shortly after my younger sister graduated college. Neither me or my sister, Sienna, saw it coming.