Today we’d like to introduce you to Tristeon Moore.
Tristeon, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
The year 2020 was a tough year for almost everyone managing the fear and disruption of the COVID-19 Pandemic. The additional stress of economic uncertainty and social unrest in the United States was more than anyone could have anticipated. We lost family members to the pandemic early on and did our best to process the shocking grief. As parents, we were doing everything in our power to create a sense of security and normalcy for our children but the tensions and anxiety were grinding me down.
As the pandemic’s devastating consequences persisted, I became responsible, as a tech talent acquisition professional in Silicon Valley, for notifying half of our staff that they were being laid off and then processing their exit from the company. It was painful work, and I was not aware of the level to which everything was affecting my mental until my own health began deteriorating and I found myself weighted down in a state of depression.
People close to me noticed the troubling symptoms. I lost my joy, I was moody, angry, and just in a dark place. My wife Chelle and my boss at the time encouraged me to take some time off and seek help. I kept seeing my cousin Kiki McCray who is a psychotherapist, post about mental health, counseling, and the benefits. After a conversation with her, I agreed to see a psychiatrist. My psychiatrist was able to really help me get back to my normal self. She helped me focus on what brings me joy in the midst of all of the negative, and that was my family. My wife and I work hard to provide our kids with a better life than we had growing up. They are well traveled and quite frankly enjoy fine dining. I had to remember that the lockdown was taking away so much from them as well.
During my reconnection with my family, I started doing Friday happy hour for my kids. This was key to blocking out the negativity and building positive memories even in tough times. During our happy hour my alter ego, Emeril DeLaGhetto, would prepare restaurant-quality food dishes and handcrafted mocktails for the kids to enjoy. They had a blast with it to the point where they began asking for more days than just Friday for Happy Hour. I began sharing our Happy Hours on social media and my followers fell in love with the concept. Everyone was demanding recipes and begging me to do a YouTube channel. These requests birthed the idea of the cookbook. After eight months of hard work and perseverance, the book is now available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and most major book retailers for you to enjoy.
My mission for my book is to provide families with joy and memories that they will cherish forever. I’m from down south, I grew up in Houston, Texas where Sunday dinner after church is a weekly family tradition. My goal is for Family Home Happy Hours to become a household tradition trend and family staple throughout the world. Please go buy the book, enjoy the recipes, but most importantly, spread joy and love within your family and create lifelong memories!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Creating a cookbook book takes a lot of work. I have to admit I underestimated the work that goes into this project. The testing of your recipes is extremely time-consuming and much like being back in science class all over again doing experiments to perfect your recipes.
The other challenge is patience with the editing and layout creation of the book. As the author, you have your vision for what you want your finished product to look and feel like, but you are also working with designers who have their own artistic vision of the work that is tied to their reputation. That tug of war to find the synergy to make everyone proud of the end result was a bit of a struggle at times.
The biggest challenge was the fact that I was working through my mental health issues with my doctor through majority of the time I was creating this project. I’m the type of person who has to have a goal that I am chasing professionally. When my company went out of business due to the negative impacts of Covid, I lost my professional purpose. This book became what I needed to help fill that void and get me out of bed every day.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a self-taught Dad Chef and mixologist that loves to cook and create hand-crafted cocktails and mocktails. I am known for my weekly Happy Hours that I host for my two kids Channing and Parker, where I cook them restaurant-quality dishes along with a hand-crafted mocktail. I’m most proud of the avenue I have created to bond and create lasting memories with my children. My goal as a parent has always been to ensure my kids live a better life than I did as a kid. I grew up on the Northside of Houston in a household of love. My parents worked hard to give us everything that we needed and enough of the things we wanted. My kids are well-traveled, well cultured and able to experience the world at a young age. I didn’t travel out of the country until my 20’s and rarely traveled out of Texas until my college football days at Texas Southern University. My kids experience thus far in life makes me very proud as a parent. What sets me apart from others is there is not one cookbook out that focuses on Home Happy Hours, where children are the focal point. My cookbook isn’t just a book full of recipes, it’s an experience and the new foundation to a family tradition that will allow families to create lifelong memories.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
When it comes to finding a mentor, I recommend aligning yourself with someone who has done what you’re trying to accomplish. This way, you can pull from their experiences and learn from their wins and mistakes.
When it comes to networking, my biggest advice is to be purposeful in your conversation. Be very intentional with the conversations you have. Know what you are trying to get out of the relationship, and be prepared to provide equal or greater value to the person you are networking with to receive what you need.
Pricing:
- $10.99 – eBook: Spoiled A$$ Kidz! Home Happy Hour Recipes For The Family
- $18.99 – Soft Cover: Spoiled A$$ Kidz! Home Happy Hour Recipes For The Family
Contact Info:
- Email: info@dadchef101.com
- Website: dadchef101.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/dadchef101?igshid=175v1muvoggaf, https://instagram.com/its_mr_moore2u?igshid=2phmhvawhumv
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DadChef101/
Image Credits
Town Futurist Media
