Today we’d like to introduce you to Desarae Hubbard.
Desarae, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have always loved to cook. As a little girl, I would stay in the kitchen, watching my mother cook and trying to learn as much as I could. It wasn’t until I went off to college that I started to really master my skills. Being in a household with your mother, I didn’t want to take over her kitchen. I needed one of my own. I would always call her to ask how do I make this and how do I make that to the point where I didn’t need to call her as often. She would always tell me to add my own spin to things, but I wanted to know how she made her food so good down the brands of seasonings she used so I could make sure my food tasted “like what Mama use to make”. I always cooked at home, for my family, and for my friends. I have catered small gatherings or my friends’ birthday parties to where people would tell me I needed to do it for a living. It wasn’t until I had my daughter, Niya, that I thought about it more. Having Niya gave me the push I needed to get my life back on track. I went back to school after taking a year and a half off and graduated college on my first mother’s day. I would look at her face and say “I want more for you”. That’s when I decided to return to school this year and finish my nursing degree. I still cooked at home and the older Niya got, the more she wanted to be right there with me in the kitchen. I talked about making a food blog at first the more and more I itched to try new ideas and recipes. I talked it over with my parents, family, friends, and support system that I had at the time and decided to start with social media and selling my recipes. I immediately received so much love, interest, and support that it was surprising. I always said that I wish I could do hair like my best friend Jasmyn or my sister Alexis or do make up, something marketable as a side hustle. I always said “the only thing I know how to do is cook and sing and no one wants to pay for that”. My best friend would always tell me that I never knew and my other friends would offer to buy pans of food from me. Once I stepped out on the limb and started selling my recipes, I made $200 in two days and realized they may have been on to something. Once I started to get messages from customers asking if I would ever cook food for people, I decided to take Niya CookZ a step further. I developed a rough draft of what I wanted my logo to be and as a gift to me my best friend Jasmyn went out and made it a reality. Once I saw my logo, that was all the motivation I needed. Everything sort of came into fruition. I developed a menu, website, business cards, social media platforms and typed out all my recipes. Business has been booming ever since and I’m excited and a bit nervous to see where it goes!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has not been a smooth road, but I haven’t had to face many challenges so far yet, thank God. I tend to overthink and get flustered and make things harder than what they were. Everything I put my mind to concerning the business seems to fall in place, but at the beginning, I didn’t have good time management skills. I was late on one order and it hurt my feelings so bad that I make it a point to start over two hours early. Everything is a learning experience. I am learning what people want and what they don’t want. I am learning about new dietary restrictions and allergies.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Niya CookZ story. Tell us more about the business.
I am a cook and caterer. I cook small meals for individuals, sell recipes, and also cater to gatherings or dinner. I specialize in soul food and Cajun food and am most known for my Mardi Gras Egg Rolls. I am most proud that my company is based around my daughter and one day she will have something to be proud of as well. What sets me apart from other cooks or catering would probably be my humility. I want to learn as much as I can, take feedback, and want to include my customers on my journey and in my growth as a person and as well as the company. My customers help me with pricing, menu ideas, new inventions and they often inspire names for my dishes. If they want to see something new from me, they will become my taste tester and received that meal for free and if I need help naming a dish, I will base it around the customer that help me with the idea. Such a my “Good Feeling Egg Rolls”. They are vegetarian egg rolls that my good friend Martel Matthews asked me to come up with to help him on his dietary journey as a vegetarian. I could not think of a name, so I based off his business, Good Feeling Hemp. I want to make lifetime customers so in a way, they are apart of the Niya CookZ family as well.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t truly believe in luck. I believe in everything happening for a reason and being blessed. I believe God has blessed me with this ability, love and passion for cooking and that he blessed me with ambition and the tenacity to see this through. I believe that I was blessed with Niya, friends, and family that support me and give me the encouragement and motivation I need to never give up on my business.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4855 W Fuqua St
Houston, TX 77045 - Website: https://niyacookz5376.wixsite.com/website
- Phone: 2818864415
- Email: Niyacookz5376@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/niya_cookz/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NiyaCookZ/
Image Credit:
Charity Kuykendall @charity_k_photography
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