Chef LaToya Larkin shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning Chef LaToya, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? Who are you learning from right now?
Right now, I’m in sponge mode soaking up game from two powerhouse women who are helping me level up in very different but connected ways. I’m learning from Alicia Lyttle, the “AI Queen,” to dig deep into artificial intelligence so I can future-proof my business and lead in the tech-driven side of the culinary world. At the same time, I’m working with Kathy Ver Eecke through “Get a Book Deal 101” to shop my upcoming cookbook and memoir.
For me, it’s about staying a student no matter how many wins I’ve had. These two mentors are helping me sharpen the tools I need to merge my food, my story, and my vision into platforms that can reach more people, create more opportunities, and build a legacy that lasts.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Chef LaToya Larkin, award-winning culinary innovator, multi–best-selling author, and visionary entrepreneur redefining the soul of food. As founder of Black Girl Tamales, fuse Southern comfort with Latin tradition, crafting a gourmet brand that’s as bold as my journey from high school culinary educator to nationally recognized chef. With over 25 years in the industry, it’s been seasoned with struggle navigating a male-dominated industry, rebuilding after losses, and learning to turn “no” into fuel. But it’s also been rich with wins: national speaking engagements, community collaborations, global brand partnerships, and mentoring youth who remind me why I fight so hard. I mentor the next generation of food leaders, and became a powerful voice for women, youth, and underrepresented chefs. My mission is simple yet transformative: to disrupt the culinary status quo, create generational wealth through food, and serve every plate with purpose.
I didn’t just leave the classroom I “BET” on ME and carried it with me. Two years short of a decade, I taught high school culinary arts, showing students that a recipe could be more than instructions it could be a blueprint for life. But deep down, I knew I had to take my own leap. Trading lesson plans for business plans, I stepped into entrepreneurship with the same purpose I brought to teaching: to disrupt, to inspire, and to feed more than just stomachs, but the soul in 2021. I’ve stood in kitchens where I was the only Black woman, the only woman at all, fighting to prove my talent wasn’t up for debate. I’ve also stood in classrooms, pouring into high school culinary students who reminded me why I started because the next generation deserves more than survival, they deserve possibility. “I went from teaching recipes in a classroom to rewriting them in the world serving culture, change, and generational wealth on every plate.”
Right now, I’m working on two major projects: my upcoming cookbook and memoir, which will share both the recipes and the real-life grit behind my journey, and expanding Black Girl Tamales into new markets.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
In the culinary world, we say certain chefs “raise you,” and for me, that was my three amigos Chef Michael Edrington, Chef James Paul, and Chef Darryl Shular. They saw something in me long before I could see it in myself. They pushed me hard sometimes so hard I questioned if I belonged but every critique, every challenge was rooted in belief. They would tell me, “You’re full of potential you’re not fully tapping into.” At the time, I didn’t fully understand it. Now, I see they weren’t just sharpening my skills, they were sharpening me.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Wait do we have room? Lol. This industry can be grueling and brutal, and it will test every part of you especially your mental health and mindset. I’ve been passed over for positions I was more than qualified for, underpaid, and made to feel like I had to beg for a seat at the table.
The hardest moment came after I had my son. I missed his entire first year because I was so deep in the grind. That broke me. I realized no award, no kitchen, no title was worth losing those moments. So I stepped back. I took a break from the industry not because I lost my passion, but because I had to remember who I was outside of the chef coat. I needed to be a mother first, and in that space, I found the clarity and strength to come back on my own terms.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
Legacy…..In my kitchen, in my business, and in my life legacy is the cultural value I protect at all costs. For me, legacy isn’t just about passing down recipes; it’s about passing down ownership, opportunity, and stories that outlive us. I come from communities where so much of our history, wealth, and traditions were taken or overlooked. Through Black Girl Tamales, my teaching, and my writing, I’m intentional about making sure the culture, the flavors, and the entrepreneurial spirit we bring to the table are preserved, respected, and built upon. Every decision I make from collaborations to hiring to what goes on a plate has to honor that legacy and protect it for the next generation.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I’m finally doing what I was born to do but for a long time, I did what I was told to do. I followed the “safe” path, checked all the boxes, and made sure everyone else was comfortable….except me. The shift came when I realized that my passion for food, culture, and community wasn’t just a hobby or a side hustle it was my calling.
The turning point came the day I was standing in a professional kitchen 8 years into my restaurant chef career, completely burnt out, realizing I had missed my son’s first milestones because I was chasing someone else’s definition of success. That moment cut deep. I knew if I didn’t take back my power, I’d keep living a life that looked good on paper but felt empty in my soul.
So I stepped away, redefined success on my own terms, and started Not Enough Thyme Personal Chef Services. This allowed me total and complete creative freedom not to mention. That was the moment that I realized people will pay you to cook for them. Then a decade and a half later Black Girl Tamales a brand that lets me merge my creativity with my purpose. Now, through my food, speaking, and writing, I feed people’s bodies, minds, and souls to disrupt outdated systems, and create spaces where the next generation sees themselves represented. This isn’t just work it’s the life I was meant to live.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.blackgirltamales.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackgirltamales
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chef-latoya-larkin-mba-cce-pcqi-23069415/
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/blackgirltamale
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blackgirltamales
Image Credits
Enobong Houston-Arts Houston Photography
