Introduction
Welcome to another episode of Escaping the Odds! Today, we'll be hearing from Chef Fresh Fresh Taste Bakery out of Bronx, New York. Chef Fresh went from baking in the kitchen to becoming a nationally known pastry chef making infused cupcakes and pastries. Learn how he switched hustles and succeeded as an entrepreneur.
Lesson Plan
Watch the video to hear Chef Fresh's story and learn business tips for achieving financial freedom. Chef Fresh also mentions the importance of keeping track of sales and materials, and putting systems together for your business to run with efficiency. In addition to these business tips, the lesson plan also includes group discussion questions such as how to change the narrative from involvement with the criminal justice system to becoming an entrepreneur, and the importance of providing value to the world through products and services.
Objectives
- Hear stories of men and women who have started businesses after prison
- Learn business tips for achieving financial freedom
- Discover how to switch hustles and succeed as an entrepreneur
Group Discussion Questions
- How can you come from involvement with the criminal justice system and change the narrative to become an entrepreneur?
- What is the value of putting systems together for your business?
- What is the importance of providing value to the world through products and services?
Feature Video
Transcripts
(00:00)
Hear the stories of men and women switching hustles and escaping the odds through entrepreneurship after prison. Not only will these stories inspire you, but also unlock business tips for financial freedom.
(00:18)
Thank you all for tuning in to another dope episode of Escaping the Odds. I got my main man here with me today. Chef Fresh Fresh Taste Bakery out of Bronx, New York. The man is doing dope things. Man went from baking in the kitchen, doing other things, to actually a nationally known pastry chef making infused cupcakes and pastries.
(00:42)
Man definitely got to check him out, get his story today. He's been on Good Morning America, new York Post. Man, the cat is everywhere doing this thing. So I want to welcome my partner, Chef Fresh. What's up, bro?
(00:58)
How are you doing, man? Top of the morning. Hey, how are you doing, man? I'm good, bro. Glad we had a chance to do this again, for sure. How you think going, man? Let the world know, man. What's going on with you, man, with Fresh Taste Bakery and Whole nine, man, your story, everything that you're doing, lay it out for them.
(01:18)
Yeah, man. It's a blessing right now, first and foremost, to be on a platform, escaping the odds, man, because that's definitely what we about. Escaping the odds. Absolutely. Like acid. I'm Chef Fresh CEO and executive pastry chef of Fresh Taste Bakery, which is an online bakery platform based out of the Bronx.
(01:37)
The whole New York City? Pretty much, you could say. We do online, and we offer pickup service. Okay. We've been in business about four years, january, I'm self employed four years. Four years off parole as well.
(01:51)
Five years, category one, you know? So all this is a blessing, no? Absolutely, man. So. Of course, everybody we bring on the show pretty much has experienced some kind of involvement with the criminal justice system and just really just showing the world how we can come from that situation and change the narrative and be entrepreneurs and provide value to the world through products and services.
(02:17)
So I'm going to go back a little bit, man. Just kind of give you a backstory. Grew up in the Bronx, eventually went to prison for a significant amount of time. So if you can get into that and then kind of later on, we'll get into the business of everything that you got going, but just kind of let the world know, like, where you come from and how you escape those odds of imprisonment.
(02:38)
And also living in the Bronx. Well, actually, I got to correct you, big bro. I grew up in the Bronx Store, so I'm from Peaceco, New York. That's the county. I'm not familiar with that. That's like where yak is, Mount Vernon, like, where the locks is from.
(02:52)
DMX. I'm from that area, so that's really why I was running around, getting into my stuff. We're about 45 minutes from the Bronx in Manhattan. So that was really the pipeline coming back and forth, reading up out there and bringing it back up.
(03:10)
That was my connection, and I was trapping. I was a hustler. That was my thing. I was big on sales coming out the gate, like 1516 growing up in my neighborhood, single, single mother, only child, and my father wasn't really around, so I found structure in the street.
(03:29)
Like, I was raised right. Don't get me wrong. It was a choice. I ain't going to sit here and be like, what was me and all my environment like? No, I made a decision to get into the street, so that's why I was always ten toes down and accountable for anything that I got myself into.
(03:45)
Right, and so what you got yourself into, you eventually went to prison, and what was that whole experience like, man, for you, man? Was that your first time around or you had been back and forth a little bit?
(03:56)
I actually had the two county. Two county bids, eight months twice, and then all in a very short time. Like, eight months. Came home not 90 days, quarter sale out on belly year back in eight months, home six months.
(04:11)
Went up north for three years right after that. So it was just all like, boom, boom, boom. Right after that. I came home at 24, and I had to make a decision, because at 20, I was doing the same thing that 30 year old was doing.
(04:22)
We had the same car, us, same money, same clothes, same places. So I felt like they said, you could become a millionaire. Ten years worth of work, bro. So I just looked at that like, as a waste. So I promised myself that at about 30, I wanted to be doing the same thing, but getting slipping up and getting jammed up.
(04:40)
I ain't come back home until, like, I was 24. So I was like, Yo, we've been doing this. We've been hustling. Let's try something different, because we got to survive. I have five years, category one parole.
(04:52)
That's a trap in itself. And I know I didn't want to go back, so I had to put myself in a position to do something different. I put myself in a work trainer program of Brooklyn called Ready, Willing Enable, and it took me eight months after I came home before I learned pastry yards.
(05:10)
Let me not give credit to the New York State Department of Corrections. They ain't produced me. I learned painting and decorating them north. Like, I came home and discovered color of your yards and pastry yards, and ever since then, it's been on, because my niche goes back to my backstory, to the hustling part.
(05:28)
When I was in the streets, whipping up was my thing, like, putting my material together. I was really hands on, like, the chemist part, and I pretty much mastered that at a young age, so it was getting me jammed up, so I had to find something positive to do with those skills.
(05:43)
And once I discovered pastry yards and the fact that everything was in grams, ounces, pounds, and kilos, I was home. Like, I was back into reactions and getting different products and different qualities of material.
(05:56)
Like, right? It was it was basically transferable skills, bro. You know? And I've been winning since 2012, bro. Like, just with jobs, like two felonies, drugs and violence, it means nothing. My last two jobs is on Park Ave.
(06:12)
It's the value that you bring to the table. It's not your felonies and all of that stuff, right. What you bring into the situation. I'm glad you said that, man, because oftentimes times, people may feel like they've been in the system, got a record or whatever.
(06:27)
They feel like they don't have anything to offer. So for yourself, what do you feel like that value add is to right now? I won't even say to an employer, because I know you're not going that route, but pretty much, like, to your customers and for your brand, what's that value add that they can expect from Chef First and First Taste Bakery?
(06:45)
Well, first and foremost, at First Taste Bakery, we don't just sell cupcakes and desserts. We sell experiences. You can get a cupcake from anywhere. But people come to me for the experience, how I talk to you, the customer service, to how we handle you, how tentative we are to listen to you.
(07:00)
Any adjustments. I'm a visionary, so I'm here to bring your vision to life right. As much as I can. And that's what we sell. And it's just a blessing to be a part of so many people's memories, so many special moments that my hands been a part of.
(07:18)
Industry moments, super bowl moments, birthday parties, baby showers. I've been in business four years. I got people that have come back every birthday since I've been in business. And it's like, that's the moment to come back with.
(07:36)
Whether it's once a year, whether it's a couple of times a year, whether it's through referrals. But it's love with this stuff. That's the give back part of it, right? No, I seen, you know, been checking your instagram, but follow you a minute, man, since we grow in a relationship with each other.
(07:53)
And that's one thing I could say, man, it's like you're involved in your engagement, man. It's like I was telling somebody else, man, your page is like pretty, it's vibrant, you know what I'm saying?
(08:05)
Because of colors, you know what I mean? I had an experience, man, with someone who provides like infused cupcakes and they gave it to me. It was like that was done to them because the first time I heard about it or seen anything like it was from your website and what you do.
(08:22)
And so I had an expectation, like when I knew I was getting like, okay, all right, I know what they're going to look like. At least that's what I thought because my frame of reference was yourself. And when I got it, I'm like, no.
(08:35)
I say, no, this ain't it. You know what I mean? That's why, bro. Yeah, absolutely. You got to it's all part of brand and a packaging, right? And so one thing we talked about earlier was like being able to ship out to other different areas, right?
(08:53)
You know what I mean? Because right now I think you just wasn't like the tristate area, is that correct? Pretty much. We hand deliver everything as far as you're willing to pay. We charge one dollars, 50 amount.
(09:04)
Okay, right. So that's about 1500 to get something. To me, that's a lot of bread, though. But we talked about infrastructure, getting to that point where you can provide these cupcakes and these pastries, man, to a lot of people, man.
(09:24)
So I definitely look forward to doing on that. And one thing I can respect, what you said is like you want to make sure that the infrastructure, everything is tight first. Oftentimes entrepreneurs, man, we just want to rush out and get that sale.
(09:37)
We don't think about everything that accomplishes around it to be able to support what we're doing. Definitely heads off onto you on that because. We hustlers and you see a lane, you're like, man, I got to get it.
(09:48)
You know what I mean? Somebody wants something in Seattle, I got to try to get it to them. But like you told me, it'll come there, the Patriots will get there, but what is going to look like when they get there?
(09:59)
Just because of the elements and the whole nine. So definitely I appreciate you kind of breaking that down to me. Well, I'm playing long ball. This ain't no short run like you for me, I'm not just out here, just like I'm hustling, like, just making sales and just collecting the money.
(10:17)
I'm actually keeping my books. I actually can tell you how many red velvets I sold this month, last six months, last year, how many carrots cookies. And that gives you court vision to be able to improve your game.
(10:30)
A lot of people don't realize that. I'm saying it's not about just the sales. And a lot of people, when they get caught up in the sales, you might be selling plates and you might flip, like, 3000, but how much did you put in?
(10:43)
And did you even jot that down and know what you really seen? And did you count the materials, the packaging, the bags and all of that other stuff? So it's like, it don't really be accurate. People just be satisfied with the cash flow.
(10:54)
You feel me? You actually got to give you that vision, man. That's what I'm doing. So that should help. Elevate every year, what you just talked about was systems, man. Like, putting systems together.
(11:04)
And that's what business is about. So everything can kind of run exactly with efficiency. That's really important, no matter what business that you in. Let me ask you this, bro, because. I hate double work, bro.
(11:18)
I hate double work the first time. Sometimes double work is expensive when you play in real life. Ain't no I'm RV. It was a mistake. Now you got to pay a bill. Now. I used to say, man, when I was in the streets, mistakes cost.
(11:38)
And I'm not even just talking about just from a monetary standpoint, like. In that kind of environment, the wrong move can cost you your freedom, cost you your life, cost somebody else their lives or whatever.
(11:51)
So just being able to it's a sam where they say, measure once, cut once, measured twice, or something like that. Yeah, cut once and measure twice. Basically just doubling up, you know what I'm saying?
(12:05)
Making sure that you don't have to come back and do it again. And so I try to live by that, because, like you said, man, I don't like double work. Time is money, and that's what business is about. So you talked about memories, right?
(12:20)
And on your Instagram, there's a whole lot of dope memories, man. That's what I want to share with you, too, bro. On my Instagram, we want to talk about marketing. There's a lot of pictures of my customers with my product.
(12:36)
What are my stories? You'll see other people with my product. I'd rather let the people show you and tell you how good my stuff. I can tell you what day, how good it is, but when you see actual live audiences and clients and customers letting you know those are like a referral system, that's marketing, bro.
(12:51)
No, absolutely. All day long. Because you did a lot of big events, right? Industry events, things of that nature, galas, stuff like that. What was probably the most memorable experience you've had saying thus far with your brand, man?
(13:10)
It's a few, bro. The most memorable. I'll have to give you two. Yeah, that's cool. Yeah. I would say I just did it last November. I did a big speech with the Doe Fund, which is the program, but I graduated from Cullinary Arts.
(13:26)
Okay. Like, as a success story. Like, I got to go and be a representative to them and tell my story, and I wrote a big professional speech, and, like. On a big stage. 300 people that paid $1,000 a ticket.
(13:41)
Like, I have my desserts in Cipriani, which is Cipriani, New York City on 42nd street. I could look that up and see what that's about and just have pictures of it, of me in there, have my family in there.
(13:52)
It just was a Dope experience that was really big. That was like some spot where John gotti be at and all of that. Like upstairs in the Pamper room. Okay, the second one was, I'm a brand ambassador for a black owned vodka company called Plush Vodka.
(14:09)
So as part of brand ambassador, I created the Plush Vodka infused plum cupcakes because Plush Vodka came out with the only plum flavored vodka on the market. And with me creating that cupcake, we were able to get them at the NFL alumni brunch at Atlanta.
(14:28)
It was in Atlanta Super Bowl two years ago. Last year. Miami. But the year before, we had it out there, and I got a Dope video from that with my product out there, deon Sanders, just the whole room. So that was really big for me, too, man.
(14:47)
I can keep going. Honestly, there's so many Dope experiences that God has blessed me with, and honestly, he's really elevating me and showing me, like, well, he's put me in a position to be an example for the people that came from where I come from, and that's what I live for every day, because I came out the mud, bro.
(15:05)
They counted me out, bro. You fold me. And so now it's just letting people that really know and see that with the success, they know they can do it, too. They know we know excuses either. It's what I put, man.
(15:19)
I can imagine that speech was definitely going to inspire, because all of our conversations, man, it's like we motivate each other, you know what I'm saying? It's like we watched each other climb, you know what I'm saying?
(15:30)
We come from the same place and just kind of being able just to motivate each other. What would you say to. You know, pretty much anybody. I just don't want to limit it to the men and women that come out of incarceration, man.
(15:43)
But somebody, they got that dream, you know what I mean? They want to start that clothing boutique or whatever. What solid advice would you be able to give them, man, to make them. Push and keep going.
(15:56)
I got you. But first of all, that speech we were just talking about, if anybody wants to check it out on Fresh State baking on Instagram is in my IGTV they could definitely hit up. Now, as far as advice for anybody just trying to be an entrepreneur, start a business, definitely market research.
(16:15)
Got you. Understand what you're getting into. Like, learn as much as you can about it. Research. Who the greatest? Who is the greatest in that lane? Who the top ten? What are they doing that's making them so great?
(16:27)
Emulate them and bypass straight to the top. Set your standards at a pro level, but at the same time have experience in that craft, too. You got to put them to them hours in, because don't get it twisted, I worked five years before I went and started this, and hotels, restaurants, and bakeries, culinary school education.
(16:52)
I took three three culinary programs coming home from prison and everything else was work experience, pure passion and hunger. That's what got me here. So it goes into any lane you want to talk. These eyelashes, the nails, the head, barbering cooking.
(17:12)
You just got to put the time and understand the different aspects of that business. Like, I've worked in wholesale bakery, color management, food only, bread only, doing actually plated services, making ice cream, every aspect of it.
(17:31)
Yeah, a lot of. The the packing, the strictly the strictly packing department. I got put in the packing department because the Hurricane Sandy happened and I just got the biggie job doing commercial mixing, big batters.
(17:45)
And they was ready to lay me off and I was like, Yo, listen, I take a pay cut and all that. I can't get fired. It was like, yo, we're going to put you in a packing room. I thought it was a punishment.
(17:53)
I learned the whole infrastructure of wholesale and retail. That how this wholesale bakery was selling to all these other companies wholesale and relabeling having all their labels in there, plus have four or five of their own locations that they was flooding.
(18:09)
And I'm a hustler. It's like putting work in different spots, bro. Moving on this side of town and this side of town and every day just cashing out, culling. Every hustle, bro, it's the same game, bro.
(18:20)
Just a different product for sure, man. But back to what I was saying, as far as that advice, definitely market research that and once you see what other people are doing, you're not going to have to really think so hard.
(18:32)
Because I think we get caught up in overthinking and trying to build something from scratch when a lot of times it's already built. It's already there. It's not like you really build and set it from the bottom.
(18:43)
You just really have to take time to research who else is in your lane, right? And one thing to kind of add to that as well, how you said it's already there, you just have to put your own touch and twist to it.
(18:58)
I was looking, I was just driving one day and it's funny, this is coming to my mind where you see these cars out here, right? Like say Mercedes Benz or something, right? You'll see them, they got their own design, but then you'll see something like BMW or Hyundai, they come out with something similar, right?
(19:16)
So it's not like how you saying they're not trying to reinvent the wheel. Whatever is pretty much hot. After doing a market research, they kind of make something. All the cars pretty much be looking the same, you know what I'm saying?
(19:29)
But there's a few tweaks, you know what I'm saying? Here and there. But most importantly, though, most importantly is the branding behind it, you know what I mean? Because that's important. The brand is like the reputation, what people perceive you as, you know what I'm saying?
(19:45)
And that goes beyond your product. That's like to communicate your website, you know what I'm saying? Like you mentioned earlier, the customer experience, that's all wrapped up in that whole branding and that experience for that customer.
(19:56)
So branding is very important to make sure that your reputation is one that actually matches or exceeds your product or service. Most definitely an efficiency like this efficiency doing what you say, keeping your word.
(20:14)
If it's whatever time is going to be. I like to say I don't like to raise my clients blood pressure. I don't want them to feel nervous. Is he coming? Is it late? What's going on? Once you start rattling people, they're going to tell people about that.
(20:27)
That's uncomfortability. They may not want to experience that again. You got to make it easy. You want to make it feel good. This is advice. You want to make them be like, wow, I could do that again.
(20:37)
And it came quick and it came nice. You feel me? Like, so let me ask you this. Man, as far as, like, hiring, hold. On, I want to ask that too. When I said see what other people is doing, I don't mean like copying and like, that what I mean is, like, see what the game is doing and then see what it's missing or see how you can make it better or what you can add to it.
(21:03)
Because it might be like, for instance, there's somebody that made the old school, the coffee, thermos cup, the coffee maker. Someone else put the timer on it. Exactly. Yeah. Somebody made it better.
(21:20)
So that's what I'm more or less saying. I'm not saying like, how you say add your twist to it. That's what we mean by the twist. Make it better or add to it. I just wanted to clear that up. Yeah, no, absolutely, man.
(21:31)
We don't do no copycatting over here. Right? For sure, yeah. As far as with the hiring right. I'm going to get to that part. Right. But basically we never want to I guess immolating is one thing, you know what I'm saying?
(21:49)
But then actually going out and trying to really just copy somebody else. But like you said, it all comes down to brand marketing and research and stuff like that. But yeah, as far as like the hiring man, is that something that you're doing right now?
(22:01)
Or are you reaching back out to the guys that come from what we come from and say, hey, because exposure is everything? While you were locked away, like you said you was doing painting and decoration, you had no intentions on doing anything with culinary, right.
(22:16)
But you realized that there was a transferable skill, but until you was exposed to it and then it's like, okay, wow. And that'd be the problem. Bro oftentimes we're not exposed to some always say that we are product, not of our environment, of our exposure.
(22:34)
It's certain things that I learned. I had to go to prison and be around certain individuals. I had to learn certain things because I just wasn't exposed to it. And so are you exposing as far as guys, as far as maybe potentially hiring them, putting them on to the baking industry or just culinary as a whole?
(22:52)
That's a fact. Bro first and foremost, like, the hood is the box. Bro you know, the hood is like a fist. Take only certain things going in the hood. You got to step out the hood and see the rest of the world, like see how other people's living, see how other type of housing establishments is living and other type etiquette.
(23:11)
Pivot so I'm going to lay that down. 1st second of all, one of the main things that helped me change my life and just grow in a better way is that I had a mentor, Caucasian guy, he worked for Ernst and Young, which is one of the top finance companies in the world.
(23:28)
Lake and. As a finance mentor. He invited me to his office, which is a 42nd street in Manhattan, and brought me up to the 47th floor of a building that I had to get my face scanned and all that come to the locked home styles and got me sitting down, looking down at Times Square.
(23:48)
I'm running around doing my work off of Samsung tablet. I ain't handle laptop. He blessed me with a laptop from his brother that was a computer programmer. So it's a lot of pay. It forward in my story.
(24:00)
Like, somebody opened it up for me, so I always had to give it back in the midst of what I do. I actually motivational speak at high schools, middle schools, elementary schools, all across the five boroughs, as well as Long Island in my own hometown in Westchester County.
(24:17)
So with the high schoolers and alternative school kids, particularly those guys I'll be building, like, dope relationships with because I speak their language, a lot of them do have culinary aspirations and goals, and I'll be right there because I'm so seasoned.
(24:34)
I could definitely navigate them, point them in the right direction. I'm a culinary instructor at Restaurant Opportunity Center, Rock, New York. Wow. Okay. We teach a free culinary program four times a year.
(24:47)
So as the pastry chef did, I got first debs on those classes for bringing back to my company as well as the kids from the schools, as well as dudes that's coming home that actually can show that they better be responsible and actually go with protocol and bring value.
(25:09)
I got you. Of course, man. What you just described, man, that's the difference between having a product and a brand, you know what I'm saying? Like, everything that you're doing, outside of none of that, you mentioned selling your cupcake, you know what I'm saying?
(25:26)
It was all it was it was all services and you know what I'm saying? And giving back. And that's all part of that reputation and brand, bro. For free, bro. I wake up early and go to these I'm self employed, bro.
(25:40)
That's another trick. To be self employed, you got to stay active. You got to come sometimes, do as much as you can. You got to get involved with events and go places. You can't be entrepreneur, be antisocial, and be an introvert.
(25:52)
You got to be social. Guy want to speak. You got to see who's in the room. You got to see what type of players you around, man. No, absolutely, man. And that's key. I've always been an introvert, but it's like, when it was time for me to sell something about business, I became an extrovert, you know what I'm saying?
(26:12)
But for the most part, I'm pretty laid back because I don't want to discourage anybody, you know what I'm saying? That may be more introverted because there are certain businesses that a person can get in.
(26:24)
But as you stated, you do have to kind of have some kind of social about yourself, whether it's through social media or whatever, just so people can kind of get a piece of your personality as well. Because again, you're an extension of your brand, you know what I'm saying?
(26:42)
So speaking of that, what was far as far as one of the challenges, you would say, like, far as building your brand from the beginning? If you can look back four years ago, five years ago, when you were just kicking off fresh taste, what were some of the challenges?
(27:00)
Like, the biggest challenge for me, it was, like, technology, social media and stuff like that, because I had never but I knew that I had to leverage social media as a way to kind of get the brand out there.
(27:13)
What was yours? I would say learning how to utilize the people around me, like learning the value of an accountant to a banker. Because I'm good at networking. I'm a serial networker. That's the part what I meant about being social.
(27:31)
You want to be able to have good people around you, assets around you, and get the liabilities away from you so you ain't got to complain about them. But I'm actually risking what's going on in your situation.
(27:42)
So if you actually surround yourself with other asset people that's bringing value to you, life would be a little bit better. But just the fact that I can now put broker deals pretty much understand even without going to college, bro.
(27:57)
Even without understanding Day full business, just bringing them together and just being able to just be able to be financial literate, honestly, without going to college because I had opportunities to be in rooms with big executives, big Boardmen.
(28:16)
And like I said, I'm that guy that's going to step into that circle and see what that conversation is about and put my input and see what I could get out of it. But when you hold in those type of big conversations coming from the hood, coming from where we come from, and do not season into that lifestyle, that etiquette, it's going to be like you speaking choppy Spanish to some people that's fluent Spanish, and they going, no, you're not Spanish.
(28:43)
You feel me? Because your Spanish is not real, right? So when you speak your financial literacy, you got to be using the right words. Even when you're talking about what you're doing and what your business is, you got to understand what you're saying, and it got to make sense, especially when you're trying to leverage other people's abilities and skills.
(29:00)
So that's something that I used to always work on. I didn't like when I went to when I went to places and they talk over me and make me feel like I know what I was talking about. I'm going back to the books.
(29:11)
That'll never happen again, right? Absolutely, man. With your product, right, you're able to, I guess, collaborate with other brands, right? Because it's alcohol infused. You got the Hennessey, you got the Sarak and things of that nature.
(29:29)
What are those conversations? Like being able to potentially get that official sponsorship, like how you have with the black owned vodka company? What does that sound like? What does the communication look like?
(29:43)
To be able to say, hey, look, I got this Dope brand? And I think that not only because you always got make sure that what you offer is not only we know it's valuable to you, but, like, to be able to express that and communicate and articulate that to that other partner.
(29:57)
So how do you do that? Well, proof of concept is super important. Proof of concept means the idea works. So you got to have that first and foremost. If I can show you, hey, patron, there's 100 people over here, 1000 people over here that's loving these patron cupcakes.
(30:15)
They say, these are good, let's work. That goes back to being social and reaching out again. But a lot of times when you're doing good work, they'll come find you. So how I feel about it like, it's a blessing to be working, to have worked with Belair and Tito's Vodka and Plush Vodka and had places like Fireball Whiskey, Smear, No, Hennessy Beach out to me.
(30:42)
And it just lets me know who that dude is with the liquor desserts that the liquor companies is coming at me from letting me know who they know to go get it from. So let me know that my hard work is paying off.
(30:57)
So how do you say innovative? Because as of late, man, I've been saying a lot of, like, you know, infused, alcohol infused cupcakes. Now you got with the marijuana kind of being legal in a lot of states, a lot of people is infused in that.
(31:12)
Just a whole culinary infusion with alcohol. How do you stay ahead of the race, man, and be able to. Let people know, like, hey, look, that's them, or whatever. We Fresh Taste Bakery right here. How do you do that?
(31:26)
Well, I'm a culinary chemist first and foremost, so I play with flavor profiles, just reactions. Okay. I like to play with the tongue pause. You. For me, that goes back into the experience part. Like it's fresh, taste bakery.
(31:41)
Like, we emphasize that we can't be saying fresh taste and not bring bring a fresh taste. Those are big words to live by. So I emphasize on flavor and just give you that pure. Staying innovative is just a matter of me just staying creative, just having that time to just manifest.
(32:00)
Bro, honestly, just go back to market research again. What is the game missing? There you go. So what have you taken from your experience in the streets and flip that into the positive and switch hustles with it.
(32:15)
With Fresh Taste Bakery, what was like one or two things you like, man, you know what? I took that from that my experience. In the streets with it 1000 to 2000, the whole thing, bro. Get it for the low, sell it for the high.
(32:34)
Must have a supplier that's going to give you wholesale quality product reputable, whether it's packaging, whether it's material, customer service, delivery systems, being able to have workers and team members, be able to represent you and know how to select and have manageable people.
(32:56)
Just the sales aspect of it. It's the whole I survived the pandemic maneuvering. If it was a drought, being up extra heavy like it was a drought because the stores had lines, and then with curfews and stuff, I was maneuvering like if it was just a raid like the Feds came to say and just that.
(33:16)
You know, sometimes they say when you move a little. You'd be a little bit safer because you're a little bit more back from certain things. You throw a little bit extra things, so it's a little bit less likely that things will happen to you, to a paranoid person.
(33:31)
You feel me? Okay. So when you move in, like, low key like that, you under the radar, you get what done. So these are all abilities and aspects that I had to bring from the game into what I'm doing. You know what I like what said is, use the word drought, and during the pandemic, in the early stages of it, that's what it was.
(33:53)
It was a drought, you know what I mean? It was high demand and low supply. But you took what you knew from back in the day, from hustling the street, some negative, and you flipped into some positive and say, you know what?
(34:06)
Now I know I got to buy extra sugars. Well, everybody else is buying extra toilet paper. You know what I'm saying? I'm going to buy extra sugar, flour, and all the material and supplies that I need to kind of make sure that I make it through this drought, through this pandemic.
(34:24)
That was brilliant, man. My pound is up, man. Like, at least £300. £300 flour with sugar. And honestly, it goes back into the street aspect again. Like real hustlers know, man, the more work you got, the more money you want to get.
(34:37)
Some people be scared to re up. Like, you might be comfortable at rein up at a certain number and don't want to stack that bread to get to that next number. Being lazy, having that more product made, more cash flow.
(34:49)
For me, that's another thing that I was like. That's just like the game. I see a lot of correlations in entrepreneurship. Yeah. So definitely investing in yourself, taking that chance and that risk to spend that extra money instead of going to buy, go shopping with it.
(35:07)
Let me dump all that back into. The business and then get to a stable position, because it's like, what, you want to buy jeans or you want to go to Paris? Like it's ready for me. Yeah, you can be flying your block or you could be saying do something different on the road or invest in certain.
(35:28)
Yeah. So what's next for you, man? You got a lot going on, bro. What can we expect to see for Fresh Taste? Well, we go into the holiday season, so I stay in tune for that. Thanksgiving, we're going to have the sweet potato pie, pound cakes in New York on this ship.
(35:43)
Him. I got to be able to do something at least for the shop. No, definitely. When I do step into New York out there, that's one of the first things I got to do. Check someone who joins out. What's all your handles, man?
(36:01)
Where they could contact you, man, and reach out to you, whether it's for motivational speaking, brand and opportunity collaborations, man. How can we reach you? I could definitely find me at Fresh Tastebake on Instagram, on Facebook, at Fresh Tastebakery.
(36:20)
My website is www.freshtastbakery.com. You can message me there. You can see there's some of the work. Honestly, I'm blessed, man. You can even google me. I see some dope interviews. Black Enterprise.
(36:33)
You can find me on Yelp. So check that out. Yeah, definitely. My A. I want anything you want to add, man, before we close this thing out. We could talk forever, bro. You know what? Anybody got any advice if you're coming to New York, man, definitely be shall come get an experience, man.
(36:51)
And it's not just infused cupcakes, man. We got many cheesecakes. We got brownies. I'm famous for my carrot cake cookies. Like those those that's how those is the innovation. You feel me? Like absolutely.
(37:02)
Those are the game changer. We'll talk about addiction. I got people that crave something. They be like, listen, man, I don't even bring them in the house. They in the car. Wifey can't get them, hubby can't get them.
(37:13)
Right. Check me out, man. I'll take care of. Tell them, hey, absolutely, man. I'm proud of seeing you do what you do, man. I love to see it, man. You know what I'm saying? You got a dope brand, man. Dope product.
(37:30)
So more stories like Chef fresh escaping Odds.com. You can hit an actual audio podcast on Apple. Ihawradio spotify pretty much we everywhere, you know what I mean? YouTube Channel escaping. oz.com A lot more in store.
(37:47)
A lot more in store. Just bringing these stories, unlocking freedom, financial freedom, physical freedom, opportunities, old penitentiaries. That's what we like to do here. So thank everybody for tuning in.
(37:59)
Like share comment, follow us. Escaping odds, podcast. Definitely, man. It's just staying tuned with this man. And thank you all for tuning in. Peace. Definitely, man. Peace.
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