Today we’d like to introduce you to Destiny Hamilton.
Hi Destiny, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
Growing up as an only grandchild until the age of 16, I spent a lot of weekends, summers, and holidays in the kitchen with my grandmother, who was known as the best cook on both sides of the family. From a very early age, I was taught everything from seasonings and marinades to snapping peas and crumbling cornbread to baking cakes and pies from scratch.
By 15, I could easily make Sunday dinner on my own. So when I got to UTSA, I was shocked to find out that many of my classmates and friends didn’t know how to make simple dishes like spaghetti and frying chicken. Since I had to use a friend’s kitchen to prepare all of my meals, word quickly spread around campus that I could cook. From there, I pretty much accidentally began “selling plates” for about $10. This sparked me to change my major to Nutrition & Dietetics.
I moved back to Houston in 2013 and started getting calls asking if I still cooked and would be willing to cater parties and showers. Like that, HungryHamlet began to blossom. Catering had never crossed my mind as a career, but once the calls kept rolling in, I realized I’d found my passion.
Since 2019, I’ve been fully invested in HungryHamlet and had the chance to grow it from a small-scale catering company with jobs here and there to having provided meal prep and catering services for major events, companies, and people and being featured on DoorDash. I look forward to accomplishing the goals I have set up and seeing us become a household name.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It has been far from a smooth road to get to where I am now and still not a smooth road to get where I’m trying to go.
The biggest struggle was to stop underestimating myself and getting out of my own way. I went back and forth between having a corporate job and HungryHamlet three times before I told myself the last time was the last time. I really buckled down. Began to take my craft seriously, did my research, networked, and stopped treating my business like a hustle. I made a lot of mistakes, but I’ve learned so much on the way and really used them to be a better businesswoman.
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 operate a Meal Prep & Catering business specializing in putting fresh spins on Southern Comfort Food and changing the definition of Meal Prep. I became known for selling Wings & Pasta at nightlife events across Houston and grew to cater to Showers, Events, Parties, etc. then expanding to offering Meal Prep services.
I am most proud of the longevity of my business. I take a lot of pride in creating an experience and providing quality customer service. I believe that that is one of the things that sets me apart from others in my industry. There are not many people who can say that they’re still thriving almost 10 years later, not only by keeping up with trends but also by the changes in economic climates.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I believe being extremely organized and able to keep a level head in stressful times are what is most important to my success. Entrepreneurship is not always so pretty.
There are many times behind the scenes when I’ve felt overwhelmed but never let a customer get an inkling. It comes down to assessing and adjusting. Take a deep breath, re-route your plan, and execute. Find time to complain after you’ve taken care of business.
Contact Info:
- Website: HungryHamlet.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/HungryHamlet
- Facebook: facebook.com/HungryHamlet
