Today we’d like to introduce you to Kendall Taylor.
Hi Kendall, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Getting to where I am today has been a journey and I am still not where I want to be. I have always had a passion for cooking. Growing up, I would always help my mom in the kitchen, so naturally culinary art was my first choice after graduating high school. Shortly after starting culinary school, I dropped out. I always struggled with anxiety and at the time, I was the youngest in my classes, and I didn’t think I was good enough. I went on to pursue a bachelor’s degree from Kennesaw State University. After graduating college in 2017, I feared facing “real” life as an adult and found myself lost at what to do next. I settled for a job in the call center field, yet my anxiety only continued to grow and I unearthed this new battle called depression. I couldn’t figure out what made me happy but I knew I was miserable. With the help of therapy, family and friends, I finally had my “aha moment. I realized that cooking is what makes me happy. Although I had never really stopped cooking after dropping out of culinary school, I just didn’t do it often.
I started getting back into the kitchen more and In October 2021, birthed the name KitchenKen. I began to record myself cooking and posting on social media as a hobby and mental outlet. My social media pages are slowly starting to grow, and it seems many have taken a liking to my food. Once one of my pages became monetized, it only fueled more motivation in me to keep going and keep growing my brand.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It hasn’t been smooth nor easy so far. Some days I am fully motivated to grow my brand and other days, I want to quit. Knowing there are millions of others with the same or even greater talent as me can be motivating and yet discouraging at the same time. I have to remind myself often that there is room for me and it doesn’t have to be a competition.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Right now, I create food content for social media apps and run an online store, selling unique kitchen essential products. I do have plans to eventually expand my brand more by diving deeper into social media, creating recipe e-books and selling small plates. I’m known as Kitchen Ken to many on the internet. On my social media pages, I share recipes, meal ideas and cooking videos. People love food and food is comforting for so many. I think that social media can be viewed in such a negative light and by me creating positive feel good content, it brings a sense of comfort and joy to what some consider toxic platforms. I really enjoy getting messages from so many people I don’t know, telling me how much they love my content or my products. I am proud of how my brand has taken off within only four months and excited to see where I will be in the future.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Having patience. I’m still in the beginning phase, so growth has been very slow for me on my social media and within my e-commerce business. I know that success doesn’t happen overnight and I have to continue to grind and put in the work to get to where I want to be.
Contact Info:
- Email: kitchenken1093@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kitchenken_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heykitchenken
- Other: tiktok.com/@kitchenken
