Today we’d like to introduce you to Jonette Wantee.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Jonette. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I am a 30-year-old proud Liberian, West African-American mother of two and I’m currently operating as a private chef/caterer and virtual restaurant owner via doordash and ubereats called Naya J’s Comfort Eats. My restaurant is virtual and is located here in Houston. After having worked as a restaurant cook and line lead for over nine years, I relocated to Houston from the DMV area (Silver spring, MD) in July of 2017, which actually ended up being just a few short weeks before Harvey hit. Since then, I’ve worked as a cook in a few restaurants (Flower Child, Blanco Tacos and Tequila and Nobu Houston Galleria) before deciding to branch out as a private chef full-time. I’ve only recently utilized this pandemic to my advantage while becoming unemployed a few months ago, and truly taking a leap of faith into entrepreneurship and it has been the best move yet. I am now running my own virtual restaurant which does require and demand a lot from me but is exactly what I’ve dreamt about for most of my life.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Getting to where I am now has not always been a smooth road, in fact, I’ve attempted to start my own catering company several times in the past and it never took off. I’ve experienced failures big and small and at times even questioned whether I was pursuing the right career path because of how many setback and roadblocks/resistance I was faced with along the way. I knew for sure that cooking was my passion and I wasn’t sure what else I would possibly pursue if being a chef hadn’t worked out for me. I decided to give it one last shot this year and that was the shot I’d been waiting for my entire career.
Naya J’s Comfort Eats – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I’m a private chef and caterer but now I can add restaurant owner to my title as I navigate my way through the virtual restaurant world and establish my pick up/delivery only restaurant in Houston. I specialize in comfort/soul food that includes brunch inspired dishes as well as Afro-Caribbean inspired dishes.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
My faith in Jesus Christ. I am a very firm believer in Christ and I include him in everything that I do both personally and business. I strongly believe that by putting my faith first and seeking Jesus’s guidance in every move I make; the sky is going to be the limit in terms of my success.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 2818326701
- Email: Jwantee@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chefnayaj/
- Other: https://www.doordash.com/store/naya-j-s-comfort-eats-houston-1074452/en-US
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